Feedlot Design and Handling Flashcards
Principles that guide design (4)
safety
reduction in handling time
max animal health and welfare
reduce labour needs
design tips (5)
simple is best
allow space for expansion
consider topography and wind
seek expert advise
enlist outside perspective
6 components of feedlot design
feeding system
water system
waste handling and drainage
cattle handling
hospital area
staff facilities
general principles
maintain clean dry pens
minimize travel distance for cattle, feed truck, manure movement
considerations of site selection (6)
easy access
access to utilities
good drainage
security (and biosecurity)
nearness to neighbours
expansion oppurtunities
build components so that they will withstand __ years
20+
dead ends, bottlenecks, corners, and projections cause
bruising, injury, cripple
loading chute should face ________. why
north or south to minimize effects of bright sunlight
1 acre will generally house
125 head
general water usage per animal
avg 8gal/day
could get to 18 in peak heat seasons
general manure production (unpaved and paved lots)
13.1 lbs/d unpaved
19.8lbs/d paved
flat site block layout
easily to expand, required earthwork for drainage
sloped site, linear or contour layout
suitable for long sloping sites, may not require earthwork (will in flat sites), limited expansion
factors of pen area per animal
drainage
climate
topography
pen shape
sq ft per head open earth lot
150-300
sq ft per head open concrete
60
sq ft per head open concrete with shed
70
sq ft per head deep bedded confinement
40
sq ft per head slatted floor confinement
23
area needed calculation
cattle per pen x sq ft per head
pen length calculation
cattle per pen x bunk inches/head + gate length
pen depth calculation
pen area / pen length
practical consideration in deciding how many animals per pen
want to match a multiple of liner load (75 hd/load)
what question should you ask regarding pen dimensions while making a large area pen
is there still enough bunk space for the larger area and increased number in head
which directions should have windbreaks in western canada
N and W
reason for having concrete pads at bunks and watering bowls
due to constant pressure soil would compress and move too much
use of fly ash
up to 20% sub for concrete to build pads and stabilize soil
fly ash
byproduct of coal combustion with cement type properties
how far should concrete pads extend from sheds
12ft outside of shed cover
area can be ___________ when pen is fully concrete
decreased
minimum sq ft per head recommendation for roofed feedlots
40
monosloped barns are usually oriented _________
why?
east west
improves ventilation in summer, allows sunlight to reach back of shed in winter
roofed feedlots are typically bedded ______ times a week
one or two
2 reasons why manure pack would be removed in roofed lots
with each turn of cattle in the pen
every 3-4 wks (shallow bedding )
roofed feedlot with slatted floor sq ft per animal
22-25
higher density
reason for rubber mats over concrete slat floors
improving cattle comfort and alleviating feet and leg issues
bunk should be (4)
durable
easy to fill
easy to clean
prevent feed loss
consideration in feed bunk material
should be resistant to corrosive salts and mineral
which way to feed bunks typically run
N S lengthwise
slope for feed bunk
2-8%
nail rail
should be adjustable to match type and size of animal
what does feed bunk width matter
how much an animal can access / reach
why does bunk height matter
need to align with feed truck specs
why is there a concrete step up by the feed bunk
keeps manure away
feed bunks should have drains every ____________ feet
100-150
bunk space 600lb calves
18-24”
bunk space 600lb-market calves
24-26”
bunk space mature cows and bulls
26-30”
feeding more than 2x a day allows you to do what to bunk space per head
reduce
increased feeding frequency backgrounding bunk space
18”
increased feeding frequency finishing bunk space
8-12”
4 inches of mud can reduce DM intake by __%
10
is the size of water trough or flow rate more important
flow rate
___% of the cattle herd should be able to drink at once
10%
____” water trough per animal
1.2”
water should be _____ ft away from feed bunks
30ft
3 objectives of cattle handling
cattle want to move past the handler
cattle want to be with other cattle
cattle want to go back the way they came in
crowding tubs should be able to hold ___ animals at once
8-10
bud box
rectangular pen that aligns with 3 objectives of cattle handling
easy to contruct
minimum size for a bud box
12 ft wide 20 ft deep allowing for 5-6 mature cows
should be larger for loading semis (14x30)
chutes able to handle multiple sized animals should be
why
v shaped
allows for restricted animals feet and legs
reduced balking and smaller calves turning around
chutes should be minimum ___ft long regardless of herd size
20
3 reasons curved chutes work better than straight chutes
prevents animal from seeing what’s ahead
uses animals natural tendency to circle
uses animals natural tendency to go back where they came from
holding chute/squeeze should have/be (4)
removable side panels
non slippery floor
roof so can work cattle regardless of weather
adjustable width
access alleys
size should depend on type of equipment used to move animals up
typically 10-16ft wide
scale accuracy capacity
0.1% accuracy
