northeastern Ohio | stripfarmer - 1/8/2024 10:07
We got tired of hutches and built a permanent building. Currently leasing out our facilities but could get actual photos. We poured concrete walls on a concrete slab, and individual pens 5’x10’, and every 3 pens poured another wall 4’ tall. To clean, 3 pens with a skidsteer, swing one gate and lift out one panel. When we poured the front and back walls I formed a notch to receive the panels, allowing a smooth wall to scrape against. Facing east west so lots of southern exposure. Cadillac of calf barns but very nice for man and beast. Yes curtains above the 4’ wall as well. Very few places for birds using Starwood trusses. It’s about 10 years old now and wouldn’t change anything
My cousin built a calf building in 2017. Professionally built from plans. Steel building on concrete walls with full height curtains. He quit milking cows a couple years later. I am renting it now. It has room for 12 individual pens and then 8 group pens for weaned calves.
Probably not as well designed as yours. This one has a drive thru down the center with pens on each side. Difficult to get my smallest skid loader into the pens to clean out. Group pens are not deep enough, so there is more bunk space than laying space. Concrete was finished way too slick! Calves cannot walk on bare concrete without slipping. Makes it extremely difficult to move calves. Doors too short to get a hay wagon inside to feed out of.
Very poorly designed. I know there are better designs. So much I would change. My cousin lost a lot of calves in there. I haven't lost any, but I'm not raising bottle calves in there. |
Calf hutches: is there a perfect one out there?
