Feed bunk ideas

[cornykid]

I have a 64' long barn that I'm going to build a feed bunk along. It's under an overhang. I don't have the resources for precast right now, and I have lots of 2" rough sawn lumber. I feed balage with a processor and bed over the top of the bunk, this barn is for weened calves (400-500#) to feed untill spring. Previously I had feeder panels, and getting the bedding through them was a pain and me and my wife are not getting any younger, also pushing up feed three times a day got old. So my biggest question is what should I use for the neck restraint? The posts are 6x6 so if I put boards on the inside and the neck restraint on the outside, is that enough of gap for this? Thanks

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I guess I can't picture what you are asking. I have seen steel cable used as a neck guard to keep calves from jumping up into the bunks.

 

[Lucky]

http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/bch/FenceLineFeedbunk.pdf

Maybe this link will help. I'm in the process of building 300 feet and it's kind of a guessing game. I'm using pipe on 8' centers with a pipe top rail for the main section. Then I bought 6 rail continuous fence panels and cut them into 3 two rail sections for the neck rail. I have concrete and pipe troughs to feed out of. I'm going with 18" bunk space per calf and 24" for cows. Plan on 16"-18" neck rail height (from trough to first rail). The continuous panels panels make it fairly cheap and are really fast to put up.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Guard rails are pretty cheap, and might be what you're looking for.

 

[littletom]

I have 8 foot concrete bunks setting end to end. On the calf side i have fence post in concrete where every other one meet so 16 feet apart. On each post i have eye bolt with a pipe spacer holding the eye 2 inchs off post on calf side. With a cable running through it. 20 inchs above the bunk. I have second cable above it with no spacers. I think there are 18 total bunks. Had this set 3 or 4 years havent had one crawl through yet. These are calves i wean not store bought. So size varies . Hope you can find this useful.

 

[Lucky]

I have 8 foot concrete bunks setting end to end. On the calf side i have fence post in concrete where every other one meet so 16 feet apart. On each post i have eye bolt with a pipe spacer holding the eye 2 inchs off post on calf side. With a cable running through it. 20 inchs above the bunk. I have second cable above it with no spacers. I think there are 18 total bunks. Had this set 3 or 4 years havent had one crawl through yet. These are calves i wean not store bought. So size varies . Hope you can find this useful.

I'm also using concrete bunks placed end to end. The bunks are 20" tall and the first neck rail is 16" above the bunks. It looks like too much space to me but if you have 20" maybe mine will work. I'll be feeding weaning size calves until the reach 800-850 pounds with this setup. I'm also hoping I have enough bunk space. Everything I read said 18" for calves and 24" for cows.