Concrete Slatted Floor Systems
from
Worms Lumber & Ready Mix
Manure Value |
Handling Manure |
Tank Construction |
Advantages |
Illustrations
Manure Is Worth Money
Livestock and poultry manures have long been regarded as valuable byproducts.
With today's rising prices of commercial fertilizers and the high cost of
labor and equipment, the question is often asked whether or not it is profitable
for farmers to collect and use manures for fertilizing. Data accumulated
by the Midwest Plan Service at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, indicate
that manures are valuable as a source of nitrogen, phosporus, and potassium.
Table 1 shows the average values of manures produced by different
farm animals.
The liquid portion contains nearly one-half of the nitrogen and three-fifths
of the potash found in animal excrements. For this reason, it is important that
storage facilities for maure prevent leaching and runoff losses. There always
are some losses in storing and handling manure. Handling liquid maure with a
pit or tank, followed by injection beneath the soil surface, reduces the losses
to approximately 25% of the nitrogen and 5% to 15% of the phosphorus and
potassium. By contrast, losses from open lots are about 50% of the phosphorus,
40% of the potassium, and 80% of the nitrogen due to runoff and leaching.
Losses are even greater in a lagoon system where 80% of the nitrogen and
phosphorus can be lost.
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Table 1. Average Amounts and Combined Value of Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
and Potassuim in Manure from Different Animals
|
| Animal |
Size
(lb) |
N
(lb/year) |
P
(lb/year) |
K
(lb/year) |
Value
($/year)* |
| Dairy cattle |
1,400 |
210 |
51 |
138 |
56.72 |
| Beef cattle |
1,000 |
124 |
40 |
88 |
35.58 |
| Swine |
150 |
25 |
8.2 |
16 |
5.81 |
|
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*Calculated on the assumption that the present retail costs
per pound are as follows: Urea Nitrogen (N), 18-; Phosphorus (P), 16-;
and Potassium (K), 7.8-.
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Manure Can Be Easily Handled
Handling manure as a liquid greatly reduces labor requirements. A typical
system consists of an underground storage tank, a pumping system, and a
mobile tank for distributing the manure in the fields. Some systems
incorporate an agitator or mixing device that stirs or churns the manure into a
thick slurry. This makes it possible for all of the manure--solid
and liquid portions--to be removed from the tank.
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Precast cattle slats being installed over a manure pit at Funk's Midway
Dairy, Melrose, MN.
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Manure Tank Construction
The storage tank is constructed in a location convenient to the livestock
facilities or under the slatted floor of the building. Manure intake location
(top or sidewall of the tank) varies with the type of installation. Access to the
tank area for manure removal must also be considered. It is recommended that
approval of the dairy inspector or sanitarian be secured prior to construction
of a manure storage tank for dairy facilities. Environmental Protection Agency
and similar state-agency regulations also should be considered before construction
of any manure-handling system.
Manure tank dimensions depend on the size, type, and quantity of the animals;
frequency of cleaning; amount of water used; and the desired frequency of manure
removal to the field. Size of tanks that include agitators depends also on the
capability of the agitator to completely mix the material in the tank. Six to nine
month storage space is recommended. Table 2 gives the average
daily manure production of various animals. The period of storage then determines
the total capacity required.
Manure storage tanks are constructed of reinforced concrete.
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Table 2. Daily Manure Production*
|
| Animal |
Size
(lb) |
Percentage
of water |
Total Manure Production |
| lb/day |
ft3/day |
gal/day |
| Dairy cattle |
1,400 |
87.3 |
115 |
1.85 |
13.9 |
| Beef cattle |
1,000 |
88.4 |
60 |
1.00 |
7.5 |
| Swine |
150 |
90.8 |
9.8 |
0.16 |
1.13 |
|
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*Volume of water added to manure must be included to
determine storage tank size.
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Gates mounted on the slatted concrete floor to form pens.
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Precast Slatted Floors:
- Permit higher concentration of livestock
- Keep animals dry and clean
- Seperate animals from their waste quickly
- Improve sanitation
- Help control disease
- Eliminate bedding
- Reduce labor required for cleaning
- Permit manure to be stored and used for fertilizer
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Illustration of a Hog System
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Fig. 1. Precast slats used under the entire floor. Slats are supported
by concrete beams and posts. The bottom of the pit under the slats is
poured concrete to hold liquid manure.
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Fig. 2. Precast slats used for a portion of the floor. Hogs are easily
trained to dung in the slatted portion of the floor.
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Illustration of a Dairy System
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Illustration of a Beef System
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Fig. 3. Slatted floor system used in conjunction with a free stall
system for dairy cattle.
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Fig. 4. Slatted floor system over the entire pit used for beef
confinement. Concrete feed bunks are used down the center of the barn
with an automatic feeder.
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