Jeffrey climbs to the top of hit feed holding tank. The
agger arrangement takes feed gp and in automatically
M any cattle feeders would like to have plans for the
■'ideal" system for feeding cattle, hut experience has
shown that the feedlot must be built to fit each farm
“You need to spend two-thirds of your time planning
and one-third of your time building a feedlot," says
M. L.. Mumgaard, agricultural engineer at the Universiti
of Nebraska, who has helped design many feed lots
lake the feedlot on the Louis Jeffrey farm north of
Waverly, Nebraska. Jeffrey decided■ to feed cattle so he
called in Mumgaard and Allen Boettcher, Lancaster
County (Nebraska) Extension Agent
Jeffrey used some ingenuity in developing tin- sell
feeder. He started out by dumping a load of sand on the
concrete Boor. He molded it into a cone, something like
an inverted ice cream cone. Then, he poured concrete
on top and fashioned a manger around the outside at
the bottom. A discarded water tank served as a form for
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AGAINST
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That’s extra important because cattle coming
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the circular manger. After the cement hardened, an old
grain storage bin was placed on top with the inverted
cone in the center. Mixed feed is then augered from the
nearby grain storage unit to the top of the storage bin
As the cattle eat the feed, the mixed grain falls down
in the manger.
“We've had a little trouble with wet com sticking hi
side, but on such occasions we just go up and push it
down with a hoe,” said Jeffrey.
The large self-feeder holds enough grain so tliat Jeffrey
has to grind only twice a week for the 170 head now on
feed. The feed mixing and grinding operation is com
pletely automatic except for handling the hay.
“We discussed building a unit that would supply tin
exact amount of hay needed in the ration, but it seemed
too complicated,” Jeffrey said. “After mixing feed a few
times, we found that if a man put in as much hay as
possible, it would be about the right amount.”
supplement, corn and milo How into the grinder from
overhead bins equipped with sloping floors. Jeffrey was
feeding com and milo last winter, but is now feeding
just corn in the mixture with supplement and alfalfa has
After grinding, the feed mixture is angered right to the
self-feeder through an overhead pipe.
$600 Self-Feeder
“We don't have a fancy feeding set-up here, but it
works and it only cost us about $000,” Jeffrey said. “We
buy plain cattle and the last lot gained about three pounds
per day.”
Before considering the feedlot itself, you should have
a sketch of the farmstead. It should show actual dimen
sions, topography, drainage, permanent buildings and
fences, utilities such as electricity, water, sewage and gas
drives to fields and pastures, number of livestock
After deciding on the actual numlx*r of livestock you
want to feed, you need to determine shelter ami lot space
needs. In general, the following requirements are nec
essary for various types of feedlot conditions: (1) gmxl
drainage, unsurfaced — 200 to .300 square feet per ani
mal; (2) average drainage, unsurfaced — .300 to 400
square feet per animal; (.3) concreted — 50 to 70 square
feet per animal; (4) slope concreted — 2 to 4 feet per
100 feet away from farmstead to get adequate drainage
Alleys in the feedlot should be at least 12 feet wide,
while main alleys with heavy traffic should lie 16 feet
wide. Alleys should be all weather with concrete or heavy
gravel.
Next, decide on the amounts and kinds of feeds you
plan to use. Once the requirements are known, a deci
sion must he made on the form in which various kinds
of feed will he stored and the area needed In regard to
feed storage, you will need to consider type, size, loca
tion, processing and delivery
Feeder and bunk space will vary depending on the
feeding program. Here are the space requirements: self
feeding grain only — 3 to 4 inches of feeder per head
self-feeding silo or free access hay and silage — 4 to 6
inches of manger per head; not self-fed (hay, silage,
grain) — 20 to 24 inches per animal. An automatic heated
waterer can handle 80 head per foot of trough
Shade should also be provided. Cattle should be sup
plied with 20 to 40 square feet per animal. Build it 10 to
12 feet high. A north-south orientation of the long axis
permits sun-drying under shade, Mumgaard points out
There are three main ways of feeding: mechanical
bunk, self-unloading wagon and self-feeder. The system
you choose may depend somewhat on the types of feeds
you plan to use and equipment already available
Finally, you need to consider bedding, storage and
manure handling and livestock handling facilities. These
also are important in developing an efficient feedlot.