Slatts, am I mad!
- Thread starter Granite Farmer
- Start date
Yes, done it twice. Usually end up with a small bit not slatted along the edge. It can be done two ways: with concrete forms each side, or with just one concrete form and the earth bank as the other form. The latter uses a bit more concrete, but the slat ends up closer to the edge.
Worth bearing in mind that straw bedded sheds and slatted sheds are ideally different dimensions; Slatted pens need a higher ratio of feed space to floor space, than straw sheds, because, the cattle need to be stocked tighter.
Make sure you design in external agitation points if you're doing it.
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
Don't rule out cubicles, they don't have to just be for dairy cows. The main cost is the slurry storage associated with the cubicles. These are far from ideal because of the low roof and the legs but I've just done a row of 28, the metal work cost £1900 (bought last year) plus a trailer load of aggregate and £250 of cement. All the work was done in house and we're definitely not builders.
Does the roof pillar give any trouble being at the back of the cubicle like that?
Cows 'n grass
Member
- Location
- Modbury, South Devon
The incalf heifers have only been in there a few days so it's a bit soon to say. I'd never design a shed like that but I can't see it being a major issue and no worse than a newton rigg type cubicle. The legs line up with every 4th loop on 15ft bays so ecah cubicle is 1.15m wide which is ample for a jersey X IC heifer.
Stw88
Member
- Location
- Northumberland
If all the cows on the slats are going to have calves creeping into the lying area my advice would be to make it at least twice as wide. Ours is 19 foot wide and I wish it was at least another 10 foot wider for when the calves get close to weaning. We do have a 10ftx 19ft feed passage in the middle of the shed at a right angle to the slats so the calves can get silage.
sheepwise
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
What's the ventilation like in that shed? @jamesy
sheepwise
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
If your slats are matted, I would just creep that size of calf into a slatted pen of their own for feeding. Would only use straw creeps for younger calves.
Stw88
Member
- Location
- Northumberland
Wouldn’t get as many cows in the shed then
A neighbour used to do that then he put a lean to on and punched holes through the wall for the calves to creep onto straw beds so he could get twice the number of cows in.sheepwise
Member
- Location
- SW Scotland
I know but was meaning if building a new shed.Wouldn’t get as many cows in the shed then
Not too bad, open ridge and open end, but yes old buildings can have poorer ventilation.
Originally it was a tied byre with wheel barrow passages at the heads and tractor scrape passage, then a loose bedded court.
Do you have pics of it all finished?
warning!
Exercise EXTREME caution before digging big/deep holes besides/inside existing buildings.
seek pro advice if unsure, or you might end up with an old byre on your head
So would 25ft x 75ft pen be too deep for slats?
Very true!
Plas king
Member
- Location
- North Wales
Has anyone used concrete panels to make a tank for slatted floors?
I did get a quote for this system
Underground Storage Tanks - M J Harrison Supplies
mjharrisonsupplies.co.uk
Plas king
Member
- Location
- North Wales
Thanks for that.was there much difference between prices of a shuttered tank and panels?I did get a quote for this system
Underground Storage Tanks - M J Harrison Supplies