flooring for new building

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We are putting up a 40 X 50 quonset style steel building.
1/2 will be used for calving pens and other 1/2 for equipment.
Trying to decide what to put for floor.
Tractor will be parked in it and will have MUD on chains & tires.
My thoughts were to concrete the whole floor. This would be the easiest to keep clean. But, not the best to keep cows on, urine and spilled water wouldn't have anyplace to go. (pens would be bedded down with wood chips or bulk shavings).
All gravel - would be hard to keep clean with tractor mud & cow manure.
I was told to use #2 round stone with asphalt under the stall areas and don't pack down. Water & urine would go right down thru it. And put finer stone & asphalt in the center area & pack it so it could be swept clean.
Anyone with experience or knowledge of asphalt??
Or any ideas or suggestions?
Plan on putting 2 permanent pens and have 2 or 3 portable pens at one end. Plan on having a waterer between the two permanent pens & have a Hydrant on the other side of the barn to water the portable pens.
Got to make some decisions because weather has turned nice & ready to start getting site ready.

 

[mitchwi]

http://www.homestead.com/prosites-close ... er_SS.html

something I ran across.... for pen areas

We just have gravel where equipment/tractors go.... mud really isn't an issue, if you think about it... equip/tractors come in all muddy, they dry.... you pull tractors out and the crap really doesn't come off til you get going... what does fall off just blends with the gravel.

Michele

 

[dun]

http://www.homestead.com/prosites-closetheloop/rubberpaver_SS.html

something I ran across.... for pen areas

We just have gravel where equipment/tractors go.... mud really isn't an issue, if you think about it... equip/tractors come in all muddy, they dry.... you pull tractors out and the crap really doesn't come off til you get going... what does fall off just blends with the gravel.

Michele

I like the dirt and gravel option for the tractor floor too, but, if you will be doing any kind of mechanic work on the equipment in the building you'ld be better off with a concrete floor and a stout push broom.
For the cow end I would go with rock or gravel and bed it heavy. With a concrete floor, no matter how well you bed it, there will be urine/dampness problems and it takes an awfull lot of betting to make up for the cod radiating through a concrete floor in the winter. I use crushed limestone in animal barn areas, what few we have. That or dirt works better for us.

dun

 

[msscamp]

But, not the best to keep cows on, urine and spilled water wouldn't have anyplace to go. (pens would be bedded down with wood chips or bulk shavings).

FWIW - The floor in the horse barn is concrete, we put stall mats in them, and the only time we have a problem is if someone stalls their horse with no bedding or doesn't clean it regularly. Otherwise the wood shavings soak up the urine very nicely.

Anyone with experience or knowledge of asphalt??

There is an asphalt 'pad' about 20-30' wide x by maybe 40' deep in front of the folks house. The pad was not sealed, and parking a vehicle that is leaking any type of petroleum product on it causes the asphalt to melt.