The yard entry should be at the end remote from the milking area. Preferably in the end fence, but also acceptable in the side fences against the end. Entry gates in the side fences complicate the design of the backing gate/s. For herds of more than 200 cows, two backing gates are required. It is good practice to keep the number of cows in front of a backing gate to less than 200. The cows respond to the movement of the backing gate more readily and uniformly under such conditions. The rectangular yard can be angled away from a herringbone at up to 20°. Similarly with a rotary, angle away from the rotary exit side to allow more room for automatic teat sprayers, drafting systems and holding pens.
If flood washing is used, scrapers must be fitted below one backing gate to break up heavy manure patches so that they will be carried away more effectively by the flood. In this case the slope of the yard has to be along the long axis.
An alternative automatic washing system , with the slope of the yard perpendicular to the long axis, requires a long hose that can be dragged back and forth beside the yard by the backing gate. The jets under the gate carry the effluent across the yard into a drain down the lower side of the yard.
For design details and dimensions for a rectangular yard , contact us.
