Confinement barns

[cumminspuller]

Those of you who have them? What type of barn do you have? Any problems or dislikes you have with it? What size cattle are you feeding and for how long? The thought has crossed my mind for one. Not many of them in our area. (southern middle TN). Really the only 2 that I know of were just finished within the past 2 to 6 months.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

They seem like a good idea to me. I have a 20' by 30' clearspan. I used it one year for about ten calves. It was too small. I am thinking of putting up another , larger one. I think 30 by 40 would be good for my needs. I would recommend putting any type of clearspan (fabric) building on 4 to 6 foot high cement pony wall. I wanted enough room to put a 8 by 8 feeder underneath.

 

[SBMF 2015]

It all depends on how many head your planning on feeding. Are you doing one turn a year or keeping it full? When you say confinement barn Are you talking about a deep pack building or a slatted floor? How are you going to feed? Center belt feeder, line bunks, self feeder? If line bunks will they be under the roof? You need a concrete pad for a self feeder, if that's the direction you want to go.
We have a 60x100 slatted floor building with H bunks and a conveyor style feeder. It's divided in to four pens. It's called a 275hd building, but 300- 700lb yearlings fit. We used to keep it full year round. Six to seven months is about how long they were in there. Cattle stay really clean compared to an open lot. Ten foot doors on the north and open on the south for ventilation. Five foot high concrete walls in three sides. Pipe fence on the south.
You can run into some joint issues if you put cattle on slats to small or keep them there to long.
Ours was put up in 1975, they have made some good improvements since then, but it's still better than mud caked fat cattle in March and April.

 

[cumminspuller]

It all depends on how many head your planning on feeding. Are you doing one turn a year or keeping it full? When you say confinement barn Are you talking about a deep pack building or a slatted floor? How are you going to feed? Center belt feeder, line bunks, self feeder? If line bunks will they be under the roof? You need a concrete pad for a self feeder, if that's the direction you want to go.
We have a 60x100 slatted floor building with H bunks and a conveyor style feeder. It's divided in to four pens. It's called a 275hd building, but 300- 700lb yearlings fit. We used to keep it full year round. Six to seven months is about how long they were in there. Cattle stay really clean compared to an open lot. Ten foot doors on the north and open on the south for ventilation. Five foot high concrete walls in three sides. Pipe fence on the south.
You can run into some joint issues if you put cattle on slats to small or keep them there to long.
Ours was put up in 1975, they have made some good improvements since then, but it's still better than mud caked fat cattle in March and April.

Sounds like you have a nice setup SBMF! Whatever I build will be nowhere near that big. Maybe one day. If i built one it would be a deep pack building. Feeding would be done in a fence line bunk under roof. What I'm thinking on size would be something around 50-60' wide x 80' long. I'd like to have at least two groups to sell at two different times of the year.

 

[Bigfoot]

I know one person that backgrounded calves in a confinement barn. Took em from about 350-400 up to 700. Went broke doing it. Only one I ever seen background that way.

 

[SBMF 2015]

It all depends on how many head your planning on feeding. Are you doing one turn a year or keeping it full? When you say confinement barn Are you talking about a deep pack building or a slatted floor? How are you going to feed? Center belt feeder, line bunks, self feeder? If line bunks will they be under the roof? You need a concrete pad for a self feeder, if that's the direction you want to go.
We have a 60x100 slatted floor building with H bunks and a conveyor style feeder. It's divided in to four pens. It's called a 275hd building, but 300- 700lb yearlings fit. We used to keep it full year round. Six to seven months is about how long they were in there. Cattle stay really clean compared to an open lot. Ten foot doors on the north and open on the south for ventilation. Five foot high concrete walls in three sides. Pipe fence on the south.
You can run into some joint issues if you put cattle on slats to small or keep them there to long.
Ours was put up in 1975, they have made some good improvements since then, but it's still better than mud caked fat cattle in March and April.

Sounds like you have a nice setup SBMF! Whatever I build will be nowhere near that big. Maybe one day. If i built one it would be a deep pack building. Feeding would be done in a fence line bunk under roof. What I'm thinking on size would be something around 50-60' wide x 80' long. I'd like to have at least two groups to sell at two different times of the year.

