Not sure why you want to maximise straw use? Would you not be better with a 20 foot wide area along the whole length of the outside of the shed with a feeding barrier along this. An adlib diet would be ok uncovered as long as no water runs on to it and cattle are fed everyday.

sorry i meant a trough 100 long beyond the 20 outside area as most of the manure will be within 1.5 animal lengths from the trough, do you not feel that the feeding will get to wet and what about snow? we are at 650 feet in scotlamd!!!!

Probably would be easier just to make shed 20 feet wider with a cantilever 5 ft over the feeding barrier then you can use uprights to hang feeding barrier.  Rain and snow on the area where cattle are doing most dung will make everything v wet. 

if you are only planning a 100 ft of trough, it is not enough for the shed.

why not a centre passage?

I'd build it at least 35 to 40ft wide with it's back to the wind i.e. 20+ft bedded area then 15ft scraping passage then feed barrier and 5ft cantilever over the feed. This way the stock (or the slurry) don't go out into the rain. 20 ft to eaves as plenty of headroom makes for a healthy atmosphere and makes the building more adaptable for storage or other uses. All you need then is a slurry pit one end, ideally covered ?

Instead of 100x80 I'd build either 200x40 with it's back to the wind or two 100x40 facing each other with central feed passage

if the site is exposed, drop the outside bit.

 Ventilation can be helped by having a steeper pitch to the roof, our cubicles are a 17.5 degree pitch rather than 15, it helps the stack effect.  Make sure the scraped passage is at least 2 cow lengths, so 15 foot.  Put an 8 inch kerbstone at the back of this which stops the straw being pulled into feeding area.  As has been said, a single sided feed passage is not enough for an 80 foot width building, needs to be both sides or a central passage.  I am with Welsh here, but would put a 100 x 40 back to back with a 100 x 60 and have a 20 foot covered feed passage too, we were suprised how much intakes increased when we moved to indoor feeding.  Also agree that the building shoulds be high, minimum 15 foot to eaves for ease of access with machinery.  Raise the feed passage 6 inches, and put a 5% run on the floor so the urine runs away and doesn't pool.

Sorry if this sounds like instructions, it isn't, but is how I would do it.

100 x 80 is to to deep for the beded area the front will be a 1T hole and the back wont be used much

I would use the front 20ft for a feed pasage and put an overhang on to keep the feed dry

The others are right, the 100 by 80 shed is an awkward shape.

 Forget that outside yard stuff, 20 feet to eves is ideal, arrange the shed differently (assuming that you can't alter to two smaller sheds) - use the middle 20 foot bay as feed passge and the two 80 by 40 'wings' as pens.

Job's a good 'un

By the way - shuttered concrete walls are the best, have you done them before?

concreter:

use the middle 20 foot bay as feed passge and the two 80 by 40 'wings' as pens

Good idea.

yes i have done alot of stuttering and would intend to do it myself

Do you not think there are health benefits for an outside area?

for an ad lib diet surely i would not even need 100 feet of trough as if there were say 220 animals in the shed i would only need about 25m of trough?

scott_maxwell:

Do you not think there are health benefits for an outside area?

No. Provided the shed is well ventilated.

scott_maxwell:

for an ad lib diet surely i would not even need 100 feet of trough as if there were say 220 animals in the shed i would only need about 25m of trough?

We have a 60 ft feed passage that we fill with silage and ad lib feed. Cattle eat both sides. We feed about 80 cattle there. I wish I had space to make the feed passage longer as we have trouble with stronger cows bullying the weaker ones. In an ideal world you want enough trough space for all the cattle to eat comfortably at the same time, even with ad-lib.

the passage should  run the long way in the middle, 100ft either side.

will need to be 20ft wide so forklift can  turn and put bales over  barrier without driving in.

on a dirty december morning, you will be glad you are inside.

outside areas get sepa excited.

glasshouse:

will need to be 20ft wide so forklift can  turn and put bales over  barrier without driving in.

Unless you have a straw chopper.

