Dl6—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 21,1980
480-foot heifer bam makes maximum use of s
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
WASHINGTON BORO -
A 480-foot open-sided heifer
bam being built on the Star
Rock Farms of Abram and
John Barley makes
maximum use of both
Mother Nature and man
made mechanical ingenuity
to provide improved and
more individual animal
care.
The bam, which is m the
final stages of construction
north of their 376-foot-long
free-stall bam, will have a
capacity for about 300 head
of heifers from the time they
leave the calf hutches until
they are bred and checked
for pregnancy.
The construction began m
late March and should be
completed within the next
few weeks.
The barn’s layout scheme,
which the Barleys based on
existing plans but modified
considerably to meet their
own needs and accomplish
their own purposes, offers
the following features:
—Despite its immense
size, the bam is equipped
with swinging gates that can
divide it into 40 individual,
spacous pens.
—Opening to the south, the
barn’s location m relation to
the angle of the sun and its
steep-pitched roof make
maximum use of solar
drying of bedding and
manure, providing the
greatest amount of shade
during the summer and the
most sunlight during the
winter.
—The bam will permit
continued utilization of
existing feeding and manure
disposal systems.
Swinging gates, which were fabricated right on the farm, are demonstrated by
Abram, left, and John Barley.
—A variety of bedding will
be able to be used m the bam
and requirements will be
about the same as for free
stalls, with additons made
about once a week. Also,
mechanized distribution of
bedding will be possible.
—lt will be equipped with
automatic head-locks in the
feeding area which can be
utilized for treatment and
later breeding purposes. The
head-locks will also swing
out to permit loading and
unloading mto the individual
pens of the bam.
—Division of the bam mto
the individual pens will even
permit the housing of
animals of all sizes, such as
dry cows or bull calves
which the Barleys are now
raising.
The Barleys also have
made a recent addition to
their free-stall bam, which
includes a sick bay and box
stall. This new wing allows
segregation of special cows,
who may require extra at
tention due to problems, and
permits separation of those
cows being treated with
antibiotics from the
remainder of the milking
herd.
“The new heifer barn is a
modification of the VPI
(Virginia Polytechmcal
Institute) counter-sloping
plan,” explains John Barley.
“But our raised bedding
areas are flat and don’t slope
toward the scraping aisle.
“And we wanted
everything under roof, in
cluding the feeding area.
“The barn actually
combines the best ad
vantages of the VPI plan
(Turn to Page Dl9)
Overali view of Star Rock Farms shows 376 foot heifer barn should be completed within the next
long freestall barn to the left and new 480 foot long several weeks,
heifer barn to the right. Construction on the new
Frontal view of the new heifer barn on the Barley
Brothers' farm, Washington Boro, shows open-
Locking latch on the
swinging gates, which
separate the heifer barn
into separate 12 foot
pens, feature a safety
device which should be
calf-proof.
Roof-covered feeding area is pointed out by Abram Barley, Jr, Adjustable
head-locks will be installed later to replace the temporary plank enclosure.
Individual pen show spacious heifer accomodations which include a 12 foot
anH an annal «iwf *nare in the scraoinaaisle.,. y 4 <. * . vV ,. owtH
side facing juth whL ,s maximum use of
the sun to keep bedding dry and animals warm.
w