Free Stalls For Dairy Cows

Free stalls for dairy cows LIVESTOCK Buildings 10-6-35 "They're great for new systems or for updating older barns," says Winston Kilburn, dairy farm manager and designer-manufacturer of independent, solid-frame construction free stalls that require no concrete curbs, pipes, wall brackets or inside walls. "All that's required is an empty barn shell. Curbing and everything else you need is built right into the free-standing free stalls for dairy and other livestock," explains Kilburn. Stalls for mature cows come in 5-stall sections. You simply set sections end to end and attach them with a single bolt to hold alignment. If there's no floor in the barn, they can be placed right on bare ground, leaving you only the center alleyway to concrete. Since they're portable and not attached to a wall or floor, they're not taxed as real estate. Tenant farmers who put them in can take them with if they move to another farm, notes Kilburn. A standard 5-stall section is 7 ft. wide and 20 ft. long, providing a 4 by 7 stall for each cow. There's an 8 in. steel curb front and back (other curb sizes optional) to contain bedding. The lower 2 by 10-in. planks on both sides of each stall, and the lower plank up front, are pressure-treated to resist manure acids and moisture. The upper planks are untreated. Vertical steel supports in front (45 in. long) are made of 3 by 3 by 3/8 in. thick angle iron. Stall divider framework is made of solid 1? round steel. Welded-on steel brackets for attaching planking are 4 in. wide to help ensure that planks can't be pushed loose, explains Kilburn. He adds that, "The slanted rear design of the stalls helps prevent injury to cows when they back out. A cow backing out instinctively starts to turn when her feet are in the alleyway. Slanting the supports gives her ample room to come and go without coming in contact with partitions." Available in a wide variety of sizes to fit various size dairy animals. Can also be adapted for use with horses and other livestock. Kilburn sells the stalls broken down for do-it-yourself assembly for right at $700 (fob) for a 5-stall section, including planking. The cost for custom-installed stalls is right at $900 (fob) per section. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Winston Kilburn, 150 Burt Rd., Gansevoort, N.Y. 12831 (ph 518 792-0143).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.