Post by emidmag on Nov 3, 2021 11:55:43 GMT -5
I was considering putting one of these up. But I wonder really what advantages it has over my present set up.
I have a 22'x26' loafing area under a shed roof with concrete block walls on two sides, an open side, and a wooden side. The way we've been managing manure is to put straw down on top of fresh pies and "deep bedding" the animals. The floor is concrete. Beginning in about June we start spraying the manure/straw pack with water (since it gets no rain under a roof) and this rapidly "composts" most of it without much mechanical agitation. The cows do sometimes stomp around in this in the summer, particularly in high summer, to avoid the sun (this is a shade area for them). We stop watering the pack in August and buy October/November when it is cool enough it has dried out to light, mostly composted material that is fairly easy to move by hand or tractor. The entire year's accumulation can be hauled out mechanically and spread by hand (we do not have a manure spreader, but a trailer we pitchfork the manure out of) on an half acre or so in about 4 hours .
The only thing I don't like about this system is the cows sometimes get dirty by laying down in their fresh pies. We cover the pies with straw every day, but this doesn't work so well. We are ok using a lot of straw since we get it $2 a bale and like the carbon for the garden soil. But then again our cow gets her manure on herself out on pasture frequently. The idea of intentionally draining away urine with a gravel trench is counterproductive to our gardening efforts.
If I am understanding the principle of freestall correctly the idea is to 1) keep cow clean and 2) conserve bedding material. However, to keep the cow clean one must clean up every pie every day, right? Otherwise they would just accumulate in the stall. Also, I do not really want to conserve bedding material. We use about 40 bales of straw per year for ~3-4 cows we overwinter, so $80/year. Just the cost of the lumber alone would exceed that to build these freestalls.
I also have serious doubts that my cattle would use these things correctly. My observation of cows kept on pasture is that they are much more curious and intelligent than barn kept animals. I just do not think they would settle down in a position staring at a concrete block wall instead of facing out towards the world filled with interesting things/potential threats. My cow has turned herself around in a 38" wide single horse trailer, so I think 44" would be trivial for her if she wanted to.
Also, how is one supposed to clean out the freestall? By hand? My tractor bucket is 54" wide so there is no cleaning it with the tractor unless the stalls are taken down temporarily. I do not like wood anywhere near manure/urine, as it rots it away to nothing in a short time, and I do not like using treated lumber near garden compost as it contains persistent toxins that damage the soil.
It seems to me that these stalls are not worth it for my management system. Is there some advantage here that I am missing?
I have a 22'x26' loafing area under a shed roof with concrete block walls on two sides, an open side, and a wooden side. The way we've been managing manure is to put straw down on top of fresh pies and "deep bedding" the animals. The floor is concrete. Beginning in about June we start spraying the manure/straw pack with water (since it gets no rain under a roof) and this rapidly "composts" most of it without much mechanical agitation. The cows do sometimes stomp around in this in the summer, particularly in high summer, to avoid the sun (this is a shade area for them). We stop watering the pack in August and buy October/November when it is cool enough it has dried out to light, mostly composted material that is fairly easy to move by hand or tractor. The entire year's accumulation can be hauled out mechanically and spread by hand (we do not have a manure spreader, but a trailer we pitchfork the manure out of) on an half acre or so in about 4 hours .
The only thing I don't like about this system is the cows sometimes get dirty by laying down in their fresh pies. We cover the pies with straw every day, but this doesn't work so well. We are ok using a lot of straw since we get it $2 a bale and like the carbon for the garden soil. But then again our cow gets her manure on herself out on pasture frequently. The idea of intentionally draining away urine with a gravel trench is counterproductive to our gardening efforts.
If I am understanding the principle of freestall correctly the idea is to 1) keep cow clean and 2) conserve bedding material. However, to keep the cow clean one must clean up every pie every day, right? Otherwise they would just accumulate in the stall. Also, I do not really want to conserve bedding material. We use about 40 bales of straw per year for ~3-4 cows we overwinter, so $80/year. Just the cost of the lumber alone would exceed that to build these freestalls.
I also have serious doubts that my cattle would use these things correctly. My observation of cows kept on pasture is that they are much more curious and intelligent than barn kept animals. I just do not think they would settle down in a position staring at a concrete block wall instead of facing out towards the world filled with interesting things/potential threats. My cow has turned herself around in a 38" wide single horse trailer, so I think 44" would be trivial for her if she wanted to.
Also, how is one supposed to clean out the freestall? By hand? My tractor bucket is 54" wide so there is no cleaning it with the tractor unless the stalls are taken down temporarily. I do not like wood anywhere near manure/urine, as it rots it away to nothing in a short time, and I do not like using treated lumber near garden compost as it contains persistent toxins that damage the soil.
It seems to me that these stalls are not worth it for my management system. Is there some advantage here that I am missing?