Someone asked if I was doing my hay/feeding shed over again would I do anything different.

For the record, the hay feeding area will be flat panels from now on - no more half rounds to put hay in.

It has taken days of work to clean up the winter's manure pack around the outside and between these.  It is amazing how much manure a small cow herd left over the winter! The pack was 2 to 3 ft thick in some areas. I have spread load after load of pack out on my silage corn ground. Good stuff for corn but a big job!  I have a newfound appreciation of you guys with large herds in a lot handling manure.

My idea is that cows would spread most of the manure in a low labor system. This is not a low labor system!

Panels will be flat next winter and I am going to limit access to the hay feeding area.  No more cows camping out under the roof all winter.

In my previous sacrifice area system there was some pack around the hay feeders to pile and compost in the spring but much less and easier than what I am seeing this year. 1 afternoon and it was piled and reseeded. This spring cleaning off the concrete pad with these 1/2 buried hay feeders jutting out has taken several days at a busy time of year. It has also delayed stripping and planting the silage corn strip.

Cows produce an incredible amount of manure pack over the winter when they tend to be in one place. Mine need to spend more time in the woods as they have in the past before the hay shed.

fwiw.

Jim