How much muck?

[Slowcow]

Those of you that have one of those nice sheds with a slurry tank underneath it, assuming no fresh water arrives in it, how many m3 of storage do you have per cow and is it enough for 22 weeks?!

Thanks

PS, what do you bed with?

 

[vantage]

100l/cow/day includes wash water.

 

[betweenthelines]

100l/cow/day includes wash water.

You can say 22 gallons a day now that the yoke of European oppression has been removed.

 

[Slowcow]

Going to need a bigger hole than I thought.....
What milk yield ? Think that has a bearing on it.
Thanks

 

[Bald Rick]

Those of you that have one of those nice sheds with a slurry tank underneath it, assuming no fresh water arrives in it, how many m3 of storage do you have per cow and is it enough for 22 weeks?!

Thanks

PS, what do you bed with?

We have 3.
All I will say is that they fill quicker than you think so go as deep as you realistically can (8’ min) but they are chuffing expensive as you are constructing two floors and need 10” reinforced side walls

Bed with sawdust over hydrated lime but sheds are steeply pitched with excellent air flow

 

[Mc115reed]

Just put a lagoon in nearby, then buy a stirrer/pump to pump it too it... you’ll never have enough storage under slats for dairy cows, and if you have the tank will be too deep too empty properly anyways because a tanker will take half a load of throff or a pump will struggle to prime and then there’s the effort of getting any sediment out the bottom....

 

[Slowcow]

Just put a lagoon in nearby, then buy a stirrer/pump to pump it too it... you’ll never have enough storage under slats for dairy cows, and if you have the tank will be too deep too empty properly anyways because a tanker will take half a load of throff or a pump will struggle to prime and then there’s the effort of getting any sediment out the bottom....

I think this is what I will end up doing, I do like the idea of gravity putting stuff where it needs to be but it does end up pretty expensive.

I visited a dutch farm who had cows on slats with a tank under and he said don't go any more than 2m otherwise the cows drown if the slats give way......

Thanks for the input, got to explore all the options (and there seem to be lots of)

 

[Sid]

I visited a dutch farm who had cows on slats with a tank under and he said don't go any more than 2m otherwise the cows drown if the slats give way......

Got some real confidence in the slats then

 

[Beef farmer]

Got some real confidence in the slats then

Imagine a sales rep delivering that pitch for his/her slats.

 

[Spudley]

Our new shed is completely slatted, it's 12 feet deep, I try not to think about the slats giving way. I was chatting to a fireman about animal rescue on farms, and he more or less said they would not even attempt rescue of cattle that had fallen through slats as it's just too dangerous for their people.

 

[Sid]

Our new shed is completely slatted, it's 12 feet deep, I try not to think about the slats giving way. I was chatting to a fireman about animal rescue on farms, and he more or less said they would not even attempt rescue of cattle that had fallen through slats as it's just too dangerous for their people.

Why not build a ramp into one end of a slated shed JIC.
What is the life span of a slat?
I have a concrete shed and I know the beams holding the cladding up need replacement in the next few years but it's not going to leave me with animals in 12ft of slurry.

 

[Bury the Trash]

Why not build a ramp into one end of a slated shed JIC.
What is the life span of a slat?
I have a concrete shed and I know the beams holding the cladding up need replacement in the next few years but it's not going to leave me with animals in 12ft of slurry.

Theres quite likely a build up of bad gas/ fumes down there as well... which would need breathing apparatus to be fully confident in

 

[Slowcow]

I'm sure the slats must be better now, that chaps slats would have been 20 years old and did look at bit feeble.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads, I could flatten our old cubicles, put a new shed up next to our old slurry system but would need to do something to that as well or put a new slurry system next to existing sheds (currently loose housed) one shed would need a big hole digging in the yard and covering with concrete slabs(or extended the shed a bit and have some slats over the top, hence my question) which isn't ideal.

The other shed is next to a field where I could dig a big lagoon fairly easy, it would need extending but in doing that I could slat a bit of the floor over a channel to the lagoon?

I think I've read on here about folks doing that? I was considering bedding on sand but guess that wouldn't work with a channel as it would settle out before it flowed to the lagoon?

