150-Ft. Long Feed Bunk Built From Old Metal Barn Roofing

150-Ft. Long Feed Bunk Built From Old Metal Barn Roofing LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 23-4-28 Dick Thompson, Boone, Iowa, used old metal barn roofing and 2 by 4's to build a 4-ft. wide, 150-ft. long feed bunk for his feedlot. "Cows can eat from only one side of it and they can't climb up into the bunk," says Thompson. The bunk extends out from a feed room next to a pair of silos. It's 4 ft. high on one side and 6 ft. high on the other side. The 6-ft. high side slopes down at an angle and is open at the bottom where cows feed. The opening is partially covered by a series of hog fence panels which extend about 1 ft. above the floor of the bunk. Cows reach under the panels to eat the feed. A series of metal sheets placed against the "short" side of the bunk extend down at a 45 degree angle to keep feed flowing toward the opening. "The high tin sides of the bunk block the wind so feed doesn't blow out," says Thompson. "We got the tin from a cattle shed that we had torn down. The hog panels help hold the feed so it doesn't come down too fast. "I use a loader bucket to dump feed over the 4-ft. high side of the bunk. First I dump in ground ear corn. After the cows have eaten that I dump in a mixture of ground corn stalks and ground hay. The bucket is 8 ft. wide and the bunk's support posts are spaced 10 ft. apart so I always know exactly where to make each dump." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dick Thompson, 2035 190th St., Boone, Iowa 50036 (ph 515 432-1560).

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