Over the last number of months, many large-scale Irish dairy farmers have replaced existing woodchip standoff pads with topless cubicles.
Depending on the site, at a cost of between €250 and €350 per cow space excluding slurry storage, they suggest that it makes sense given the high running costs associated with woodchip.
The two major reasons most farmers give for the conversion are:
1. Annual cost of woodchip has increased significantly in recent years and a payment of €7,000 to €10,000 per year to bed 200 cows would make an annual repayment on a significant loan. 2. The option to milk cows from topless cubicles in November and December, which is not practical on the woodchip standoff pad, allows for output to increase, especially in a no quota scenario. Case studies
Seamus and Monica Quigley are farming near Loughrea, Co Galway. I called into Galway last week as the milking cows were going back out to the recently installed topless cubicles.
Seamus has an existing conventional cubicle shed that can feed and house 140 cows and, up until last week, he had a woodchip standoff pad for the rest of the herd.
Over recent weeks, he has converted the standoff pad into topless cubicles which essentially are the same as a normal cubicle shed but there is no roof.
All slurry is collected in a plastic-lined slurry tank. The Loughrea farm has a Bobcat so this is used once a day to scrape the passages. Seamus still has a woodchip area behind his new topless cubicles that can be used as a calving pad if required.
The total cost of the new cubicle set-up is approximately €263 per cubicle, including VAT, for 205 cubicles. He had the existing feed face.
The approximate total cost of the concrete and back filling was about €21,500, €25,400 for cubicles, mats and water troughs and around €7,000 for labour, etc.
He could also install another row of cubicles (40) and another feed passage for an additional cost of approximately €25,000 which would give him 245 cubicles and over 360 feet of feed space for €322 per cubicle space.
Kevin and Margaret Twomey are farming near Ballyhooley in north Cork. Kevin has a conventional, covered 150-space cubicle shed but recently the Twomeys have converted the existing woodchip standoff pad to topless cubicles.
Similar to the Quigleys, all slurry and water is collected in a plastic-lined slurry tank. Kevin has installed automatic slurry scrapers.
It was lashing rain when I called last week and there was a lot of silage in front of the cows.
Kevin said: “If expecting a lot of rain, then it is better to feed silage every day (rather than double feed) because the uncovered silage can get very wet and cows will refuse to eat the spoiled feed.”
As well as new cubicles, Kevin installed a new feed face with a concrete passage either side so he has more than doubled the feed space available. On one side of the feed face, he has a woodchip standoff pad that can be used for cows near calving or for old cows that might prefer to be off concrete.
Over the last number of months, many large-scale Irish dairy farmers have replaced existing woodchip standoff pads with topless cubicles.
Depending on the site, at a cost of between €250 and €350 per cow space excluding slurry storage, they suggest that it makes sense given the high running costs associated with woodchip.
The two major reasons most farmers give for the conversion are:
1. Annual cost of woodchip has increased significantly in recent years and a payment of €7,000 to €10,000 per year to bed 200 cows would make an annual repayment on a significant loan. 2. The option to milk cows from topless cubicles in November and December, which is not practical on the woodchip standoff pad, allows for output to increase, especially in a no quota scenario. Case studies
Seamus and Monica Quigley are farming near Loughrea, Co Galway. I called into Galway last week as the milking cows were going back out to the recently installed topless cubicles.
Seamus has an existing conventional cubicle shed that can feed and house 140 cows and, up until last week, he had a woodchip standoff pad for the rest of the herd.
Over recent weeks, he has converted the standoff pad into topless cubicles which essentially are the same as a normal cubicle shed but there is no roof.
All slurry is collected in a plastic-lined slurry tank. The Loughrea farm has a Bobcat so this is used once a day to scrape the passages. Seamus still has a woodchip area behind his new topless cubicles that can be used as a calving pad if required.
The total cost of the new cubicle set-up is approximately €263 per cubicle, including VAT, for 205 cubicles. He had the existing feed face.
The approximate total cost of the concrete and back filling was about €21,500, €25,400 for cubicles, mats and water troughs and around €7,000 for labour, etc.
He could also install another row of cubicles (40) and another feed passage for an additional cost of approximately €25,000 which would give him 245 cubicles and over 360 feet of feed space for €322 per cubicle space.
Kevin and Margaret Twomey are farming near Ballyhooley in north Cork. Kevin has a conventional, covered 150-space cubicle shed but recently the Twomeys have converted the existing woodchip standoff pad to topless cubicles.
Similar to the Quigleys, all slurry and water is collected in a plastic-lined slurry tank. Kevin has installed automatic slurry scrapers.
It was lashing rain when I called last week and there was a lot of silage in front of the cows.
Kevin said: “If expecting a lot of rain, then it is better to feed silage every day (rather than double feed) because the uncovered silage can get very wet and cows will refuse to eat the spoiled feed.”
As well as new cubicles, Kevin installed a new feed face with a concrete passage either side so he has more than doubled the feed space available. On one side of the feed face, he has a woodchip standoff pad that can be used for cows near calving or for old cows that might prefer to be off concrete.
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