<p> As i understand there is no problem with SEPA about outside areas as long as they are bedded? woodchips?</p>

<p> do people not feel the cost of building a roof over the passage is excessive? surely a simple bunker trough which was filled once daily would do?</p>

<p> as for the bedding of the cattle we currently use a straw unwinder for the sheds that we have mainly due to having no central passages and small outdates courts.  i would therefore intend continuing with this system?</p>

scott_maxwell:

As i understand there is no problem with SEPA about outside areas as long as they are bedded? woodchips?</

I was shown a woodchip yard during the summer. The farmer was going to build a shed over it and bed down with straw. Had nothing but probs with woodchips, couldn't get them the correct size, cows going lame and dirty. He said there was a hell of a mess in winter. Perhaps they're ok in low rainfall area's ?

scott_maxwell:

do people not feel the cost of building a roof over the passage is excessive?

No definitely not. Silage quality deteriates quckly when it gets wet. you get far more waste and the cattle don't eat as much.

wnw if you feed straw/hay in rings, you still need to turn.

i think choppers are an unnecessary expense in arable areas.

most important thing with sheds is flexibility, in case your system changes (it will)

my father built a big shed of 150ft x 60 in 1970, but only 12ft to eaves.

lots of holes in it now from trailers tipping, muck grabs etc

glasshouse:

wnw if you feed straw/hay in rings, you still need to turn

This is why I suggested building a narrower shed with it's back to the wind with a barrier along the front with a cantilever over it. If you feed into rings you won't be able to have a scraping passage. This is ok if you have your own straw, but not good if you're paying £80 / ton for wheat straw.

glasshouse:

i think choppers are an unnecessary expense in arable areas.

Again, ok if you have a cheap supply of straw and plenty of time.

glasshouse:

most important thing with sheds is flexibility, in case your system changes (it will)

Totally agree with you there. This is the problem with cubicles and slatted sheds. Excellent for the purpose intended but totally useless for anything else.

Our store cattle are housed in old covered silage pits. The silage is now clamped in earth bank pits outdoors. The sheds are 20 to eaves and have a 10 ft central feed passage, then 10 ft scraping passage then 24 ft of bedded area each side. We bed the sheds from the ends with the chopper and fill the feed passage with silage with the shear grab every other day (ish) and the cattle manage to eat most of it. We have to fork out about 3 ft in the middle on the second or third day. It's not ideal, but considering we made use of redundant buildings at very little cost to convert, it's not too bad.

In an ideal world, I'd win the lottery and build a new building. Dream on !

 I would say im a big fan of straw choppers saves so much time, and H&S would love them as they stop us from jumping in a pen of steers that jump and kick everywhere. Would definitely try and use a central feed passage to feed through, just taken on some new sheds and they have central feed passage which is so nice for the cattle when it blowing sideways rain outside.

welshnwilling:

but considering we made use of redundant buildings at very little cost to convert

Yep make as much use of sheds as you can, one minute one of our sheds is a silage pit then a lambing shed then a straw shed then feed storage, so build it high and wide then you can just make it longer when you want at a later date.

Keep the feed barrier as long as possible then you can put out more feed to do a couple of days or when feeding each day you only have a little to push forward.  I have 100 cows eating along a 100ft barrier wishing it was twice as long.  To get 2 days feed I need a ditch of feed which then has to be graped forward on the second day.  Shuttered walls are good but pannelled walls will give you flexibility in the future if you decide to lenghten/widen. Also cheaper and quick.  Try Moore concrete in NI.

wnw, your long narrow shed is definitely better, with panels that can be rearranged or  for a tenant, taken away.

glasshouse:

with panels that can be rearranged or  for a tenant, taken away.

A tenant near here has just put up a new building. It's all removable even the frame is only bolted down. And I'm told 100% tax relief. Not sure why, some loophole to do with it being moveable rather than fixed ?? I'm sure Jacobus could explain it better than me.

Long high sheds are the only way. Can be used for anything all year round or spilt up for many uses. If your a tenant got to be able to take everything with you. Concrete panels, mobile hurdles, feed barrier plus it all sells well if you end up having a farm sale!