David's going Dairying.

Two other little bits. I know a person was asking about algae growing on concrete because of the clear roof. As you can see algae grows where the cow aren't standing. There is some growing in the pit but not as bad. I recently power washed the parlor to clean it up. I'd rather deal with the algae rather than a dark parlor personally.

One thing I would change is the mangers. They are Alfco mangers, not Delaval. The reason I don't like them is meal builds up in the inside corner of the manger and the noise off meal hitting 16 mangers is deafening. The cows are unable to lick them out. The meal that is left behind is mixed with cows saliva and it creates a hard crust. This builds up over time and goes mouldy. The holes to allow water to drain away are too small. I redrilled one with a larger bit and it made a big difference. I only remembered take a picture when I was nearly finished, this one isn't too bad compared to the worst mangers and this isn't my first time cleaning them out either. The Delval manger is a round bowl so the meal can't build up anywhere.

Reggie. wrote: »

Would a small bit of rubber mat added to the trough dead out the sound in any way

I'm going to get a piece off an old conveyor belt and try it out. I'm just worried would tech screws hurt the cows noses

Sacrolyte wrote: »

Have the same mangers here too. You get used to the noise. Actually I thinks it helps bring the row in. As for the design shape of the manger personally I like it because i think it keeps the cow occupied for longer rooting around the corners trying to get the last morsel of ration.
Btw. Where did you get your dairy doors. They look good.
Also do you have any trouble reading the indicators with all that natural light.

I got the doors off a company called diary Hygiene. They have ad's on done deal. No issues so far reading meters.

Morris Moss wrote: »

Are ya going to keep at the contracting?

Yes I will until I get fed up with it.

The tank is in over a week now. Its total length is 120ft by 9ft deep and a 16ft 6 grooved slat will go on top. The barrels fill concrete are there to take the pillars that will carry the shed when I extend it out over the tank. They are sitting on the found of the tank. I'll pour another base of concrete on top of the barrels and stop 1ft from the top of the slats. I'll then bolt the pillars to the base of concrete and fill in around them with more concrete. I will put in smaller bases in between each barrel at the front for the pillars that will carry the feed barriers.

My plan is to put up feed barriers on the left hand side with a feed apron extending out 10ft. I will put in a stub wall and put the barrier on top of it. On the right hand side I will put a slab of concrete going from the back of the tank to the front of the shed and I'll put a slight fall towards the tank so any water can flow into the tank.

Towards the front of the tank where I am standing. I will run an 8ft hight wall off the pillar at the front of the shed over the tank and up to the top side of the apron. This will act as a barrier for the wind and I can load old silage off the wall also. I'll see how I go on straw for this year.

I dried off the first few cows today. It went well with very little kicking. I used cepravin dry cow tubes and cepravin sealers also. I then used T-HEXX DRY external sealer on the teats. I will put them out on a bare paddock for a few days before I house them.

Yes down the line I will put in cubicles. When the job is fully done it will a U shaped tank and feed barriers with 130 cubicles in the shed. I decided to go with the grooved ones as I have them on the collecting yard tank.

It's a 70 tonne Hitachi digger that was brought up from the quarry. Hit rock after 1ft of digging. That digger had the power to dig it straight out of the ground. There was a 21 tonne with a breaker to break out the corners at the end but other than that the rest was dug out.

No, my parents own the land but there is another person who rented the quarry from them and operates it. They own the diggers and he dug out the tanks. I'm very lucky to have them there, otherwise I'd have massive digger bill because all the rock would have to be broken out

It took the pressure off us last winter to have another income there when there was no income but there was a lot of out goings. The income off the quarry wouldn't be anything substantial but it's a bonus.

I also have to pay my parents a fixed amount each year which I began paying last year. We all agreed on this as I wanted them to be comfortable when they get older. I was going to go at cows regardless of the quarry but having access to machinery, crushed stone and a man who did all this work before did make it easier.

First years milking is in the books. I dried off the last cows a week ago.

The slats are on the tank and the rest of the concrete will be finished next week. I have converted collecting yard for the cows to stand on and eat silage for the moment. Incalf heifers are still out and the weanlings will be housed Monday.

Weanlings and cows were freeze branded last Tuesday. The in calf heifers will be done in the next few weeks.

Brilliant l, thanks for that

Just finished in time for Christmas. The cows and heifers will be moved across to it next week. I want to leave the concrete harden as much as I can before I drive on it. There is a 2ft drop down into the shed. I'll make a ramp down for bedding and I'll raise the floor next summer.

The pillars for the shed went in now, because I plan on roofing the shed down the line. The wall is 8ft hight, I put it in for shelter during the spring. When the wind blows down the valley that yard gets very cold. The silage apron is 13ft wide and I left the wall at the end so I can scrape along the feed barrier and load it off the wall. I plan on doing a wall the whole way around the yard over a few years so it will be fully secure.

I'm glad it worked out as well as I planned and it will be a big saving on labour going forward. If the system works well I'll try work with it for a few years before putting in cubicles and another tank down the side of the shed where the two gates are.

It was a hay shed dating back to the 1800's a storm back in 2013 took the roof off it. We got it restored. I keep machines in it now.

It was a few hundred acres. They milked 100 cows up to the 1930s. There was three identical cows houses on the three yards but I knocked it to put in the collecting yard. The yard I'm in was the main yard. My cousins are farming the other ground.

A round roof was added in the 1950's it was slate up till then. The shed is 4 spans long and 1 span in depth