Martin Joyce of Leinster Livestock has just completed a state-of-the-art facility on his farm just outside Granard,Co Longford. The project was constructed on a greenfield site and incorporates slatted pens, dry pens and an impressive handling facility at its centre. Adjoining this is a three bay machinery shed also.

Martin is a livestock dealer acting as the middleman for farmers who may not have the time to source cattle themselves. The new facility was constructed to improve both the safety and speed of handling of recently purchased cattle. It is impossible to know the temperament of cattle purchased at a mart, so it is vital that where large numbers of these cattle are being kept that the facilities are up to scratch. Many yards have poor facilities that will place both farmer and beast at increased risk.

“In the midlands, there are a lot of farmers with part-time jobs who don’t have the time to attend marts to purchase cattle,” Martin said. “With this new facility it will allow farmers to come in the evenings at a time that suits them.”

Capacity

The shed has a capacity to hold 250 cattle, according to Martin. It measures approximately 95ft long by approximately 90ft wide, not including the machinery shed. On one side, the shed is made up of six slatted 15ft 9in wide pens.

On the opposite side of the shed are six larger doubled-up straw-bedded pens which will generally be used to hold younger stock. The facility is designed with plenty of room around the perimeter as this will allow trucks to circle around the yard easily when collecting or dropping off cattle. It prevents trucks having to make tight turns which could lead to damage to the shed or the truck.

The shed is open along both sides, ensuring ample airflow. A ridge cap is also fitted along the top of the roof to allow stale air to move out of the shed. The prevailing wind hits the shed from the side with the loading ramp. There are two further sliding doors that can be opened during the summer if conditions become too hot.

Cattle coming from marts can be stressed so it is vital that the conditions in the shed will reduce the disease pressure on the animals and adequate ventilation is just one factor.

The machinery shed measures approximately 45ft by 40ft. It adjoins the main shed and is fitted with three electrical roller doors. This will be used to store machinery and other farm supplies. The farm is supplied by a private well with high-pressure water points located around the shed to allow regular cleaning which is necessary from a biosecurity point of view with a large number of stock moving through the unit.

There were no shortcuts taken, with biosecurity a high priority for such a facility due to the nature of the business. Small details such as having a secured boot dip and bollards at corners of the shed to prevent drivers taking the corners too tight do add a sense of professionalism to the facility.

Pens

Cattle can be locked into the back of the large straw pens to allow for cleaning out or closer inspection of cattle. All pens in the shed have been designed to allow cattle to be fed front and back, which will allow pens to be stocked higher if necessary, according to Martin. It will also allow fodder to be fed at the front and concentrates to be fed at the back of the pens.

The slatted pens are fitted with large 16ft 6in slats which were supplied by Longford Precast. The decision was taken to install a 9ft-deep tank as the larger storage capacity would be required to cope with cattle moving through the shed all year round.

Large capacity tip-over drinkers are fitted between the slatted pens with smaller drinkers fitted to the straw pens. All pens in the shed are numbered to allow for better traceability and management of stock as cattle will generally be bought and sold in batches.

Handling unit

The centrepiece of the shed is an impressive handling unit. Cattle have a natural tendency to return in the direction they come from so with that in mind the handling unit was designed in a U shape that encourages cattle to run up the race towards the crush. The unit is comprised of two large collecting pens before cattle come to the semicircular forcing pen which is lined with stockboard.

The forcing pen is fitted with notches along the top which locks the forcing gate as it is pushed around, preventing it from being pushed back on the handler. From the forcing pen, cattle will move along an s-shaped race.

Guillotine gates are positioned at the front and back of the race. These are much safer to operate than traditional swinging gates.

There is a release gate in the race in case an animal goes down.

The s shape is designed to keep cattle moving towards the crush box at the front of the unit as they cannot see what is in front of them. Cattle can exit from the crush box into two more holding pens. This allows cattle to be drafted one of two ways when exiting the crush.

The shed is designed to be a one-person operation, with gates positioned to allow cattle to move from the pens to the handling area safety.

This was important for Martin as all cattle will be dosed upon arrival at the facility as it can be impossible to know the health status of cattle purchased through the mart.

Loading ramp

The shed is also fitted with a loading ramp to improve the ease with which cattle can be loaded and unloaded.

The gate at the back of the ramp is lined with stock board to prevent draughts entering the shed.

An escape slot is positioned towards the back of the ramp.

However, Martin plans to install another safety gate at the top of the ramp where the door of the truck is lowered down.

The overall project will see a large dung stead and a large straw shed constructed beside the shed featured here.

There is also a substantial amount of ancillary concrete yet to be poured around the yard. Once completed, the project is expected to cost approximately €400,000, according to Martin.

The shed was completed by Conaty Steel from Navan. Feed barriers and slat mats were supplied and fitted by Condon Engineering with Tom Conaty from Trim completing all concrete works for the project.