I don't want to spend a load of money and make something that's a pain in the arse, we are only housed when we need to be so don't want to spend to much on concrete!

Thanks

 

[BobbySusie]

Those of you that have one of those nice sheds with a slurry tank underneath it, assuming no fresh water arrives in it, how many m3 of storage do you have per cow and is it enough for 22 weeks?!

Thanks

PS, what do you bed with?

I built my storage for 57m3 per cow. But I plan to expand. I believe our requirement in Ireland is 18m3 per cow

 

[vantage]

Our new shed is completely slatted, it's 12 feet deep, I try not to think about the slats giving way. I was chatting to a fireman about animal rescue on farms, and he more or less said they would not even attempt rescue of cattle that had fallen through slats as it's just too dangerous for their people.

Can’t see your new slats giving way, 9” plus deep if I recall.
GG’s new shed has slats from abroad, I was surprised how thin they were!

 

[Mc115reed]

I'm sure the slats must be better now, that chaps slats would have been 20 years old and did look at bit feeble.

I'm at a bit of a crossroads, I could flatten our old cubicles, put a new shed up next to our old slurry system but would need to do something to that as well or put a new slurry system next to existing sheds (currently loose housed) one shed would need a big hole digging in the yard and covering with concrete slabs(or extended the shed a bit and have some slats over the top, hence my question) which isn't ideal.

The other shed is next to a field where I could dig a big lagoon fairly easy, it would need extending but in doing that I could slat a bit of the floor over a channel to the lagoon?

I think I've read on here about folks doing that? I was considering bedding on sand but guess that wouldn't work with a channel as it would settle out before it flowed to the lagoon?

I don't want to spend a load of money and make something that's a pain in the arse, we are only housed when we need to be so don't want to spend to much on concrete!

Thanks

google “midland slurry systems” give them a ring and ask for Giles Russel, ask him to come out and talk too you about your options he really is a professional in dealing with slurry in sheds and sand bedding and settling ponds ect it’s better too get a professional involved at the planning stage even if it’s just for inspiration/ a quote than making a plan yourself and then having to get a professional in too sort the mess youv made

 

[vantage]

google “midland slurry systems” give them a ring and ask for Giles Russel, ask him to come out and talk too you about your options he really is a professional in dealing with slurry in sheds and sand bedding and settling ponds ect it’s better too get a professional involved at the planning stage even if it’s just for inspiration/ a quote than making a plan yourself and then having to get a professional in too sort the mess youv made

I’ d rather you got advice from someone who had nothing to sell. Keith Owen is very good, look at Agriplan Cymru for details.

 

[Spudley]

Can’t see your new slats giving way, 9” plus deep if I recall.
GG’s new shed has slats from abroad, I was surprised how thin they were!

You are correct, they are meant to be extra strong and able to carry a mixer wagon. I hope they will see us out!! I'm quite glad we did get the heavy duty ones, I don't like the sound of thin ones.
The issue for the fire service is the gases, and the need for breathing equipment.

 

[Gerbert]

The dutch guy might be afraid of explosions, not unheard of around here because of hermetically sealed pits. All in the name of less pollutents.

 

[shumungus]

If your in the notion of having to build ramps into slated shed tanks in case the slats cave in then I doubt you dont have much faith in your intended products. Slats and underground tanks are the norm in Northern Ireland due to the shortage of straw and room. Also due to the fact that McGuickens at Masserene invented masstock sheds and in conjunction with macrete had the first slatted tanks emptied by the first slurry tankers made by fleming. Bigger end of the tanks here are 8 to 10 feet deep, any deeper and they are slow to empty by vacuum tanker and most feed passages are suspended over tanks as well. If building a new shed the norm is to first construct a tank the size of the footprint of the shed plus 20 feet at one end slab your passages and cubicle beds and slat the rest then bolt your shed on top. Passage slabs at 5.2 metre span and rated at 10 ton axle loads are common.
Stop listening to hearsay and opinion, talk to any of these people, all will provide to your area and if you talk to them they will tell you what's available.
Google them for websites.
Creagh Concrete.
Macrete.
Moore Concrete.