John and Keith Morrison farm at Fairburn just outside Macduff, Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland.
In 2013, the farm needed to increase its winter accommodation capacity. After some deliberation, the decision was made to go for a roundhouse.
The key factor that influenced the decision was the fact that it provided both housing and handling all in one bespoke system.
In the centre of the roundhouse is the handling unit. This means that there is immediate access from any pen of animals to the crush and headgate.
The roundhouse comes in one of three sizes – 22m, 30m or 45m diameter. The Morrisons opted for the medium size of 30m.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The circumference is 95m, which is another benefit of the design, as each pen has very good head space to allow animals to feed.
In total, the shed will comfortably hold between 80 and 100 cows, with calves aged up to four months or 140 500kg finishing animals.
The roof is a single PVC-coated polyester fabric sheet with a 9m2 hole in the centre to aid ventilation. The movement of air in the shed is impressive. No matter which direction the wind is coming from, there is a constant flow of clean air in the shed.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The design means that each of the seven pens has easy access to the central handling unit. The Morrisons rotate their stock around the yard from shed to shed depending on when they need to handle stock.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Heifers are pelvic scored and checked for breeding suitability prior to going to the bull. Once they are sorted, they will move to another shed and the spring herd cows will move to the roundhouse for calving.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Within the central handling unit, there is a forcing gate on a 360° pivot on the central shed beam. This helps to move stock towards and up to the race.
The forcing gate can be secured at multiple points around the holding area in the centre of any pen gate.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The forcing gate leads stock up into the cattle race. One downside of the design is that the race itself is quite short and can only hold three or four cattle, with one in the headgate.
This means quick jobs, such as applying a pour-on, are better done with more than one person to keep the race full at all times.
Operator safety has been carefully thought out, with no need for the farmer to be in the handling area with cattle.
Fairburn roundhouse.
It can all be worked from behind the forcing gate and the separate operating area on the left-hand side of the race.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Within each of the main pens there are also escape gates located beside each drinking trough.
Once animals come out of the race, there are three options - go either left or right into a pen or go straight ahead, which is a loading bay for a lorry or cattle trailer.
The water system is fed from one central tank with a ballcock. Each of the other drinking troughs are set at the correct level and gravity-fed from this central tank.
The pipework is buried underground to minimise the chances of frozen water or frost damage.
The total cost of the shed was £105,000 (€125,750) including water, internals and concrete. The only thing not included in the figure was electrical work.
When asked would he put up another roundhouse in the future, John said that if it was simply for housing cattle, then there is nothing to match it.
If you are looking to get a multipurpose shed that can store grain at harvest time, then that may rule the roundhouse out.
He also emphasised the importance of shelter around the shed. The yard at Fairburn stares into the North Sea and can be quite exposed. Digging the shed into the bank rather than on top of it has meant that issue has been sorted.
John and Keith Morrison farm at Fairburn just outside Macduff, Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland.
In 2013, the farm needed to increase its winter accommodation capacity. After some deliberation, the decision was made to go for a roundhouse.
The key factor that influenced the decision was the fact that it provided both housing and handling all in one bespoke system.
In the centre of the roundhouse is the handling unit. This means that there is immediate access from any pen of animals to the crush and headgate.
The roundhouse comes in one of three sizes – 22m, 30m or 45m diameter. The Morrisons opted for the medium size of 30m.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The circumference is 95m, which is another benefit of the design, as each pen has very good head space to allow animals to feed.
In total, the shed will comfortably hold between 80 and 100 cows, with calves aged up to four months or 140 500kg finishing animals.
The roof is a single PVC-coated polyester fabric sheet with a 9m2 hole in the centre to aid ventilation. The movement of air in the shed is impressive. No matter which direction the wind is coming from, there is a constant flow of clean air in the shed.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The design means that each of the seven pens has easy access to the central handling unit. The Morrisons rotate their stock around the yard from shed to shed depending on when they need to handle stock.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Heifers are pelvic scored and checked for breeding suitability prior to going to the bull. Once they are sorted, they will move to another shed and the spring herd cows will move to the roundhouse for calving.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Within the central handling unit, there is a forcing gate on a 360° pivot on the central shed beam. This helps to move stock towards and up to the race.
The forcing gate can be secured at multiple points around the holding area in the centre of any pen gate.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
The forcing gate leads stock up into the cattle race. One downside of the design is that the race itself is quite short and can only hold three or four cattle, with one in the headgate.
This means quick jobs, such as applying a pour-on, are better done with more than one person to keep the race full at all times.
Operator safety has been carefully thought out, with no need for the farmer to be in the handling area with cattle.
Fairburn roundhouse.
It can all be worked from behind the forcing gate and the separate operating area on the left-hand side of the race.
Morrisons Roundhouse Fairburn Aberdeenshire.
Within each of the main pens there are also escape gates located beside each drinking trough.
Once animals come out of the race, there are three options - go either left or right into a pen or go straight ahead, which is a loading bay for a lorry or cattle trailer.
The water system is fed from one central tank with a ballcock. Each of the other drinking troughs are set at the correct level and gravity-fed from this central tank.
The pipework is buried underground to minimise the chances of frozen water or frost damage.
The total cost of the shed was £105,000 (€125,750) including water, internals and concrete. The only thing not included in the figure was electrical work.
When asked would he put up another roundhouse in the future, John said that if it was simply for housing cattle, then there is nothing to match it.
If you are looking to get a multipurpose shed that can store grain at harvest time, then that may rule the roundhouse out.
He also emphasised the importance of shelter around the shed. The yard at Fairburn stares into the North Sea and can be quite exposed. Digging the shed into the bank rather than on top of it has meant that issue has been sorted.
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