Cattle barn layout

Sparktrician · Aug 14, 2016

Going to be building a new cattle barn next year, working on the layout....for feeding fat cattle, what is your thoughts on ratio of width to depth of a feedlot building? Obviously having feed bunks on the narrow side of a long pen will not accommodate as many calves, thoughts?

Building will be about 6000square feet feed lot and 4400square feet manure storage.

FBH44 · Aug 14, 2016

I did building inspections for 20 years, never saw a building that was ever built big enough. Seriously, not Walmart's, homes, garages, commercial, storage buildings.... maybe a couple restaurants that had big ideas and not enough customers. My advice, build it BIG!

IanC · Aug 14, 2016

Google "midwest plan service". It is a site at one of the land grant Universitys (don't remember which one) that has plans available for any type of ag building.

donjr · Aug 14, 2016

My barn is 50 x 100. It is split lengthwise into 2- 25'widths. One side is concrete (money-wise at building) and the other side is dirt. The dirt side is a penning and cutting area, and the other side has feed bunks down the outer side, which also act as confinement. They're fed into the bunks from outside. There is a 16' gated opening at each end of the concrete feeding area. The penning area is normally closed off to the herd, and the concrete can be cleaned using a loader to push manure into a storage pit. There is also a chute running from the pens on the dirt side to a door that we use for loading trailers when moving livestock along the enclosed wall opposite the feed bunk side. It's been right handy for moving and working critters for some time now. It has also allowed me to move cows at any time of the year, which has been a big help. Before i built this barn, I fed in mud, and was limited to moving cows in dry weather or during the winter when it was frozen. Wish I'd built it 15 years earlier.....

Buckeye · Aug 14, 2016

I was told in an Agricultural Engineering class to never build a cattle barn over 20' deep due to disease. My feedlot barn I built is 160' long and open on one side. Gives great protection winter and summer with plenty of ventilation.

IA Roy · Aug 14, 2016

Don't build it with a level floor. Slope it toward a lagoon and put the watering unit in the lowest corner. Watering units are like toilets, they will eventually all run over. I worked for a major livestock watering company and went to a fully confined location and the designer had put the water in the most uphill corner of a sloped floor facility. The unit would occasionally run over and all the bedding would get wet and the whole building would need to be cleaned and rebedded. The customer was hot over a poor design by the building mfg. Of course it was the fault of the equipment supplier of which I was the representative.

JD Seller · Aug 14, 2016

Google " Mono Slope cattle sheds" There will be lots of pictures of cattle barns/sheds.

You want longer narrower sheds, open on one side facing south or south-east. Feed bunks can make the front fence. Some are totally under roof while some have the feed bunks out further with some more yard space in front of the sheds. Tall sloping roofs make for better ventilation. I think some of the set ups have the roof too tall. Storms from the south can wet the bedding clear to the back of the barns.

I personally like this design better than the single slope roofs. You get the ventilation you need and light but have the front slope to stop rain/snow from blowing on from the front.

This single slope shed in the most common being built around me. There have been hundreds of them built in just the last few years around here in North-East Iowa.

Some fellows are even using hoop buildings with a center vent. I am not a fan of the hoop buildings in that they are getting to be about as expensive as regular shed/barns anymore

showcrop · Aug 15, 2016

Whether or not you feed from a mixer wagon, you should plan for it as the two barns that JD Seller posted pictures of are apparently set up.

Cattle barn layout

Sparktrician

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FBH44

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IanC

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donjr

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Buckeye

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IA Roy

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JD Seller

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showcrop

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