concrete bunks

[burnt]

Suggestion:

We had a ready-mix outfit around here at one time. They had a concrete bunk form and they poured left over concrete in it and sold the bunks at a good price.

If you have a ready-mix outfit around, you might make a deal with them

I'd be interested in knowing how the bunk form was made. My neighbor works for a nearby redimix plant and calls on occasion to see if I have room for left over concrete. Had to turn down 4 cubic meters the other day - too much snow and frozen ground to do anything with it. But bunk forms could be set up in the workshop.

Now you got me thinkin'!

 

[burnt]

Thanks H I hope these help someone - - - -When I built these I attended a "short course " at Purdue on feeding cattle - - - -the staff their had determined that there is a relationship between feed heigth and feed conversion.

They stated that feed should be no more than 6" above the floor heigth to get the best conversion - - - -I don't pretend to know the why on this but it made it easy for me to build....

Heard the same thing back in the '70's - it has to do with stimulating more digestive juices or something. Makes sense since its a natural feeding position when they would be munching back grass on pasture. Which, coincidentally, is proven to be most effective for gain when at about 6" - 10" in height . . . go figure.

Nice work George. And BTW, your feed wagon resembles me most days - tires flat and out of feed . . . :wink:

Kinda like seeing these older threads get resurrected!

 

[Soapweed]

Thanks H I hope these help someone - - - -When I built these I attended a "short course " at Purdue on feeding cattle - - - -the staff their had determined that there is a relationship between feed heigth and feed conversion.

They stated that feed should be no more than 6" above the floor heigth to get the best conversion - - - -I don't pretend to know the why on this but it made it easy for me to build....

Heard the same thing back in the '70's - it has to do with stimulating more digestive juices or something. Makes sense since its a natural feeding position when they would be munching back grass on pasture. Which, coincidentally, is proven to be most effective for gain when at about 6" - 10" in height . . . go figure.

Nice work George. And BTW, your feed wagon resembles me most days - tires flat and out of feed . . . :wink:

Kinda like seeing these older threads get resurrected!

Along the same lines of thinking, bucket calves do good if they suck the milk with their heads tilting upwards, as they do in sucking a cow. Sometimes bucket calves are taught to drink milk out of the top of a bucket. These calves never do as well, because it's not natural for them to drink milk like they drink water. If drinking milk from the top of the bucket, the calves tend to get pot-bellied and "poddy" looking.

 

[Denny]

Thanks H I hope these help someone - - - -When I built these I attended a "short course " at Purdue on feeding cattle - - - -the staff their had determined that there is a relationship between feed heigth and feed conversion.

They stated that feed should be no more than 6" above the floor heigth to get the best conversion - - - -I don't pretend to know the why on this but it made it easy for me to build....

Heard the same thing back in the '70's - it has to do with stimulating more digestive juices or something. Makes sense since its a natural feeding position when they would be munching back grass on pasture. Which, coincidentally, is proven to be most effective for gain when at about 6" - 10" in height . . . go figure.

Nice work George. And BTW, your feed wagon resembles me most days - tires flat and out of feed . . . :wink:

Kinda like seeing these older threads get resurrected!

Along the same lines of thinking, bucket calves do good if they suck the milk with their heads tilting upwards, as they do in sucking a cow. Sometimes bucket calves are taught to drink milk out of the top of a bucket. These calves never do as well, because it's not natural for them to drink milk like they drink water. If drinking milk from the top of the bucket, the calves tend to get pot-bellied and "poddy" looking.

When I was a kid we raised baby calves at any given time my brother and I had 30 or so calves to feed before the schoolbus came in the morning. We tried to talk our Dad into letting us bucket feed them he was totally against it but in the end we did it anyhow. His reason was they needed the saliva created dureing nurseing our reason was we needed a bit more sleep. We did alot of chores growing up.Dad did alot of fishing.

 

[katrina]

REal nice George.... :tiphat: :wave:

 

[George]

If any of you have followed me long you will know I pride myself in being "cheap" but functional - - - I have made feed bunks that one man can throw in a pick-up truck and move easily - - - this has served me well for about 10 years.

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With 3 barrel halves bolted together they will hold one skid loader bucket of silage or you can feel grain in them. When feeding stocker calves you can feed about 20 calves to a 3 barrel section or about 10 brood cows.

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I bolt them together with 3/8" bolts and self locking nuts. I normally move them once a week if the ground is frozen or daily if in muddy conditions.

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I have 1/2" holes in the bottom to allow rain to drain.

I find as they are round and slick cattle almost never step in them and it is very rare I find manure in them. These have lasted about 10 years and I found the first split in one this week - - - by moving them I spread the manure and if I have an area with rose bushes I can put them right there and the cattle will cause enough damage the brush will not be back for several years.[/img]

 

[Denny]

Just don't use those white plastic barrels about 1 year in the sunlight they become very brittle..

 

[George]

I get the blue barrels from a 7up bottling plant nearby for $6.00 @ - - - they had syrup in them and could be reused by 7up but they said getting them cleaned and certified good for reuse cost more than using new.

I have never tried white barrels as all of the ones they have are blue for syrup or black for carbolic acid and both seem to hold up very well. I have made several 18" diameter culverts by cutting holes in both ends and bolting them together. If there is at least 1' of cover they will handle any legal load after the earthen cover settles.

They get in about 20 blue ones for every black so I normally just get blue.

 

[jedstivers]

I have white ones that have been out 10 years or more. No problems with them.
We get thousands coming into the county every year. They are free for the taking. That being said by the end of summer most have been used for something. We also get less now than we used to because more stuff comes in bulk now.

 

[strawking]

They are holding up pretty well. I will have to post so pictures when I get some time I have to many projects to get done be for we start calving.