Finally, the feed barn is revealed! Our take on fence line feeding hay.

The fence line feeding project! Mechanical concrete. It's finally complete! Not really... nothing is ever without need of tweaking around a farm! I will say this is pretty darn close though. It's quite amazing how it all came out. Yes, time, effort and a little ingenuity are needed for this project but so far, our opinion is that it's well worth it! It's also cost effective in several ways with the most important being HERD HEALTH!
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[@johnhunt8807]

You might want to use used guard rails inside instead of wood,just a thought,one and done

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Nice idea!!! I'll share with Pa for sure! Thanks so much for watching and sharing your ideas! We really appreciate you!!

[@bloodhounder]

Ken, have you seen The Hoof GP? THAT guy is amazing! Good luck, and don't ever stop being curious and trying to find new ways to do it better!

[@frankroy9423]

When I had my cows, I would feed in the cultivated fields in rows with a bale shredder. Closer to calving time, in the closer pastures with a shed wind break. This was for 200 plus cows.6 bales a day, plus bedding pile straw.

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Wow! 200+ cows is a lot of work! What kind did you raise? Hey, thanks for watching!!

[@Sean-fb7cy]

Enjoyed your video from waterford Ireland 🇮🇪

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Wow! Thank you so much!! That just amazes me!

[@michaelwood5327]

In the 50 & 60's, in that area ag lime was put on dirt it packed almost as hard as concrete + if you get some lime it goes out to the feild.

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

great info! Thanks for sharing! We may have to try that for sure! We put lime on our fields every few years.

[@kennethheern4896]

So you cut the sidewall out of the tires. You use a sawzall to cut the sidewalls

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Some do use a Sawzall and do themselves. We purchased them already trimmed from a tire recycler in Kentucky. They are relatively cheap and of course also good for the environment.

[@kandylandfarms9898]

If you look at the cost of the limestone and times it by 1.5 to 2 (You will need to replace the stone in the next 3 or 4 years) you will more and pay for the concrete. It is truly pay today or pay it tomorrow deal)

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

We don't disagree using just gravel, but the tire cylinders should help prevent gravel loss. The mechanical concrete concept is in fact designed to eliminate that and is less expensive than concrete. It's very promising so far as we just did our first cleanout with good results! Check out our latest video posted today. We will see what the future holds with this new concept and keep you posted!

[@dustinadams9136]

Thanks for sharing, really like the tire idea. Turned out very nice! With the tires did you cut the tops off or was that done when you got them?

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Hey! Thanks for the comment! We bought them with sidewalls removed. So far its working fabulously! We've cleaned it out 4 or 5 times and its really holding up!

[@melanieharrison7465]

Hey folks ,great video.are you on Helton creek in ashe county nc?

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Thank you! We are in Middle Tennessee. About 60 miles east of Nashville.

[@Cake41579]

I’m looking to do this exact thing onmy im going to use reground asphalt

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Are you going to use the tire cylinders as well??

[@creativecrizzma111]

What is the benefit of puting the hay net down in and between the tires?

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

Hey Cody! Recycle and Reuse mainly. Also, to have a bit of underlayment for the tires. Dr. Higgins from UK recommended using an underlayment of geotextile and we used net wrap instead! We had it available and lots of it. Thanks for watching!!

[@creativecrizzma111]

@@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm what is the benefit of the geotextile then?

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

@@creativecrizzma111 Stabilization mainly. Keep the gravel from sinking into the mud underneath!

[@creativecrizzma111]

@@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm ok that makes sense. I didn't know if it was for better drainage...🤷

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

@@creativecrizzma111 it probably does! Good point. We will be doing a Spring update soon on how the process did over the winter... we have plans to extend it too!

[@kennyfortune5509]

What are the dimensions of your barn and then the dimensions of the hay rack. Looks like what we need. Thanks

[@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm]

The feed barn is 40 X 60. We are utilizing 36 ft. of the length. The feed rack is 24 X 9. That gives us about 14 ft. on each side of the rack and 12 feet of the end of the rack under cover for cattle traffic. The tractor access end of the barn we use for storage. We also helped develop a similar system in an outdoor scenario. It does not have to be under cover but that is a bonus. Hope that answers your question! Thank you!

[@kennyfortune5509]

@@LifeonHeltonCreekFarm thank you