Cattle shed (cheap as possible)

[DrWazzock]

Dutch barn, apex open, Yorkshire board all way round down to 2m, except 3m wide access gate each end.

Store all straw as small bale cubes inside on North side of shed.
Concrete panels and cattle gates to make pens each a bay wide, arranged as necessary depending on prevailing wind etc. Concrete floor only under cattle, not under straw. No feedbarriers with troughs etc as too expensive, just mangers in pen for cereal blend. Ring feeder in pen for silage and or straw.

No feed passage, no bedding machine, just chuck small bales off stack into pens as needed and spread with fork. Place blend in mangers by hand from a bag.

That's how we do it. Small scale but not mega bucks tied up in machinery and equipment.

Barrier feeders with troughs biggest disappointment of my life. Can only get 5 beast along 3m, whereas 3m long tumbrels or manger you can get 14 beast round it no problem and quicker and easier to fill, unless wild beast but usually they calm down and behave.

I can have all mine fed and bedded before my neighbour has got his mixer wagon tractor battery charged up. I only need to use the loader twice a week to refill the round bale feeders. Hardly notice the time spent on the cattle.

 

[multi power]

Dutch barn, apex open, Yorkshire board all way round down to 2m, except 3m wide access gate each end.

Store all straw as small bale cubes inside on North side of shed.
Concrete panels and cattle gates to make pens each a bay wide, arranged as necessary depending on prevailing wind etc. Concrete floor only under cattle, not under straw. No feedbarriers with troughs etc as too expensive, just mangers in pen for cereal blend. Ring feeder in pen for silage and or straw.

No feed passage, no bedding machine, just chuck small bales off stack into pens as needed and spread with fork. Place blend in mangers by hand from a bag.

That's how we do it. Small scale but not mega bucks tied up in machinery and equipment.

Barrier feeders with troughs biggest disappointment of my life. Can only get 5 beast along 3m, whereas 3m long tumbrels or manger you can get 14 beast round it no problem and quicker and easier to fill, unless wild beast but usually they calm down and behave.

I can have all mine fed and bedded before my neighbour has got his mixer wagon tractor battery charged up. I only need to use the loader twice a week to refill the round bale feeders. Hardly notice the time spent on the cattle.

how many cattle? carrying bags of feed in among a pen of cattle is slow akward job,also straw is too expencive here to waste around feeders, troughs etc

 

[S J H]

Dutch barn, apex open, Yorkshire board all way round down to 2m, except 3m wide access gate each end.

Store all straw as small bale cubes inside on North side of shed.
Concrete panels and cattle gates to make pens each a bay wide, arranged as necessary depending on prevailing wind etc. Concrete floor only under cattle, not under straw. No feedbarriers with troughs etc as too expensive, just mangers in pen for cereal blend. Ring feeder in pen for silage and or straw.

No feed passage, no bedding machine, just chuck small bales off stack into pens as needed and spread with fork. Place blend in mangers by hand from a bag.

That's how we do it. Small scale but not mega bucks tied up in machinery and equipment.

Barrier feeders with troughs biggest disappointment of my life. Can only get 5 beast along 3m, whereas 3m long tumbrels or manger you can get 14 beast round it no problem and quicker and easier to fill, unless wild beast but usually they calm down and behave.

I can have all mine fed and bedded before my neighbour has got his mixer wagon tractor battery charged up. I only need to use the loader twice a week to refill the round bale feeders. Hardly notice the time spent on the cattle.

Concrete under cattle seems like a luxury to me, I'd only have concrete on scraped passages everything else chalk.

 

[Henarar]

This is how we do it

 

[DrWazzock]

how many cattle? carrying bags of feed in among a pen of cattle is slow akward job,also straw is too expencive here to waste around feeders, troughs etc

Only small scale 60 cattle max fattening. yes it would be awkward if you had hundreds and not saying it would work for everybody.

I can carry enough feed in in bags for 60 cattle in about 10 minutes max.