That sounds like it will be a nice building. A couple thing to think about; if you have two pens out your water fountain in the middle division fence so both pens can use it. I would consider making it 100' long then take 20' of your width and use it for your line bunks, an under roof driveway, and a squeeze chute and alley. Put a gate on each end of your bunks that leads to the driveway. That way you can stay under roof when you sort of have to treat a calf.

Here are some pics of our shed. It's kind of wore out after 45 years of cattle in it.[image][/image]

 

[Stocker Steve]

I know one person that backgrounded calves in a confinement barn. Took em from about 350-400 up to 700. Went broke doing it. Only one I ever seen background that way.

Seen a few that picked up ex diary barns for pennies on the dollar and then made them work. Usually a seasonal deal using a lot of commodity product. Some background calves in them during the fall and then calve in them during late winter.
Seen a few new monoslope barns put in for finishing cattle. Usually Dad has a grain operation but can not afford more land, and Junior buys grain and stalks wholesale from him to feed Junior's cattle.

 

[cumminspuller]

It all depends on how many head your planning on feeding. Are you doing one turn a year or keeping it full? When you say confinement barn Are you talking about a deep pack building or a slatted floor? How are you going to feed? Center belt feeder, line bunks, self feeder? If line bunks will they be under the roof? You need a concrete pad for a self feeder, if that's the direction you want to go.
We have a 60x100 slatted floor building with H bunks and a conveyor style feeder. It's divided in to four pens. It's called a 275hd building, but 300- 700lb yearlings fit. We used to keep it full year round. Six to seven months is about how long they were in there. Cattle stay really clean compared to an open lot. Ten foot doors on the north and open on the south for ventilation. Five foot high concrete walls in three sides. Pipe fence on the south.
You can run into some joint issues if you put cattle on slats to small or keep them there to long.
Ours was put up in 1975, they have made some good improvements since then, but it's still better than mud caked fat cattle in March and April.

Sounds like you have a nice setup SBMF! Whatever I build will be nowhere near that big. Maybe one day. If i built one it would be a deep pack building. Feeding would be done in a fence line bunk under roof. What I'm thinking on size would be something around 50-60' wide x 80' long. I'd like to have at least two groups to sell at two different times of the year.

That sounds like it will be a nice building. A couple thing to think about; if you have two pens out your water fountain in the middle division fence so both pens can use it. I would consider making it 100' long then take 20' of your width and use it for your line bunks, an under roof driveway, and a squeeze chute and alley. Put a gate on each end of your bunks that leads to the driveway. That way you can stay under roof when you sort of have to treat a calf.

Here are some pics of our shed. It's kind of wore out after 45 years of cattle in it.[image][/image]

The water would be some type of automatic waterer split between two pens. The building may be cheaper doing as you suggested with cutting the width down and adding to the length. The gates you mentioned. I've noticed on a lot of the newer monoslope buildings they will have a ally made behind bunks that they can close off the groups and clean up. Is that kind of what you are talking about to get a cow out that you need to treat?

 

[cumminspuller]

I know one person that backgrounded calves in a confinement barn. Took em from about 350-400 up to 700. Went broke doing it. Only one I ever seen background that way.

Seen a few that picked up ex diary barns for pennies on the dollar and then made them work. Usually a seasonal deal using a lot of commodity product. Some background calves in them during the fall and then calve in them during late winter.
Seen a few new monoslope barns put in for finishing cattle. Usually Dad has a grain operation but can not afford more land, and Junior buys grain and stalks wholesale from him to feed Junior's cattle.

On Bigfoot's post, that is one thing I was wondering about the size of the calves people are feeding in them and how long. That size is what I have been backgrounding myself now. I wonder if it would be better putting them in at 500 pounds and keep them in there to 750-800 and sell???

Stocker Steve, that would be ideal I would think. A lot less investment up front. The problem with it in my area is the dairies that were here wore everything out, including barns before they sold out.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Ya, I bought one of those. A couple good things with this. Got some concreted corrals, and can depreciate the **** out of of worn stuff.