cattle slatted shed price and size.

[hubbahubba]

Looking for ideas on a new slatted shed for 100 cows.
Center passage, how wide?
2 rows of slats up each side, how wide?
Bedded calf creeps up each side with outside feeding troughs under cantalever, how wide?

April born calves and might stay in the creeps till going back outside?
650kg cows

Obviously could wean on bringing calves in but would rather leave a couple months.

How long for the shed?

With a decent underground slurry storage how much would this cost roughly?

 

[Wishful Thinker]

100ft long should allow 50 eating each side.
Passage 14ft.
Cows just on slats? 13ft slat most cost effective size I think. Any cubicles?
If I was to do it i would have 2 rows of cubicles, 10ft slat in between rows of cubicles and 13ft slat at feed fence. At one end I would have creep area replacing the cubicles.

 

[hubbahubba]

C

100ft long should allow 50 eating each side.
Passage 14ft.
Cows just on slats? 13ft slat most cost effective size I think. Any cubicles?
If I was to do it i would have 2 rows of cubicles, 10ft slat in between rows of cubicles and 13ft slat at feed fence. At one end I would have creep area replacing the cubicles.

Cubicles would be the game but would I not need to make the shed so much bigger? How wide do cubicles need to be? 4'. 100 foot long would be 25 per row that would be the dream. might need an extra cubicle if I sell the house to pay for it though.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

3'9" for your size of cow. Do the job once and do it right, better for the cows will pay off in long run

 

[sheepwise]

I would not consider cubicles nowadays due to expense in terms of extra shed and tank size.Go for a shed with a double row of 10ft slats to give a deep pen with plenty space for cows and put comfort mats on the back 15ft of slats(the 5ft at barrier doesn't need matted as you want the cows to feed there not lie there).You will have no hassles with scraping,bedding or getting cows stuck in cubicles and will feed 100 odd cows in less than half an hour.If your calves are young then a straw creep at back or end of shed but if you are housing spring born calves in the backend then simply creep them into one of the slatted/matted pens and feed everything from the same feed passage.

 

[hubbahubba]

Anybody have any idea how much these sort of sheds cost?

 

[sheepwise]

Anybody have any idea how much these sort of sheds cost?

100' x 60' here completely suspended 8' deep tank with central feed passage,slat mats,all gates,doors,etc oh and a slurry aerator not much change from £200k.

 

[Sheep]

£500 a head.

https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-econom...nimal-housing/estimating-farm-building-costs/

 

[jamesy]

You'd be doing well to build a slatted shed with creeps suspended passage etc for 3 times that amount here.

 

[james ds]

I've built a lot of sheds for suckler farmers and I also spread a lot of slurry so I see what works and what doesn't work , for 100 cows , you need a 4 bay 15'9" bay size shed , a double row of 10'6" or 11'6" slats with 2 ft of concrete at the front and back of the pen , do this both sides of a at least 16 ft wide passage , 14 ft is too narrow . The pens will be about 25 ft deep , put cow mats on the back 16 ft of slats , don't put rubber on the back concrete or where they feed , cows need to wear their feet on concrete , if they are on all rubber it will lead to bad soft feet growing crooked . With a creep at the back calves will work perfectly , I've seen calves get injured with cubicles usually from a puck of a different cow against the cubicles . 100 k would do a lot of it .

 

[sheepwise]

I've built a lot of sheds for suckler farmers and I also spread a lot of slurry so I see what works and what doesn't work , for 100 cows , you need a 4 bay 15'9" bay size shed , a double row of 10'6" or 11'6" slats with 2 ft of concrete at the front and back of the pen , do this both sides of a at least 16 ft wide passage , 14 ft is too narrow . The pens will be about 25 ft deep , put cow mats on the back 16 ft of slats , don't put rubber on the back concrete or where they feed , cows need to wear their feet on concrete , if they are on all rubber it will lead to bad soft feet growing crooked . With a creep at the back calves will work perfectly , I've seen calves get injured with cubicles usually from a puck of a different cow against the cubicles . 100 k would do a lot of it .

More or less what I said but £100k wouldn't look at it over here.

 

[james ds]

More or less what I said but £100k wouldn't look at it over here.

Well if you give me £200 k I'll do it with gold plated door handles.

 

[sheepwise]

Well if you give me £200 k I'll do it with gold plated door handles.

The mats alone will be £15k,slats about the same.Decent lighting and electrics will take at least £3k and a slurry bubbler another £15k. That's almost £50k before you have even excavated the site, built the shed and tank or done the gates and fittings.

 

[sheepwise]

I've built a lot of sheds for suckler farmers and I also spread a lot of slurry so I see what works and what doesn't work , for 100 cows , you need a 4 bay 15'9" bay size shed , a double row of 10'6" or 11'6" slats with 2 ft of concrete at the front and back of the pen , do this both sides of a at least 16 ft wide passage , 14 ft is too narrow . The pens will be about 25 ft deep , put cow mats on the back 16 ft of slats , don't put rubber on the back concrete or where they feed , cows need to wear their feet on concrete , if they are on all rubber it will lead to bad soft feet growing crooked . With a creep at the back calves will work perfectly , I've seen calves get injured with cubicles usually from a puck of a different cow against the cubicles . 100 k would do a lot of it .

Out of interest what purpose does the 2ft of concrete at the front and back of the pens serve?

 

[hubbahubba]

Out of interest what purpose does the 2ft of concrete at the front and back of the pens serve?

Yes I am wondering this too and will the dung make its way into the slats or will you need to scrape it in manually?

Also how wide should the calf creeps be either side? Thanks

 

[james ds]

Out of interest what purpose does the 2ft of concrete at the front and back of the pens serve?

It's extra cheap space , cows need plenty of space to lie comfortable , it's also better for the cows feet , it will keep clean it's self as the cows will walk in the muck , the grant spec sheds here had 1 mt of concrete between both sides , so every shed here has those concrete strips with no problems.

 

[james ds]

Yes I am wondering this too and will the dung make its way into the slats or will you need to scrape it in manually?

Also how wide should the calf creeps be either side? Thanks

If calf creeps are small they get mucky very quick , so at least 20 ft and 30 if you have space , these areas are usually used for cows with young calves as well so the bigger the better.

 

[james ds]

The mats alone will be £15k,slats about the same.Decent lighting and electrics will take at least £3k and a slurry bubbler another £15k. That's almost £50k before you have even excavated the site, built the shed and tank or done the gates and fittings.

The rubber will be about 8 k as you don't cover all the area , there is no need for the bubbler , a good agitator for 3 hrs will stir that shed .