Young stock housing

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Looking for ideas for housing heifers.
The old hay/sheep/heifer/calving shed, is on its last legs, litraly , 3 rotten wooden posts, 2 rotten metal posts, one rotten truss, leaks like a sive, and the round roofed part is holyer than the local church, so will need to be replaced asap.
Inside is a mix of gates, baler twine, some hay racks and home made feeders, no handling facilities bar a gate and some baler twine.
Hopefully i will replace the shed with a portal frame 70' wide by 60' long, but unfortunately only access from the front, im not sure how to go about the layout. Will hold all the heifers from 8 weeks upwards, reared on straw and cake. Will probably put in self locking yolks for the older ones to make for easier handling, not sure how to do the younger ones. It will also be a store for straw and sawdust, and possibly a calving pen or two
Could i be rude and ask for pictures of your setups please to help me get some ideas.
Here it is it atm
 

Bald Rick

Moderator
Livestock Farmer
Location
Anglesey
1. Make it as big as you can afford and the site will allow for. You may want to do it in stages though as planning is getting expensive
2. Cubicles even for weaners. Saves straw and easier to muck out. Quicker too
3. Diagonals for youngsters, yokes for bullers. Easier to AI, PD etc

If I remember, will put a pic up but you’re welcome to come and have a look if you want
 
You could have 30ft wide pens which might be better
I would go apex with a 22 degree roof if you could

Not sure if i could go 22°, been thinking if i could put a 6' cantelever to cover the feed barrier (my first pic) it would keep the feed for the dairy cows under cover so a little less wastage. The down side, as that yard is in front of the silage pit, and being a bit tight i would have to have enough clearence under the cantelever for a silage trailer to pass underenath, so would need the eaves to be about 16' , not sure what height the ridge would be then ?
Reading another thread has made my mind up about having a slotted roof, with the trees around the farm, i do get a lot of moss on these roofs so slots is a no here.
 
The footbath on the crossover is a good idea,how often will you use it and how will you clean it when not bathing ?

We will use it 7 days a week, fast empty water trough will empty into it, probs change it 2 or 3 times a week, I’ve been look at mounting a small hose reel somewhere either up high or under the trough away from the cattle, probably get a stand made up outside the shed for the formalin IBC to make it easy
 

I thats it

Member
Thanks, been lucky with Drumarush Endurance, he was bull of the day on the van for a while :).
Their only getting straw and 2kg a day of Bibby lifetime rearer, have tried others (brands and feeds) but dont seem to do so well, and once their out, its nothing but grass. As they say kiss (y)
Is 2kg enough when on just straw? Our feed rep advised 3.5kg:rolleyes:
 
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