Design objectives to take into consideration include providing adequate shade per animal, a sound and durable structure designed to suit the geography, minimising obstructions, maximising airflow and drying ability.
Tom Hanrahan of Ovens Junction Pastoral Company, is using shade/shelter at a feedlot near Rutherglen, Victoria, to improve feedlot performance in heat wave conditions.
“In summer we have extended periods above 40 degrees Celsius and 22 inches of rainfall – which is fairly high – and that’s where the sheds have come in really handy,” Tom said.
ALFA’s shade initiative builds on industry’s commitment to animal welfare and continual improvement. For Ovens Junction, “the biggest advantages of shade definitely comes from cattle temperament and their welfare, their feed conversion efficiencies are better – I’d have to say probably close to 10% improvement”
Shade enables cattle to display natural shade seeking behaviour and aids animal comfort.
“We landed on hay sheds because we saw that our cattle on a hot day out in a paddock could be found inside an abandoned old hay shed we had – every single one of them.
“We thought that was significant because even though they had a choice of trees, dams, natural shade, they all picked the shed – that was all the evidence we needed, we were convinced this model was going to work.”
So that’s what they did. They went about “erecting simple, off the plan hay sheds, with no customization, that allowed us to keep the costs down,” Tom said.
Getting the design right is key to gaining maximum benefit from shade structures. Design objectives to take into consideration include providing adequate shade per animal, a sound and durable structure designed to suit the geography, minimising obstructions, maximising airflow and drying ability.
For Ovens Junction this was found through sheds. “We went with Telford’s because we were able to get a really quick quote, and they put the sheds up really quickly.
“I think we waited maybe four weeks for them to be manufactured and then they put them up in three days per shed.
“We’re shading about 15% of each pen, which gives these cattle about 2.2 square meters under the shed if they want to use it, and you’ll find they live under there most of the time.
“Other benefits we are seeing are water collection and a reduction in pen surface that gets wet during a rain event, that obviously reduces smell, flies, a lot of other impacts that come from weather that’s damp and cold for a period of time.
“The twelve sheds would harvest close to two and a half megalitres a year. The return on investment of a shed like this, in the pen for shade, we believe is under 12 months,” Tom said.
With increased animal welfare, superior product and countless other benefits, ALFA encourages all Australian feedlots to make a pledge to provide cattle under their care with access to shade. There are many resources available, you can start your shade journey here at the ALFA Shade Hub, where you will find information and tools to assist with determining the most appropriate shade structure for your operation.
-ALFA