- Location
- somerset
interesting, who would be point of contact.Could be a good option for someone needing to send their pigs away while they get on with something on an existing unit (eg building works or destock/repop).
interesting, who would be point of contact.Could be a good option for someone needing to send their pigs away while they get on with something on an existing unit (eg building works or destock/repop).
Several points.
Straw based better for [perceived] welfare and FYM better than slurry for the soil long term.
The spread a bale point is not valid. We put 10 6-string bales evenly down the passage using a telehandler and some home made bale movers (happy to share design) every 10 days, takes 45mins per shed with 3 people. Then every day each pen gets a biscuit kicked off the walkway. The pigs do the rest.
Mark is correct saying 2 - 3 man hours per 100 pigs in the morning, then half an hour in the evening.
We decided to use a turn key builder as, even though it is the most expensive option, it only took 10 weeks. Then we were earning money. If it had taken us 52 weeks to build 2 sheds we would have lost out on £80k gross income. My own labour is also not free.
We went 14ft to the eaves to ensure future change of use.
What I say to others is if you have to borrow most of the money AND employ someone outside of the family to do the pigs, then it will probably not work. But otherwise we are happy with our decision to go into the BnB pig job, especially when you go to soils seminars and they all say that FYM is, by a margin, the best soil amendment there is.
When I see 1400 ton FYM worth at least £10k in nutrients then that is the icing on the cake.
I think you mean 1000 pigsSeveral points.
Straw based better for [perceived] welfare and FYM better than slurry for the soil long term.
The spread a bale point is not valid. We put 10 6-string bales evenly down the passage using a telehandler and some home made bale movers (happy to share design) every 10 days, takes 45mins per shed with 3 people. Then every day each pen gets a biscuit kicked off the walkway. The pigs do the rest.
Mark is correct saying 2 - 3 man hours per 100 pigs in the morning, then half an hour in the evening.
We decided to use a turn key builder as, even though it is the most expensive option, it only took 10 weeks. Then we were earning money. If it had taken us 52 weeks to build 2 sheds we would have lost out on £80k gross income. My own labour is also not free.
We went 14ft to the eaves to ensure future change of use.
What I say to others is if you have to borrow most of the money AND employ someone outside of the family to do the pigs, then it will probably not work. But otherwise we are happy with our decision to go into the BnB pig job, especially when you go to soils seminars and they all say that FYM is, by a margin, the best soil amendment there is.
When I see 1400 ton FYM worth at least £10k in nutrients then that is the icing on the cake.
If you push from both ends your pushing them 100ft or 30m. people who have tried say they slide off. risking crushing the pigs. Pulling them apart is not a problem as most dont use a full on heston. As @snarling bee said gravity does the rest just drop in a wedge of straw. Little to no dust on the catwalk if the baler knows how to make straw. if the bales art dusty generally the curtains are dropped to allow the dust to evacuate the buildingCould you not just push bales along the cat walk from one end with a loaded tele ? I have horses bedded with hesstons by hand it’s a twit o a job your welcome to pulling them things to bits by hand , should be better idea than that in 2020.
Flat 10 give you musclesI was thinking if I did it with conventional bales I could get some muscles!
you have just reminded me of how we used to carry little bales the length of the forebay, in one of our old cowsheds, I really wish you hadn't !!I was thinking if I did it with conventional bales I could get some muscles!
But it’s 365 days of the year fir .. 20–50 years ? Of getting Dave in in the skid steer to put bales up and manually handling straw every day for the rest of your working life ? Fir a brand new set up in 2020 a better way needed than that , pig farmers will allYou just don't need very much straw. There's a very fancy machine in Germany that places straw only over dirty bits from an overhead gantry but you're talking £££
Could be a good option for someone needing to send their pigs away while they get on with something on an existing unit (eg building works or destock/repop).
interesting, who would be point of contact.
Problem solved!Just this situation.
I am looking for b and b accommodation for some of my pigs this summer while we do some building work. Batches of 500 30kg to finish. I am in Gloucestershire.
Happy to chat about it - if you wish
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What are the differences @Foxcover ?Wow, very smart, Top 2 pics look better than BQP design.
What are the differences @Foxcover ?
You just don't need very much straw. There's a very fancy machine in Germany that places straw only over dirty bits from an overhead gantry but you're talking £££
Big Dutchman machine (made by someone else)Any idea what the machine is called?
And what firm built the shed in your first 2 pics?
Thanks