A lot of time and effort went into the planning stage of Michael O’Connell’s new six-bay slatted beef shed. Located at Cahercon, Kildysart, Co Clare, Michael knew that he needed to expand winter accommodation to cope with current numbers on the farm. The decision was made to construct a large slatted shed, where cattle could be fed at the front and the back of pens in order to best utilise the pen space available.

The shed was constructed with a creep to allow easy management of cattle. Before deciding on the design, Michael visited a lot of recently constructed beef sheds, an experience he described as invaluable to the final design of his own shed.

Key objectives

Ensuring one person was able to manage all stock in the shed by themselves was one of the cornerstones of this project, with farmer safety also of paramount importance.

The shed itself is 28.4m in length and 11.5m wide to the outside of the canopy. There is capacity to hold approximately 60 cattle, according to Michael, with individual pens measuring approximately 4.6m by 4.8m. An extended concrete apron was installed at the front of the shed as Michael had come across many farmers who regretted not extending this as it allows for easier manoeuvring of machinery. At its apex, the shed measures 5.8m in height.

The shed was built off two existing cubicle sheds which have access to the creep of the new slatted unit. As these old cubicle houses no longer have access to a feed barrier, the intention is to use them for storage or to house a sick animal with easy access to the handling facilities.

The shed is located on an elevated site and is close to the Shannon estuary so it is at the mercy of the elements. Michael does not see this as an issue and stressed that “it is important that cattle have plenty of air through the shed” in a bid to keep cattle healthy throughout the housing period.

Creep

A large creep ensures that a tractor is able to drive down the length of the shed, again in a bid to make management easier for Michael.

There are three access points to the creep. One is through an exterior sliding door, while the other two lead into the old cubicle sheds to the rear. The pens are divided by a combination of a fixed barrier and a gate.

The smaller gates between the pens make it easier and safer to move stock between pens, which can be difficult if full-length gates are in place. A fire hose reel is attached to the back wall of the creep. This hose is long enough to reach everywhere inside the shed, which is a huge benefit when it comes to keeping the shed clean.

Large 14ft tractor slats were used for the pens, with Comfort Slat Mats installed after the build was complete. There were no shortcuts taken with this project – Michael firmly believes that it is a job for life.

Pen

Outside the exterior sliding door of the shed, a large pen was constructed to hold cattle. As Michael buys in all stock, it can be difficult to know the temperament of stock so this ensures the safety of both man and beast when trying to get cattle into the shed or when letting them out.

“If we were dealing with suckler cows, I might have got away with a few lines of wire (to get them into the shed) but when you are buying in stock you never really know what you are getting.”

Handling unit

The handling unit, which was designed by O’Donovan Engineering, who were also responsible for all barriers and gates, is simple yet effective.

It has a few different design aspects which really aid in the safe management of cattle. Before entering the crush, a forcing yard is in place with two gates that rotate 360 degrees on a centre post. This ensures that the farmer can stay safely away from stock while pushing them up the crush. The crush itself is fitted with a spring-loaded anti-backing bar which cattle can easily push through when walking up the crush.

The main aim of this is to prevent a full crush of cattle putting pressure on the back gate as the farmer tries to close it.

The final aspect of the crush which impressed me the most was the back gate. A headlock gate was installed instead of a conventional back gate. This simple idea now means that Michael can work on both sides of the animals while they are safely restrained.

The project was completed to TAMS specification and qualified for 40% grant aid. The total cost of the project was €84,600 and this included a weighing scales and a headscoop for the crush. However, the slat mats were not included in the total cost of the project.

All barriers and gates were supplied by O’Donovan Engineering and cost €19,000. Coley Rock of Gort supplied and erected the shed at a cost of €20,400. McGraths Quarries supplied all concrete at a cost of €20,100. The steel for the walls and floors came to €3,600 while the slats cost €8,000. The excavation work for the sit cost €2,500 and the electrical work including all LED lights cost €2,500 also.

All concrete work was carried out by Barry’s from Inch at a total cost of €8,500.

The grant aid amounted to €32,000, leaving the total cost of the slatted unit for Michael at €52,600.