Bull shed/housing??

[orkfarm87]

Needing to create more/new bull pens for winter housing. Looking for ideas to go for/avoid in planning new pens!

 

[Davy_g]

I’m building this at present, 60x40 a mixture of bull and calving pens.
Internal layout won’t be for everyone but works for me.

 

[Yale]

Main thing is to have a separate pen to safely move a bull to for mucking out,refilling feed etc,maybe also those mart style posts which you can get behind and an escape route.

 

[T7.wab]

I’m building this at present, 60x40 a mixture of bull and calving pens.
Internal layout won’t be for everyone but works for me.

How do you plan to muck out bull pens?

 

[Henarar]

Don't house them on their own where they can't see or interact with other cows/cattle
best if they are in with a few in-calf cows or some such

 

[Davy_g]

How do you plan to muck out bull pens?

Shut him in the outside yard.

 

[M-J-G]

I’m building this at present, 60x40 a mixture of bull and calving pens.
Internal layout won’t be for everyone but works for me.

Do the gates swing between the back half of the calving pens for cleaning out?
Are you fittings forcing gate to get a cow to put her head out through the yoke when she doesn't want to?

 

[startinghandle]

Needing to create more/new bull pens for winter housing. Looking for ideas to go for/avoid in planning new pens!

Do you mean...... advice in planning new pens
The only advice I can give is make pen plenty high enough
Perhaps put emergency exit
Get someone who can weld properly

 

[Davy_g]

Do the gates swing between the back half of the calving pens for cleaning out?
Are you fittings forcing gate to get a cow to put her head out through the yoke when she doesn't want to?

All the gates in the calving pens swing and close 3 ways.

The yoke is used to feed the cow / bull through and also acts as an escape for me.
They will not be calved at this single yoke.
They will be calved at the straw bed with gates that are not shown on the diagram as they are bespoke including removable portion for a section. We have devised (hopefully perfected) these gates after 40 years of working with pedigrees.

 

[Whitepeak]

I’m building this at present, 60x40 a mixture of bull and calving pens.
Internal layout won’t be for everyone but works for me.

I'll have to come for nosy once it's finished ?

 

[Whitepeak]

One thing we did for our new setup for housing young bulls was put 6 rail gates. In another shed with 5 rail gates we had a lot of trouble with animals putting their heads between the bars and either getting stuck or lifting gates off. So far, touch wood, we haven't had one put its head through the 6 rail gates, and that's with heifers either side!

 

[Davy_g]

I'll have to come for nosy once it's finished [emoji6]

More than welcome. Congratulations by the way!!

 

[Davy_g]

Floor finally in. 40m3 laid in 2 hours. Sore back.

 

[irish dom]

Jesus that floor won't shift. Is that 8 inches deep in old money?

 

[nails]

Don't house them on their own where they can't see or interact with other cows/cattle
best if they are in with a few in-calf cows or some such

Quite right, Nothing worse for a Bull to be not able to see things going on. I try to keep our 3 stock bulls in with something all the time and the young ones run in groups.

 

[Hampton]

I’m building this at present, 60x40 a mixture of bull and calving pens.
Internal layout won’t be for everyone but works for me.

Does it need all those concrete panels? Thought modern thinking is as much ventilation as possible?
Having said that, my cattle sheds are similar to that, and they are excellent. Every time the vet turns up he moans the cattle don’t get enough breeze through them

 

[Davy_g]

Jesus that floor won't shift. Is that 8 inches deep in old money?

In places yes it is. Concrete isn’t what it used to be.

 

[Davy_g]

Does it need all those concrete panels? Thought modern thinking is as much ventilation as possible?
Having said that, my cattle sheds are similar to that, and they are excellent. Every time the vet turns up he moans the cattle don’t get enough breeze through them

Ground level drafts are as bad as poor ventilation - i calf cows in February! Air moves nicely through the Yorkshire boarding even on a calm day.
I initially had the ridge open but have put a raised one on as there was too much rain coming in. There will be 9 cattle max in that space at any one time so not likely to have much of a chimney effect.

Hard to strike a balance but the boards let a lot more air through than vented tin I have on other sheds.

 

[M-J-G]

Does it need all those concrete panels? Thought modern thinking is as much ventilation as possible?
Having said that, my cattle sheds are similar to that, and they are excellent. Every time the vet turns up he moans the cattle don’t get enough breeze through them

How much lower could you make the walls given that dung could be a couple of feed deep.

Did your vet offer any designs or layout innovations?

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Does it need all those concrete panels? Thought modern thinking is as much ventilation as possible?
Having said that, my cattle sheds are similar to that, and they are excellent. Every time the vet turns up he moans the cattle don’t get enough breeze through them

I've found if you don't go 2m with panels when the sh!t builds up mid winter when it's too wet too spread the cattle knock hell out of the Yorkshire boarding. I left the ridge off our last shed. Seems to work well, must be the location as it's never let masses of rain in