Recycling crash barriers on farms

Secondhand crash barriers are becoming more popular on farms. They make very robust penning and are reasonably easy to erect. Cathal and Joe McCormack, Tulsk, Co Roscommon, made great use of secondhand crash barriers in their purpose-built pedigree slatted shed layback area.

Picture one

This is the McCormacks’ bespoke slatted shed, combined with a layback area used for preparing pedigree cattle for sale. It was erected by Regan Structural Steel Ltd from Strokestown.

The slatted area of the shed was built to grant specifications seven years ago. The layback area to the rear of the slatted shed was built originally as an outdoor area one year later.

The idea behind having an outdoor area was that their pedigree Angus cattle would grow more hair compared with an enclosed indoor set up.

Cathal says customers buying pedigree Angus bulls are always very keen to see hair on the animal and good presentation is still a key determinant of how well a bull sells in the ring.

The outdoor layback was successful with regard to hair growth on cattle. However, the layback was getting too wet and mucky, which isn’t ideal when you are trying to prepare pedigree cattle for sale.

The McCormacks decided to put a roof over the pad to keep the woodchip bedding dry, but made sure to keep it very open to allow plenty of air to circulate and resemble outdoor conditions as much as possible.

Many pedigree breeders would consider the McCormacks’ indoor housing ideal for bull or heifer sale preparation.

Picture two

Secondhand crash barriers were chosen to construct the side panels for the layback area and were erected by Brady Engineering, Tulsk.

“We found the barriers on an ad on the classifieds section of the Irish Farmers Journal,” according to Cathal.

They decided to use these barriers rather than traditional block construction because they were relatively cheap, strong for bulls and they allowed plenty of air to flow right into the shed.

Each barrier is 11ft 6in long and they are bolted tightly together and also to the RSJ.

Pictures three and four

The base of the layback is concrete. There are three standard drainage pipes set length-ways in the floor that feed into a collector pipe.

Each pipe is set in the centre of the bay and the concrete floor in each bay is sloped towards the pipe.

Perforations were added to the top of each pipe to allow urine and moisture be diverted to the slatted tank.

Drainage stones were layered on top of the concrete base and pipes and this was then covered by one foot depth of woodchip.

The pipes are accessible at the back of the shed, so they can be easily cleaned using sewer rods if needs be.

Picture five

Since the roof went over the layback, the woodchip has stayed very dry and clean – it has not been replaced for three years.

The shed is three bays long and the layback is 30ft wide.

A 20t load of woodchip costs approximately €800. The McCormacks will probably replace the woodchip next year.

Cathal says the maximum number of bulls housed in the shed during the winter is 12 to 15.

Bulls are kept in separate pens and the layback is divided during the winter because bulls being prepared for a sale in December require different treatment than those being prepared for a sale in March. The layback is also ideal for keeping bulls exercised.

Picture six

The shed is well equipped for its purpose – head locking barriers are used to secure animals a fortnight before they go to sale.

The McCormacks are known for their attention to detail and they blow-dry bulls every three to four days a fortnight before sale to keep their coats lively and free from dirt using a blower on the side wall.

Picture seven

Just down the road from the McCormack yard, Derick Beirne, a suckler farmer from Elphin, has three cattle pens built from recycled crash barriers.

The oldest one (picture seven) is over 20 years old and still performs its function just as well as it did when first built.

Derick says crash barriers make an ideal crush and are very long-lasting. He finds it a cost-effective way to build cattle-handling facilities on an outfarm or a leased farm. In this pen, he just used RSJs to secure three rows of barriers.

Sourcing crash barriers

The FRS shop in Boyle, Co Roscommon, is one of the few places selling secondhand crash barriers.

Richard O’Dowd from FRS in Boyle says supplies of crash barriers can be varied: “In the boom times when there were a lot of new roads being constructed, plenty of secondhand Irish barriers were available, but now they are mainly imported from the UK.”

He says there is huge demand for the barriers in his area, mainly for the construction of cattle penning, crushes and yard fencing.

“All barriers come in 11ft 6in lengths and they are 1ft high. One length costs €30 plus VAT,” he explained. Richard says they also sell heavy 8ft uprights (U-beams) that are used to secure the barriers, which cost €33 plus VAT.

He estimates that 20 crash barriers are needed to construct a standard cattle crush and pen. Combined with the uprights, the costs would come to €1,200 plus VAT for a standard pen. However, a farmer could use secondhand railway sleepers or RSJs to secure the barriers. Johnston’s Farm Equipment in Co Longford also supply crash barriers and railway sleepers.