Roans Calf Shed

The team at Robinsons Agricultural know that designing a new young stock building for your farm can be daunting.

With this in mind, our in-house departments all work together to make sure all our buildings meet the needs & expectations of our customers.

The Roans at Boreland of Colvend, on the West Coast of Scotland, were looking for a new calf rearing shed that would both suit their location and husbandry needs on their Dairy Farm. Their coastal location meant that there were specific design needs that had to be considered, such as steel size and finish, to meet CE marking requirements. Our experts worked with the family from the initial planning and design stages, through to the ground and concrete works, until the erection of their new calf rearing shed was complete and all finishing touches were added. Additionally, we called in our long-time partners, FarmFit, to create an expertly designed internal layout that included many completely bespoke made-to-measure products to meet the Roans’ needs which worked in harmony with our shed design!

Every aspect of the project was considered, and the shed was created with:

• A galvanised finish – selected for easier maintenance and longevity;
• Extra ventilation, which was added by increasing the standard roof pitch towards an open protected ridge. This was adapted to suit the building and an added space on the last purlin before connection to the space boarding sides allowed for a through-flow of the air;
• Sheeted gates, which staggered down one side to access the individual bays with Galebreaker Rollerscreens above to protect the livestock from the coastal breeze and cold weather. The enclosed sections were finished with CWP Concrete Wall Panels and Yorkshire Boarding;
• Individual areas for the milk mixing stations, designed to be situated between pens with steel platforms above for the water to mix with powdered milk;
• A 2” x “2” weld mesh sheet, which was added to the pen gates to help keep smaller calves secure. The posts between the gates are in sockets so that they can be lifted out and a cap inserted for access during cleaning out;
• A bespoke double-sided hay rack, which was designed and built to fit onto our concrete panels from CWP. The hay racks could be sat on to the panels or bolted onto the walls for a more secure and permanent fixture;
• Holes put into the hinges so that R clips could be added to prevent feed barriers from lifting.

Each pen was separated with concrete wall panels rather than the traditional gates for easy cleaning and to help prevent any cross-contamination, and a drain ran the length of the shed in front of the pens for liquid to drain from the bedded pens. Concrete floors generally have a run on them somewhere between flat and 1%, however, in this case, the slope on the concrete towards the drain was increased to 3.5%. A raised wooden kerb was put in place under the gates to allow water to escape without rotting the wood.

The pens were designed to house calves as they progressed from the automatic milk feeders to the older calves moving onto cake and straw. The Roan family wanted to utilise as much space as possible for feeding, so the team used their expertise to create a feeder trough that would hold a larger volume. We created an 800mm deep steel frame and added stock boarding to seal the trough with an adjustable feed rail.

The Roan family were very happy with the final results, and the whole team here at Robinsons love seeing their updates of the residents enjoying their new home!

To begin your journey with Robinsons Agricultural, use our Quote Builder today!

Learn more about our ability to create Calf Housing & Dairy Sheds