concrete or road plainings

[ewefool]

just erected a 90 by thirty sheep shed and any neighbours and friends seem to be either very pro concrete floor or very against just wondering what forum members considered the best option

 

[David.]

I lambed in a new shed with a dirt floor this time out of necessity, concrete is better and can be washed out and disinfected too. The concrete money would buy a fair few breeding sheep though.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

You'll never beat concrete

 

[Mr Mackay]

Put railway sleepers down if they are cheap enough near you

 

[Badshot]

Concrete is great, but chalk is close behind it if laid and compacted well.

 

[RWG Contracts]

Concrete is best


Although I may be slightly biased

 

[Paul E]

You can't beat well laid concrete.

Badly laid concrete however, is worse than no concrete.

 

[GTB]

IME sheep will use more bedding on concrete as the pee doesn't drain away but I agree with others concrete floor is much better for mucking out and disinfecting. With wheat straw at between £60 and £80 per ton in recent years here you won't be surprised to hear that our sheep shed doesn't have a concrete floor (apart from the feed passages obviously).

 

[Forever Fendt]

just erected a 90 by thirty sheep shed and any neighbours and friends seem to be either very pro concrete floor or very against just wondering what forum members considered the best option

Concrete it 6" thick ,now is the cheapest time to do it before sheds used ,need any sockets posts barriers or gates?

 

[MF135]

The college in last weeks Scottish Farmer is a mixture of the two.

 

[David.]

I have to say that the individual pens did seem to stay drier, down to the piddle being able to soak away.

 

[It was already broken.]

If you like pouring your money on the floor get concrete.

 

[RWG Contracts]

If you like pouring your money on the floor get concrete.

That's like saying if you like driving your money down the road buy a car.

Concrete is the best investment you can make.

In my completely unbiased opinion

 

[Longlowdog]

Both my sheds have quarry dust over larger free draining rock. No puddles, easy to scrape. If it gets lumpy a few tons of top up dust don't cost me much.
Having repeatedly spent days on end pressure washing concrete floors on other farms I'd hope never to see another one again.
If you do go with concrete give a lot of thought about fall being built into the floor to make the water and pee do as you want and not what it wants to do. Then when it has been laid don't pay till you prove it has been done the way you want by opening an IBC full of water. This last bit learned by a friend's experience with concrete contractors.

 

[simmy_bull]

Concrete every time if you can afford it. Imo if a hardcore floor gets abit of traffic over a number of years then it compacts and nothing worth speaking of drains through it anyway. Have concrete in my lambing sheds and the muck still comes out far more strawy and dryer than the cattle sheds muck.

 

[roscoe erf]

concrete every time i was so glad to get rid of my last dirt floor here

 

[GTB]

concrete every time i was so glad to get rid of my last dirt floor here

For cattle yes, but not necessary for sheep.

 

[slackjawedyokel]

Our 35 yr old lambing shed has a hardcore floor and it works just fine. Concrete gives a bit more flexibility if, say, you want to tip onto it at harvest, but if that's not necessary price up a concrete and a stone floor and decide how much you want the concrete one.

 

[Nithsdale]

When you say a sheep shed, what will its use be? Handling pens for working in, or bedded for wintering ewes/Hoggs in, or a lambing shed?

Concrete is a different priority in each case IMO and as with everything, is an option sometimes not needed.

 

[roscoe erf]

For cattle yes, but not necessary for sheep.

dont do sheep so i will bow to your greater knowledge