Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
I did consider it but I have a couple of reservations, mainly how to keep then dry, when I had them in straw pens with a tarpaulin over the top I was using huge quantities and couldn't keep them dry? Are hutches any better as it's the same concept but plastic instead of straw?
But mainly it would cost me £30,000 in hutches for 100 calves and I can't help but think a well designed shed would be a better investment especially as it would have other uses throughout the year?
Also how long does a hutches last? 10 years? Just trying to see how often they would need replacing in comparison to a shed which shouldn't ever need replacing?
The shed would go up at dad's so don't have to worry about tenancy
I'm snatch calving and using half a big square bale of barley straw a day to bed down a 45x20' area with 1-4 cows in it
You'll still easily spend double that on a decent calf shed and unless you can persuade your dad to feed them you will massively increase your workload travelling to and fro twice a day
I put 150 in 15 hutches. All 150 are still here. I can't say the same for the beef calves that are in fixed housing. By calving a bit later my calves are not housed for long before going out on the trailer feeder, 10 per hutch still gives plenty of room and they probably used a total of 10 x six string bales while they were in.