2 row cubicle shed length

If I wanted to build a two row cubicle shed with feed passage at the front, how long would be too long?

I ask because I have an awkward site for a wide shed so thought perhaps going long and narrow might be the solution. Ideally 150 cubicles so at a guess would be about 330 ish feet long. My concerns would include getting rid of muck and the risk of cows having a good old gallop up to one end if they were ever spooked. Big plus as I see it though would be everything is efficient!

Your thoughts please, SS.
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
What do you mean by “feed passage at the front”?

Surely if you feed down the sides or even centre passage you can make the shed a lot shorter - certainly don’t need 330’ for 150 cubicles esp if going head to head
 
What do you mean by “feed passage at the front”?

Surely if you feed down the sides or even centre passage you can make the shed a lot shorter - certainly don’t need 330’ for 150 cubicles esp if going head to head
To clarify i mean:

single cubicle - scrape passage - single cubicle - feed passage

Feed placed on outside under oversail. Shed would be approx 45 feet wide plus oversail.
 

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
I’d have a slatted channel either at the centre or all the way up the centre of the muck passageways.

Another would be auto scrapers with a gully underneath.

My cows were doing laps the other day of my main cowshed 200’ down 20’ across then 200’ up,330 in one run wouldn’t bother me.
 
I’d have a slatted channel either at the centre or all the way up the centre of the muck passageways.

Another would be auto scrapers with a gully underneath.

My cows were doing laps the other day of my main cowshed 200’ down 20’ across then 200’ up,330 in one run wouldn’t bother me.
Auto scraper with gully would be a serious contender. I have to build slurry storage as well. I like the idea of a slatted shed but having read a few threads on the subject I'm not very convinced that it'd be a good (or cheap) idea building a long narrow tank!
 

yin ewe

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Antrim
If you need slurry storage I'd go for a tank below slats. Could put in a bubbler system for mixing. No pumping into an above ground store and slurry is always ready to cart to the field.
 
Auto scraper with gully would be a serious contender. I have to build slurry storage as well. I like the idea of a slatted shed but having read a few threads on the subject I'm not very convinced that it'd be a good (or cheap) idea building a long narrow tank!

Slat it, go extra 5’ wider and have 3 rows of cubicles. Shorter shed, 3 walls in tank would make easy enough mixed too.
Be a lot more expensive but would be a proper job.
 
If you didn't want to go to the full expensive of slats I don't think it would be that bad putting in a small precast channel down the middle and would look a good job. One of them robotic scrapers be just the job then
 
If you need slurry storage I'd go for a tank below slats. Could put in a bubbler system for mixing. No pumping into an above ground store and slurry is always ready to cart to the field.
Ever seen it done on a long shed? Guess you'd have to have multiple emptying points or a fall to a sump?

Slat it, go extra 5’ wider and have 3 rows of cubicles. Shorter shed, 3 walls in tank would make easy enough mixed too.
Be a lot more expensive but would be a proper job.
Trying to avoid a three row system so that each cow gets a lot of feed space, I can shut off cubicles at this time of year whilst still out and so that in the event of being on my own i could bed up whilst cows are feeding. Concrete is quite a lot more here than in Ireland from what I understand.
 
Ever seen it done on a long shed? Guess you'd have to have multiple emptying points or a fall to a sump?


Trying to avoid a three row system so that each cow gets a lot of feed space, I can shut off cubicles at this time of year whilst still out and so that in the event of being on my own i could bed up whilst cows are feeding. Concrete is quite a lot more here than in Ireland from what I understand.

I’ve got 2 row sheds and 3 row sheds and by far the best is what you describe in your original post, from memory my 2 row shed is just over 100m long.

We tractor scrape but if we had scrapers I’d just put a slat halfway up the shed and run the scrapers fairly often.

I can understand why people are saying put a slatted tank under the shed but I much prefer to have slurry storage out of the shed if you ever have to get in the pit for any reason I couldn’t think of any worse or more dangerous than going into a slatted tank
 

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Ever seen it done on a long shed? Guess you'd have to have multiple emptying points or a fall to a sump?


Trying to avoid a three row system so that each cow gets a lot of feed space, I can shut off cubicles at this time of year whilst still out and so that in the event of being on my own i could bed up whilst cows are feeding. Concrete is quite a lot more here than in Ireland from what I understand.

Although I have 3 rows for my milkers my 2 row for youngstock is a great building in that I scrape the feed muck passage in the morning while they’re still sat down then feed at night scrape/bed the cubicles,this means your not pushing stock about,also with milkers you can shut them out of the cubicles so not lying down straight away.
 

yin ewe

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Co Antrim
Another vote for the two row barn, as said theres more feed space per cow. Cows can all eat at once. Many studies showing how much more you are ahead by building for correct feed space requirements per cow. Heck we have a 3 row barn and we are putting up an outdoor pen pack for 60 cows just to get one cow per feed placement in the barn.
 
Slurry tanker with a scraper under neath. no limit to how long, no bow wave getting on beds, passage very clean, no channels or slats to construct or block, no limits on type of bedding, delivery straight to store or spread. What not to like!
 

Horn&corn

Member
Slurry tanker with a scraper under neath. no limit to how long, no bow wave getting on beds, passage very clean, no channels or slats to construct or block, no limits on type of bedding, delivery straight to store or spread. What not to like!
Don’t like the student wrapping it round a post but otherwise sounds great!
All 2 row here and much prefer although apparently it should be 2 row head to head in middle of shed for comfort etc.
 
Slurry tanker with a scraper under neath. no limit to how long, no bow wave getting on beds, passage very clean, no channels or slats to construct or block, no limits on type of bedding, delivery straight to store or spread. What not to like!
Had to think about this post because I wasn't sure what you meant, but I've seen it on YouTube now! It looks a bit OTT for my little set up!!
 

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