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Neglected barnyard rehab

S

Super Steve

Member
So our barn yard has been let go for so many years that when it gets wet we cant even get back there to put a round bale in the feeder. Its years and years (75+) of dumping manure piles out there and the cows walking around in it all winter. Some places it can be over a foot deep.

What would be the cheapest way to fix it up?

Cement isnt an option right now, thinking short term and cheap.
 
I'd scoop off as much of the organic matter as possible and spread it in the fields, then put down a layer of crushed recyled concrete or crushed limestone/stone dust mix and pack it down with something heavy.
 
Level it up the best you can after getting all of the manure up. Then put a ground fabric down then 5-6 inches of clean gravel. The fabric keeps the gravel from being pushed down into the mud but lets the water go down. I had mud holes right at the edge of my concrete lots where the cattle came into them from the pasture. Dumped gravel in there for years. It just seemed to disappear. I used the fabric ten years ago now. I have not had to replace any of the gravel. Just grade it flat a few times each year.
 
Trouble with gravel is that it will get mixed with the new manure when cows walk around on it in the winter, and you'll end up spreading gravel on your fields.

We use "hog fuel"- coarse wood waste from local sawmills, when they peel the bark (and some of the wood)- about a foot thick, cows won't punch through it. Take the manure off the top as best you can after the first winter, then take it all out and spread it after the second winter, because it will be pretty much broken down by the first winter's juice.
 
this is the kind of thing i was thinking of, just wanted other opinions incase i was missing something. Probably have to rent a dozer for a weekend to get all the "organic matter" scrapped off but thats not a problem. Besides, who doesnt like renting a dozer and pushing big piles around and feeling the power lol

thanx guys
 
Had the same problem years ago...we took the top 6" off mostly maunre anyway and just put sand in...after a year the sand and dirt mixed and it dries out nice now
 
We have always used coarse lime dust. There will be loss when hauling the manure, but the dust will pack tight, and the fields usually can use the extra lime. Stu.
 
If the gravel has stones pea size or there about, they will become embeded in cows hooves, and lame cows will be your new problem. We have a cement yard, and when trimming hooves I always find one or two cows with a small stone stuck in their hoof.
 
Cows on gravel = really, really bad idea. 75 years without cleaning out the barn yard ? and only a foot deep ? The manure needs to get moved and spread on the fields and bedding like straw or something needs to be put on the ground.
 
No dozer. You need a large payloader. Scrape the top 8 inches off, and dump into spreaders. You don't want to pile it up unless you have no land to fertilize. But you should be able to get landowner to accept it.
You're going to also need two friends with tractors and spreaders to get the job done.
 
do what we did, didnt need all of the barn yard fenced into 2 parcels, planted a garden in half of it, man you talk about producing veggies. after a couple of years switched sides. it may be the quick fix but if you dont need all the yard, it sure works.
johndeeregene
 
I wish the fabric was my idea but it was not. Kentucky State University did the research into how to control erosion where cattle traveled. They came up with using the fabric and 3-4 inches of gravel in cattle runs. They found that this would control the erosion and made them hold up better than just gravel alone that was thicker. Now the thinner gravel was only on paths that the cattle used. If you are going to have vehicle traffic then you will need thicker gravel.

A good friend that is a registered Limousine breeder at Paris Kentucky had done this on all of his cow paths to and from the pastures. It really made a big difference. I saw them when I was visiting his farm while on vacation.
 
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