Eugene Fitzpatrick and his family milk 140 cows on a spring-based system outside the village of Lisryan, Co Longford.
The old silage pit had become too small for purpose, so the decision was made to construct two new walled silage pits, which were completed last year. This left the old silage slab vacant for use, although it wasn’t left idle for long by Eugene.
‘’I was housing weanlings in sheds on a farm I have rented. This worked well for a number of years, but it was time-consuming having to transport bales and feed stock on an outblock when we were in the middle of calving here,’’ he explained.
The decision was then made to construct a new cubicle shed on the existing silage slab to allow all stock to be housed in the yard. All the concrete apron of the slab was left intact, bar for digging out the tank and digging down for the steel girders. The location of the old silage slab in the yard was also ideal regarding proximity to existing cow housing and the milking parlour.
Ground was broken in January, with the tank the first phase of construction.
Eugene opted to construct a large tank at the bottom of the slope measuring 19.8m x 9.1m x 2.4m (65ft x 31ft x 8ft) with a central spine wall.
Eugene opted to reduce the amount of steel reinforcing bar going into the tank, but ensured sufficient reinforcement by using a heavier gauge steel.
The tank was constructed at the bottom of the silage slab, with a central spine wall allowing for two rows of 16ft slats to be used.
A double row of 16ft slats sourced from Mulleady Precast were installed across the tank, sitting on the outer and spine walls. The tank has a capacity for approximately 420m3 of slurry storage, the equivalent of 92,387 gallons. This should give approximately 16 weeks of storage for 70 cows in this shed alone.
Two automatic rope scrapers from Dairypower were installed in the new shed, as well as an existing cubicle shed, to scrape dung down in to the tanks. Passages between cubicles are 2.5m in width.
The seven-bay shed is just recently completed, with the frame and roof supplied and installed by MGE Products Ltd. Bays are the standard 4.8m in length, while the shed is 12.2m in width.
Eugene installed a central canopy for removal of stale air, while there are no side walls or sheeting along either length of the shed.
An absence of side walls or sheeting makes for a bright, airy environment within the shed.
The side exposed to the prevailing wind is sheltered along five bays by the old cubicle shed, with a canopy installed along each side that extends out 1.8m for additional protection.
The result was a massive saving in concrete costs and a shed that has excellent airflow without creating draft or over exposure to the elements. Sheeted gates will be installed on the two bays not sheltered by the old shed.
A total of 70 cubicles were installed, comprising a row of head-to head and a single row. All concrete work on the tanks, walls and cubicles was completed by MFG Construction Ltd.
The four high-bay LED lights offer exceptional brightness when working at night.
Cubicles are 2.4m in length, with Gibney Steel’s flexi-cubicle installed and an Easifix cubicle mat and brisket board installed. An L-shaped feeding area on the northern side of the building has Condon Engineering’s diagonal barriers installed.
Eugene opted for diagonal barriers to help reduce the amount of silage cows brought into the shed.
“Preventing silage getting into slurry tanks is key when you are spreading using LESS equipment,’’ he noted, being a major advocate of using LESS on his farm.
The tank extends roughly 5m past the canopy of the shed, where Eugene has created an outdoor area for feeding and cows to exercise in.
Enjoy
For enrichment, a Gibney Steel brush was installed for cows to scratch with. ‘’It’s surprising how much time they spend in this area when we are buffer feeding. I opted for a non-electric brush but they still seem to enjoy it,’’ said Eugene.
Eugene also installed four high-bay LED lights in the shed. “They’re fantastic. Not only do they light up the new shed but also help brighten up the old shed. I plan on installing them in the milking parlour next,’’ he said.
Although there are no side walls on the side facing the prevailing wind, shelter is provided by the old cubicle shed and a 1.8m canopy.
Eugene noted that the use of the concrete from the old silage pit was a massive saving on the project. This was the concrete on which the cubicles were laid, with the slope of the pit ideal for scraping dung in to the new tank. He estimated that €25,000 to €30,000 was saved through this.
A Gibney Steel brush was installed in an open slatted area for cow enrichment.
The total net cost of the shed came to €103,440, equating to a cost per cow of €1,477.71. As mentioned, the use of the concrete from the silage slab, plus the absence of walls along the length of the shed resulted in a huge saving on both concrete and labour.
A further breakdown of costs is listed in Table 1.
Overall, Eugene is extremely happy with the build. Some finishing touches are needed before cows are housed fully, but the area has been working well for buffer feeding in recent weeks. The ability to not have to leave the yard in spring was a major factor for building the shed, with Eugene noting labour becoming increasingly difficult to source.
The shed proves excellent value for money, especially with price increases over the past number of months.
The surface of the silage slab was in good condition and allowed Eugene to significantly reduce the concrete required. With the shed being so open and airy, and the addition of the exercise yard, cows will transition well on to grass come spring.
While the tank capacity would be tight for a standalone shed, Eugene has ample storage within the yard.
