Sloping Floor Experiment

[Old Tip]

@Old Tip Sorry to hear of your problems, not good. As for bedding could you get any fines,(the dry recycled sawdusty stuff) they would work well for you I am sure? Jenkinson move a lot of them, I know they have a depot at Carlisle.

Yeah Jenkinsons is not far from us but haven’t got the storage for a wagon load at the moment. Will keep experimenting and see how we go but it’s def an option, how does it compare to straw when spread on the land.

 

[aangus]

Very sorry to hear of your problems.
But the whole idea of the sloping floor is not to use any bedding

 

[Old Tip]

Very sorry to hear of your problems.
But the whole idea of the sloping floor is not to use any bedding

But the powers that be insist you have to I’m afraid and the original plans suggest you use a light bedding every day. I am sure I will master it soon

 

[NH8360]

Sorry to here that @Old Tip I have enjoyed following this so far. Livestock can be very testing at times especially over winter. Roll on the spring.

 

[KennyO]

But the powers that be insist you have to I’m afraid and the original plans suggest you use a light bedding every day. I am sure I will master it soon

Would you be allowed mats and no bedding? Some quarry belt maybe.

 

[Old Tip]

Would you be allowed mats and no bedding? Some quarry belt maybe.

Thinking of that as the answer, need some bedding as can’t use slurry on the ancient hay meadows but matting or belting would make the dry bit more comfortable I am sure

 

[NH8360]

Would splitting it long ways be any good instead of holding them in headlocks so you could hold them to one side when cleaning out daily then open the gates when your finished? Nothing worse that trying to scrape through cows. Also having the gates could be handy when sorting/testing etc

 

[Sharpy]

Yeah Jenkinsons is not far from us but haven’t got the storage for a wagon load at the moment. Will keep experimenting and see how we go but it’s def an option, how does it compare to straw when spread on the land.

It goes like compost if its heaped up for a bit, I sold a lot (2 or 300 tonnes ( that we had used for loose box bedding instead of straw to the council for their flower beds! Could you not go and get a silage trailer load to try?
Ps chopped straw would work well too.

 

[Sharpy]

Thinking of that as the answer, need some bedding as can’t use slurry on the ancient hay meadows but matting or belting would make the dry bit more comfortable I am sure

I put quarry belting in. Took it out 2 weeks later as it went dangerously slippery. Some cows wouldn't stand on it.

 

[livestock 1]

Bit of a disaster yesterday, got up to a total mess, heifer on heat and young bulls had managed to get the gate of its hinges and been charging round all night. One dead and another two with bad pneumonia and a few limping. My fault, in the rush to get them in for testing I forgot to fasten the gates down to stop such disasters.
In other news we have had some dire weather freezing fog and misty horrible windless days which are not good for man or beast. Finding in this damp weather it would probably be best to clean them out every day really as just can’t keep them clean. Be best done every day but not has the time with everything else that’s been going on.
Seriously should have bit the bullet and got yoked barriers as it would save so much time but otherwise things are working well. A light dust of straw works best, too much and it just gets dragged back too quickly and it also makes it hard to scrape out. Tried sawdust and think it would work well in drier weather, may get a few dump bags of it and do a comparison on straw both costs and ease of use.
Will try and get some more photos tomorrow

Sorry too to hear about your problems but that’s farming and you are not alone it happens to us all.
We have various cattle sheds and this recent weather has been challenging with so much damp air blowing through the sheds with driving winds behind it has really upped the straw use here. Damp atmosphere can make a huge difference for us keeping cattle dry. The last couple of days have improved things here.
I spent last week testing cattle got a clear test but these constant distractions of these jobs really knocks anyone’s system sideways

 

[Old Tip]

As promised here’s a photo of the shed a few hours after I scraped out this morning. My dad kindly bedded it for me while I got on jagging the sickly beasts and used a fair bit more straw than I would. Still only used four slices for forty odd cattle mind but it’s a sod to scrape out if there’s too much

 

[Old Tip]

Well both the cattle and myself are getting into the routine of the new system and all’s going to plan it would seem.
I am currently scraping out three times a week and using a quarter of the straw I used to. This is saving time, silage and straw and the cattle look cleaner than when on the bedded court and walking out to feed.
I could probably keep them cleaner scraping out every day but I am happy as they are at the moment.

 

[Nithsdale]

View attachment 745438 As promised here’s a photo of the shed a few hours after I scraped out this morning. My dad kindly bedded it for me while I got on jagging the sickly beasts and used a fair bit more straw than I would. Still only used four slices for forty odd cattle mind but it’s a sod to scrape out if there’s too much

Are you just scattering the straw by hand?

We have a straw chopper... just thinking if you blew it in but just kept moving down the shed - so not to put too much into them - it'd be chopped up so would work down the grip and be easier scraped out again


Looking good though. We all have f**k ups, sorry to hear about yours.

 

[Old Tip]

Are you just scattering the straw by hand?

We have a straw chopper... just thinking if you blew it in but just kept moving down the shed - so not to put too much into them - it'd be chopped up so would work down the grip and be easier scraped out again


Looking good though. We all have f**k ups, sorry to hear about yours.

Yes just spreading by hand st the moment but it is very short chaffy wheat straw so not too bad, but as you say a straw chopper would improve the job. Or may try sawdust, it’s just storing the stuff that’s the issue at the moment

 

[Cowcalf]

ones I have seen in Orkney used long straw not a lot at all, but the idea of the long straw it acts like a scraper board and as the cows feet move about the straw heads downhill taking some shiite with it (look to have affair bit of hay wastage )

 

[Nithsdale]

ones I have seen in Orkney used long straw not a lot at all, but the idea of the long straw it acts like a scraper board and as the cows feet move about the straw heads downhill taking some shiite with it (look to have affair bit of hay wastage )

My thinking is long straw mats down and slows the travel into the grip by the cows feet.
Very short/chopped straw (or sawdust) would be absorbant but still travel down easily - and also be much easier to clear out.

 

[sgoti]

Not my pictures, saw them on facebook. I read in the comments that they had a 9inch drop over 10ft

 

[sheepwise]

Not my pictures, saw them on facebook. I read in the coments that they had a 9inch drop over 10ft

Think I have been in that shed. Didn't really see the point of the sloping floor when they had gone to the expense of building the tank and slats anyway. The cattle were pretty dirty at the time I saw them.I thought if the money had been spent on slat mats rather than the sloping floor area,then the shed would have held more cattle and they would certainly have been cleaner.

 

[Pebd99]

Think I have been in that shed. Didn't really see the point of the sloping floor when they had gone to the expense of building the tank and slats anyway. The cattle were pretty dirty at the time I saw them.I thought if the money had been spent on slat mats rather than the sloping floor area,then the shed would have held more cattle and they would certainly have been cleaner.

Would work fine for a straw run back area for calves if they are with cows.

 

[jamesy]

How’s it all been going @Old Tip ?