Slatted Shed best mixing points

[dannewhouse]

where would you recommend positioning the mixing points on this shed?

I'm planning 50ft wide building, 16ft slat, 16ft suspended passage 16ft slat. x 60ft long, 10ft deep.

i realise 13ft slats would be cheaper but when you consider the extra feed barriers needed, extra support beams etc will it be a comparable cost per cow place?
at 16ft I can still feed all the animals at once. (the below shed I am planning on putting 80 suckler cows on from oct/nov till early march when they are due to calve and I will swap them with their calves from the year before so they will go onto bedded courts)

I am thinking positions 1,2, 10 and 11 would give way more than ample stirring, am I right in thinking you would get the whole tank swirling around and be able to pull the crust in to mix it up? I will be making the shed gutters in such a way that I can easily turn them into the tank to wet it up a bit. I don't really want to be driving on the slats at all.
positions 3,4,8 and 9 might be easier to make the tank as it would just involve making the tank longer than the shed.
if i extended the shed would i be able to mix the tank from just say points 4 and 9 as 3 and 8 would be under the next shed so wouldn't be ideal.

 

[Limcrazy]

I would mix at points 5 and 7 only. 1 2 10 11 are outside and you're going to need to remove feeding barriers or make doors. Slatted safety gang slats are a dirty job especially if you may use slat rubber in future. Ideally a tank with extra length and pump and tractor outside is safest and cleanest.

 

[Richy12]

3, 8 and 4, 9

That way you could move the slats with mixing point down if you ever extend, meanwhile providing somewhere to add water/mix if exeptionally dry.

Once you go to outside mixing points you wont go back, no hassle and easier lifted away from/easy to get the pipeline lads into.

 

[dannewhouse]

3, 8 and 4, 9

That way you could move the slats with mixing point down if you ever extend, meanwhile providing somewhere to add water/mix if exeptionally dry.

Would you need all 4 points or would say 4 and 9 manage?
Reasoning being if I extended I probably wouldn't knock wall of tank through just add another tank which would mean these points would be inside the shed.
Don't want to regret it later!

 

[Richy12]

Unless you put one at 5 instead incase its awful dry?

Just think, what happens when you're close to the top of the tank and desperately want the pipeline lads in. Your not going to be in the mood to shift the cows or empty the passageway out all day while they pump so for me 4 and 9 are a must.

 

[beefandsleep]

Unless you put one at 5 instead incase its awful dry?

Just think, what happens when you're close to the top of the tank and desperately want the pipeline lads in. Your not going to be in the mood to shift the cows or empty the passageway out all day while they pump so for me 4 and 9 are a must.

Would you not take stock out while mixing anyway? And why not just two at opposite corners, I.e 4 and 8 instead of both at 1 end?

 

[dannewhouse]

Would you not take stock out while mixing anyway? And why not just two at opposite corners, I.e 4 and 8 instead of both at 1 end?

No stock stay on when mixing.
I think that would be circling the slurry the same way? Would you be better having the option to go the other way?

Easy years may only require mixing in 1 point but if it's well crusted may take a bit of mixing for umbilical pipe

 

[Sheep]

Do you have other slatted tanks?

 

[Speedstar]

where would you recommend positioning the mixing points on this shed?

I'm planning 50ft wide building, 16ft slat, 16ft suspended passage 16ft slat. x 60ft long, 10ft deep.

i realise 13ft slats would be cheaper but when you consider the extra feed barriers needed, extra support beams etc will it be a comparable cost per cow place?
at 16ft I can still feed all the animals at once. (the below shed I am planning on putting 80 suckler cows on from oct/nov till early march when they are due to calve and I will swap them with their calves from the year before so they will go onto bedded courts)

I am thinking positions 1,2, 10 and 11 would give way more than ample stirring, am I right in thinking you would get the whole tank swirling around and be able to pull the crust in to mix it up? I will be making the shed gutters in such a way that I can easily turn them into the tank to wet it up a bit. I don't really want to be driving on the slats at all.
positions 3,4,8 and 9 might be easier to make the tank as it would just involve making the tank longer than the shed.
if i extended the shed would i be able to mix the tank from just say points 4 and 9 as 3 and 8 would be under the next shed so wouldn't be ideal.

I would look at putting a bubbler system in they work well do away with all the gas and you do not need a pump or tractor and burn no fuel , yes they cost money to put in but pay for them selves very fast

 

[dannewhouse]

Do you have other slatted tanks?

No
As for the bubbler, I have herd about them but aren't they a lot of money compared to a day stirring

Especially as it's a new build so costing enough already

 

[beefandsleep]

I’ve not got a slatted tank on the farm but are planning one at the moment. I had been under the impression that the cattle would need removing for mixing. Isn’t it a bit of a risk to have 100k plus worth of stock in there with slurry gas rising up out the tank?
Im currently in favour of a 40ft wide tank with external feeding on both sides, option of 20 or 40 ft deep pens, any disadvantage over internal passage? There would be two side by side and next to an existing building so middle and end passages would be shared. All for finishing stock.

 

[Sheep]

No
As for the bubbler, I have herd about them but aren't they a lot of money compared to a day stirring

Especially as it's a new build so costing enough already

You'll need to take cattle out of the shed to mix unless you have a bubbler. Without a doubt. You shouldn't need to mix with cattle in the shed with a tank that size and that number of cattle though.

You'll get the whole thing moving with mixing points 5, 6 and 7.

 

[beefandsleep]

What if you had a mixer and stirred it a bit every couple of weeks? Would that keep it safe?

 

[Speedstar]

No
As for the bubbler, I have herd about them but aren't they a lot of money compared to a day stirring

Especially as it's a new build so costing enough already

I think if you work it out ,over 5 years the bubbler will be cheaper

 

[e3120]

3 & 9 or 4 & 8 should be sufficient, but if the extension is at all likely, then 4, 5 & 9. On most occasions you should be able to use just one but leave options. My tank man said that every time I pointed it cost £80, which sounded cheap compared with the escapades I was brought up with (tankering mixed stuff from one end to another). I have 4 in a 120x40 and usually 2 is enough.

The ones in my passage are directly opposite the pillars, so that I can mix diagonally, seems to work OK.

 

[yin ewe]

3 8 4 9 and I'd put 6 in as well in case there was a bit in the middle that you couldn't reach from the outside. Suckler cow slurry is normally thicker than dairy cow stuff so a mixing point in passage might be useful.
You could still use 3 and 8 even if an extension was built as long as nothing was built on top of them.

 

[NI farmer]

How is a bubbler priced
Square metre?
Is there really no need to mix when installed

 

[Speedstar]

How is a bubbler priced
Square metre?
Is there really no need to mix when installed

Yes it will be priced per square meter, No need to mix at all the bubbler will keep to slurry ready to spread all the time in the tank , no cattle to move to mix & no gas, we have a few customers with them fitted & they work very well , we all so have some customers that have killed a lot of cattle mixing slurry with them in the shed

 

[Boohoo]

As an absolute minimum you need 4 and 9 outside the shed plus 5 inside. If it was mine I'd have 4 and 9 outside plus 3, 8 and 6 inside. Lifting gang slats because you can't get a tank mixed isn't much fun.

 

[multi power]

No stock stay on when mixing.
I think that would be circling the slurry the same way? Would you be better having the option to go the other way?

Easy years may only require mixing in 1 point but if it's well crusted may take a bit of mixing for umbilical pipe

You MUST remove stock when mixing
Mixing points required will depend on how thick the slurry is and what you are using to mix it