I don't put a lot of bedding round the feeders, most on the lying area. It's different for us in that we have the straw readily available and cost must be much less than machinery and time for scraping out. Just muck out every couple of months.

Cattle shed cheap as possible depends on the rest of the system etc.

 

[DrWazzock]

Concrete under cattle seems like a luxury to me, I'd only have concrete on scraped passages everything else chalk.

I have often considered this and might try it. Last time I put a limestone base in pre concrete it did occur to me that it might be adequate. Careful when mucking out though. I use a shovel on the loader anyway as I can justify a muck shear grab. I reckon tines stand more chance of chiseling the chalk up. Good thin about limestone base or even just earth is you can ram posts in as and when without too much hassle.

Problems come if you feel the necessity wash out the building, but is this ever really necessary?

 

[GTB]

Two of our three loose housing sheds don't have concrete floors. We are basically on the rock here so concrete isn't necessary as far as the cattle are concerned but the shed with concrete floor is a doddle to muck out whereas the other two are a right pain. What happens is that the loose soil/stone wears off with time but the rock doesn't and this leaves a very uneven surface that bends tines all too often.

 

[S J H]

I have often considered this and might try it. Last time I put a limestone base in pre concrete it did occur to me that it might be adequate. Careful when mucking out though. I use a shovel on the loader anyway as I can justify a muck shear grab. I reckon tines stand more chance of chiseling the chalk up. Good thin about limestone base or even just earth is you can ram posts in as and when without too much hassle.

Problems come if you feel the necessity wash out the building, but is this ever really necessary?

If it's a chalk floor, then it doesn't matter if any does go in the muck, I wouldn't want hardcore though, for the stones.

 

[Samcowman]

View attachment 99152
A picture of one of our sheds as promised. Both sheds are 105x45 with a 4 bay and a 3 bay pen in each. We did have just a single top rail for the feed barrier but it was a nightmare for calves getting through so put the proper ones
In last summer. Will get some more pictures of the insides later on.

 

[Old Tip]

Cheers @Samcowman, i can dream on

 

[hillman]

View attachment 99152
A picture of one of our sheds as promised. Both sheds are 105x45 with a 4 bay and a 3 bay pen in each. We did have just a single top rail for the feed barrier but it was a nightmare for calves getting through so put the proper ones
In last summer. Will get some more pictures of the insides later on.

Sorry can't see pics , me not allowed not enough privileges

 

[Old Tip]

No worries neither can i @hillman, thats why its just a dream @Samcowman

 

[hillman]

@Old Tip i read earlier in this thread you like the timber buildings , like farm plus have you used them ?
I agree I think they look lovely and blend in to the countryside perfect , I wonder how long they would last do ?,and how strong are they for modern farming , well modern machinery and the organic matter that controls it !

 

[Henarar]

That's what I worry about with wooden sheds, how long will they last ?
we have a steel shed that was put up 40 years ago and first had silage in it then cattle sh!t and the posts are still fine, what would a shed with wooden posts be like in that time ?

 

[Old Tip]

@hillman I have two one is 30 years old and the other is 15, both are still perfect apart from a few bent tins (driver error), no issues yet with any sign of rot or decay

 

[Thick Farmer]

There are wooden framed cow kennels here that went up in 1962. One or two timbers have been replaced over the years, but most are as new - timber must have been better in the good old days!

 

[GTB]

Sorry can't see pics , me not allowed not enough privileges

Nor me

 

[Samcowman]

 

[M-J-G]

Go to the Continent and you'll see no end of timber framed sheds, and big ones too, ranging from very old barns to new sheds. I have visited a fair few German farms and AI studs now, and I've yet to see a steel trussed one.

 

[Henarar]

Go to the Continent and you'll see no end of timber framed sheds, and big ones too, ranging from very old barns to new sheds. I have visited a fair few German farms and AI studs now, and I've yet to see a steel trussed one.
View attachment 99266

Looks like steel posts