Post by lstein on Nov 20, 2020 13:17:47 GMT -5
We finally have some cement poured in our barn! Now it's time to plan our stanchion. We had previously just tied Lucy up to the fence and milked there, which was ok but was not as clean as I would have liked. We also would like to start working more with our 1 yr old heifer, so when it's her turn, she knows the routine. So we dedicated an area of our cemented area to her milking stall/stanchion. The space is 8' x 11ish' with another 3-4' of walking space right behind where the stanchion/stall would go. ( I'll upload a quick sketch momentarily)
So what I'm trying to decide is if we should make it accessible from two sides or just one. From everything I have read, I think two sided would be ideal even if we don't utilize both sides. But I'm starting to wonder if we'll have enough room, with it only being 8ish' wide?
I had wanted to do a style where it's a head gate, wood bottom, and have a 2x4 guard rail on each side. Our current cow isn't fussy and her moving around isn't really a problem, it's more of a frame of mind thing for my wife, who is still a little nervous around such a big cow.
If we end up doing just a one-sided stanchion, the opposite side of the person milking is a wall sided with OSB and is anchored to the floor.
Just curious what peoples thoughts are on if two sided seems feasible or not? If anything we might just end up bringing Lucy into the area and making chalk lines around her to see what would work lol.
Another side note: We will be calf sharing with two calves as well. But I don't having any plans of letting them drink while I milk (we hand milk), but plan on maybe taking turns or having at least one of the calves tied up near her head.
So what I'm trying to decide is if we should make it accessible from two sides or just one. From everything I have read, I think two sided would be ideal even if we don't utilize both sides. But I'm starting to wonder if we'll have enough room, with it only being 8ish' wide?
I had wanted to do a style where it's a head gate, wood bottom, and have a 2x4 guard rail on each side. Our current cow isn't fussy and her moving around isn't really a problem, it's more of a frame of mind thing for my wife, who is still a little nervous around such a big cow.
If we end up doing just a one-sided stanchion, the opposite side of the person milking is a wall sided with OSB and is anchored to the floor.
Just curious what peoples thoughts are on if two sided seems feasible or not? If anything we might just end up bringing Lucy into the area and making chalk lines around her to see what would work lol.
Another side note: We will be calf sharing with two calves as well. But I don't having any plans of letting them drink while I milk (we hand milk), but plan on maybe taking turns or having at least one of the calves tied up near her head.