Feedlot Design and Handling

Question 1

Principles that guide design (4)

Answer 1

safety
reduction in handling time
max animal health and welfare
reduce labour needs

Question 2

design tips (5)

Answer 2

simple is best
allow space for expansion
consider topography and wind
seek expert advise
enlist outside perspective

Question 3

6 components of feedlot design

Answer 3

feeding system
water system
waste handling and drainage
cattle handling
hospital area
staff facilities

Question 4

general principles

Answer 4

maintain clean dry pens
minimize travel distance for cattle, feed truck, manure movement

Question 5

considerations of site selection (6)

Answer 5

easy access
access to utilities
good drainage
security (and biosecurity)
nearness to neighbours
expansion oppurtunities

Question 6

build components so that they will withstand __ years

Answer 6

20+

Question 7

dead ends, bottlenecks, corners, and projections cause

Answer 7

bruising, injury, cripple

Question 8

loading chute should face ________. why

Answer 8

north or south to minimize effects of bright sunlight

Question 9

1 acre will generally house

Answer 9

125 head

Question 10

general water usage per animal

Answer 10

avg 8gal/day
could get to 18 in peak heat seasons

Question 11

general manure production (unpaved and paved lots)

Answer 11

13.1 lbs/d unpaved
19.8lbs/d paved

Question 12

flat site block layout

Answer 12

easily to expand, required earthwork for drainage

Question 13

sloped site, linear or contour layout

Answer 13

suitable for long sloping sites, may not require earthwork (will in flat sites), limited expansion

Question 14

factors of pen area per animal

Answer 14

drainage
climate
topography
pen shape

Question 15

sq ft per head open earth lot

Answer 15

150-300

Question 16

sq ft per head open concrete

Answer 16

60

Question 17

sq ft per head open concrete with shed

Answer 17

70

Question 18

sq ft per head deep bedded confinement

Answer 18

40

Question 19

sq ft per head slatted floor confinement

Answer 19

23

Question 20

area needed calculation

Answer 20

cattle per pen x sq ft per head

Question 21

pen length calculation

Answer 21

cattle per pen x bunk inches/head + gate length

Question 22

pen depth calculation

Answer 22

pen area / pen length

Question 23

practical consideration in deciding how many animals per pen

Answer 23

want to match a multiple of liner load (75 hd/load)

Question 24

what question should you ask regarding pen dimensions while making a large area pen

Answer 24

is there still enough bunk space for the larger area and increased number in head

Question 25

which directions should have windbreaks in western canada

Answer 25

N and W

Question 26

reason for having concrete pads at bunks and watering bowls

Answer 26

due to constant pressure soil would compress and move too much

Question 27

use of fly ash

Answer 27

up to 20% sub for concrete to build pads and stabilize soil

Question 28

fly ash

Answer 28

byproduct of coal combustion with cement type properties

Question 29

how far should concrete pads extend from sheds

Answer 29

12ft outside of shed cover

Question 30

area can be ___________ when pen is fully concrete

Answer 30

decreased

Question 31

minimum sq ft per head recommendation for roofed feedlots

Answer 31

40

Question 32

monosloped barns are usually oriented _________ why?

Answer 32

east west improves ventilation in summer, allows sunlight to reach back of shed in winter

Question 33

roofed feedlots are typically bedded ______ times a week

Answer 33

one or two

Question 34

2 reasons why manure pack would be removed in roofed lots

Answer 34

with each turn of cattle in the pen every 3-4 wks (shallow bedding )

Question 35

roofed feedlot with slatted floor sq ft per animal

Answer 35

22-25 higher density

Question 36

reason for rubber mats over concrete slat floors

Answer 36

improving cattle comfort and alleviating feet and leg issues

Question 37

bunk should be (4)

Answer 37

durable easy to fill easy to clean prevent feed loss

Question 38

consideration in feed bunk material

Answer 38

should be resistant to corrosive salts and mineral

Question 39

which way to feed bunks typically run

Answer 39

N S lengthwise

Question 40

slope for feed bunk

Answer 40

2-8%

Question 41

nail rail

Answer 41

should be adjustable to match type and size of animal

Question 42

what does feed bunk width matter

Answer 42

how much an animal can access / reach

Question 43

why does bunk height matter

Answer 43

need to align with feed truck specs

Question 44

why is there a concrete step up by the feed bunk

Answer 44

keeps manure away

Question 45

feed bunks should have drains every ____________ feet

Answer 45

100-150

Question 46

bunk space 600lb calves

Answer 46

18-24"

Question 47

bunk space 600lb-market calves

Answer 47

24-26"

Question 48

bunk space mature cows and bulls

Answer 48

26-30"

Question 49

feeding more than 2x a day allows you to do what to bunk space per head

Answer 49

reduce

Question 50

increased feeding frequency backgrounding bunk space

Answer 50

18"

Question 51

increased feeding frequency finishing bunk space

Answer 51

8-12"

Question 52

4 inches of mud can reduce DM intake by __%

Answer 52

10

Question 53

is the size of water trough or flow rate more important

Answer 53

flow rate

Question 54

___% of the cattle herd should be able to drink at once

Answer 54

10%

Question 55

____" water trough per animal

Answer 55

1.2"

Question 56

water should be _____ ft away from feed bunks

Answer 56

30ft

Question 57

3 objectives of cattle handling

Answer 57

cattle want to move past the handler cattle want to be with other cattle cattle want to go back the way they came in

Question 58

crowding tubs should be able to hold ___ animals at once

Answer 58

8-10

Question 59

bud box

Answer 59

rectangular pen that aligns with 3 objectives of cattle handling easy to contruct

Question 60

minimum size for a bud box

Answer 60

12 ft wide 20 ft deep allowing for 5-6 mature cows should be larger for loading semis (14x30)

Question 61

chutes able to handle multiple sized animals should be why

Answer 61

v shaped allows for restricted animals feet and legs reduced balking and smaller calves turning around

Question 62

chutes should be minimum ___ft long regardless of herd size

Answer 62

20

Question 63

3 reasons curved chutes work better than straight chutes

Answer 63

prevents animal from seeing what's ahead uses animals natural tendency to circle uses animals natural tendency to go back where they came from

Question 64

holding chute/squeeze should have/be (4)

Answer 64

removable side panels non slippery floor roof so can work cattle regardless of weather adjustable width

Question 65

access alleys

Answer 65

size should depend on type of equipment used to move animals up typically 10-16ft wide

Question 66

scale accuracy capacity

Answer 66

0.1% accuracy