Feeding heifers and cows in the same shed

[Forever Fendt]

With thanks to @Forever Fendt we seem to have some clarification on this. We could install heifer yokes at 8 per bay that could be opened enough for cows but wouldn’t allow cows to feed side by side so likely knocking us down to half the amount of animals feeding. Or we could install cow yokes and have to few yokes for heifers and have to make a trailer or similar that we just use when serving to yoke the extras in.

i must admit I’m really torn here. Putting the heifer yokes in goes against my ethos of it’s easy to make things smaller can’t make them any bigger, but the sheds primary function currently would be heifers.

I would probably still put the heifer yokes in but obviously I haven't seen the size of your cows I think you would be surprised how many cows would feed in them and probably not lose as many feed spaces as you imagine, If you think the heavy in calf cows are a bit cramped you could always disable the odd space here and there along the run to give the cows a bit more body room doing this does not cause any issues with the use and operation of the yokes just the chosen space will always be closed, I would just be a bit concerned heifers will be a bit lose in the cow space and obviously the tighter the better for any procedures

 

[Jamer]

With thanks to @Forever Fendt we seem to have some clarification on this. We could install heifer yokes at 8 per bay that could be opened enough for cows but wouldn’t allow cows to feed side by side so likely knocking us down to half the amount of animals feeding. Or we could install cow yokes and have to few yokes for heifers and have to make a trailer or similar that we just use when serving to yoke the extras in.

i must admit I’m really torn here. Putting the heifer yokes in goes against my ethos of it’s easy to make things smaller can’t make them any bigger, but the sheds primary function currently would be heifers.

We are looking at similar. I wonder whether the yokes can have the bottom bracket unbolted and swing up hinging on the top bracket. Looking at some Jourdain the other day, they mount by tube inside tube so feasible?

 

[organicguy]

we have 650 kg steers feeding in heifer yokes, the limiting factor is the width of the bays, not the yokes.

 

[Headless chicken]

we have 650 kg steers feeding in heifer yokes, the limiting factor is the width of the bays, not the yokes.

and getting them side by side?

 

[organicguy]

Yes, but bay is full!
The yokes are adjustable so we would need to close them down a little to lock in heifers.
Our cows would fit, except when very heavily pregnant.

 

[Big_D]

If the primary use for rhe yokes is for heifer AI, I would fit the heifer yokes. If they are for an off the shelf bay size eg 20' you can always move them to another shed if you move heifers. If they really don't work when you put the cows in, you can always remove them for a few months and replace with a single rail whilst the cows are in there? I do this in one shed where I remove diagonal barriers used for calves and fit a single rail for finishing bullocks, admittedly just a single 15' bay but not a big job.

 

[Forever Fendt]

We are looking at similar. I wonder whether the yokes can have the bottom bracket unbolted and swing up hinging on the top bracket. Looking at some Jourdain the other day, they mount by tube inside tube so feasible?

All the jourdain yokes have a male end piece that fits inside the main tubes allowing for different end types and some adjustment