Eugene Fitzpatrick and his family milk 140 cows on a spring-based system outside the village of Lisryan, Co Longford.
The old silage pit had become too small for purpose, so the decision was made to construct two new walled silage pits, which were completed last year. This left the old silage slab vacant for use, although it wasn’t left idle for long by Eugene.
‘’I was housing weanlings in sheds on a farm I have rented. This worked well for a number of years, but it was time-consuming having to transport bales and feed stock on an outblock when we were in the middle of calving here,’’ he explained.
The decision was then made to construct a new cubicle shed on the existing silage slab to allow all stock to be housed in the yard. All the concrete apron of the slab was left intact, bar for digging out the tank and digging down for the steel girders. The location of the old silage slab in the yard was also ideal regarding proximity to existing cow housing and the milking parlour.
Ground was broken in January, with the tank the first phase of construction.
Eugene opted to construct a large tank at the bottom of the slope measuring 19.8m x 9.1m x 2.4m (65ft x 31ft x 8ft) with a central spine wall.
Eugene opted to reduce the amount of steel reinforcing bar going into the tank, but ensured sufficient reinforcement by using a heavier gauge steel.
The tank was constructed at the bottom of the silage slab, with a central spine wall allowing for two rows of 16ft slats to be used.
A double row of 16ft slats sourced from Mulleady Precast were installed across the tank, sitting on the outer and spine walls. The tank has a capacity for approximately 420m3 of slurry storage, the equivalent of 92,387 gallons. This should give approximately 16 weeks of storage for 70 cows in this shed alone.
Two automatic rope scrapers from Dairypower were installed in the new shed, as well as an existing cubicle shed, to scrape dung down in to the tanks. Passages between cubicles are 2.5m in width.
The seven-bay shed is just recently completed, with the frame and roof supplied and installed by MGE Products Ltd. Bays are the standard 4.8m in length, while the shed is 12.2m in width.
Eugene installed a central canopy for removal of stale air, while there are no side walls or sheeting along either length of the shed.
An absence of side walls or sheeting makes for a bright, airy environment within the shed.
The side exposed to the prevailing wind is sheltered along five bays by the old cubicle shed, with a canopy installed along each side that extends out 1.8m for additional protection.
The result was a massive saving in concrete costs and a shed that has excellent airflow without creating draft or over exposure to the elements. Sheeted gates will be installed on the two bays not sheltered by the old shed.
A total of 70 cubicles were installed, comprising a row of head-to head and a single row. All concrete work on the tanks, walls and cubicles was completed by MFG Construction Ltd.
The four high-bay LED lights offer exceptional brightness when working at night.
Cubicles are 2.4m in length, with Gibney Steel’s flexi-cubicle installed and an Easifix cubicle mat and brisket board installed. An L-shaped feeding area on the northern side of the building has Condon Engineering’s diagonal barriers installed.
Eugene opted for diagonal barriers to help reduce the amount of silage cows brought into the shed.
“Preventing silage getting into slurry tanks is key when you are spreading using LESS equipment,’’ he noted, being a major advocate of using LESS on his farm.
The tank extends roughly 5m past the canopy of the shed, where Eugene has created an outdoor area for feeding and cows to exercise in.
Enjoy
For enrichment, a Gibney Steel brush was installed for cows to scratch with. ‘’It’s surprising how much time they spend in this area when we are buffer feeding. I opted for a non-electric brush but they still seem to enjoy it,’’ said Eugene.
Eugene also installed four high-bay LED lights in the shed. “They’re fantastic. Not only do they light up the new shed but also help brighten up the old shed. I plan on installing them in the milking parlour next,’’ he said.
Although there are no side walls on the side facing the prevailing wind, shelter is provided by the old cubicle shed and a 1.8m canopy.
Eugene noted that the use of the concrete from the old silage pit was a massive saving on the project. This was the concrete on which the cubicles were laid, with the slope of the pit ideal for scraping dung in to the new tank. He estimated that €25,000 to €30,000 was saved through this.
A Gibney Steel brush was installed in an open slatted area for cow enrichment.
The total net cost of the shed came to €103,440, equating to a cost per cow of €1,477.71. As mentioned, the use of the concrete from the silage slab, plus the absence of walls along the length of the shed resulted in a huge saving on both concrete and labour.
A further breakdown of costs is listed in Table 1.
Overall, Eugene is extremely happy with the build. Some finishing touches are needed before cows are housed fully, but the area has been working well for buffer feeding in recent weeks. The ability to not have to leave the yard in spring was a major factor for building the shed, with Eugene noting labour becoming increasingly difficult to source.
The shed proves excellent value for money, especially with price increases over the past number of months.
The surface of the silage slab was in good condition and allowed Eugene to significantly reduce the concrete required. With the shed being so open and airy, and the addition of the exercise yard, cows will transition well on to grass come spring.
While the tank capacity would be tight for a standalone shed, Eugene has ample storage within the yard.
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: