Background
History:
Outside feeding system via turning wall is originally based on an agricultural architecture competition hold in Finland 1998, where I develeoped a some kind of rising wall to feed thew cows from outside. After competition I developed idea more and in year 2000 two first outside feeding barns were built. After seeing the system in use, many farmers started to be interested about it. First outside feeding barns were normally 3 row barns for 40-100 cows with feeding bunk only in the other side, typically warm buidings with mechanical ventilation.
During years system became more popular, and in 2002 first barn with outside feeding in both sides was built. Right now we have about 80-100 dairy barns with outside feeding in use in Finland, sizing from 40 to 300 cows. In summer 2008 first outide feeding barn will be buit to Denmark, 280 cows barn with 4 milking robots.
Points:
No feed refusal
In the beginning main point was just to save expensive building room, when building outside feeding system. People were afraid of, how to clean the bunk because there is kind of universal advise that there must be feed refusal, otherwise cows are hungry and are not using all their potential. This fear was noted not to become reality. Even in the first outside feeding barn farmer said that there really is not a need to clean the nice and smooth stainless steel bunk at all, just taking out all the stones and wooden parts now and then. This kind of note You get from every farmer who has this system. Of course it means that You must not put already spoiled feed into the bunk. Normally these farms feed once a day. Production results are surely at least in the same level compared to other farms with tmr-feeding.
No feed pushing
Naturally there is no need for feed pushing or cleaning work compared to flat feed table. Outside feeding farms feed only once a day and that´s it. Normal practice is so that they feed every 24 hour, goal is to try to have bunk empty about an hour. Ocassionally new feed is put over the old and this seems not to be a problem. The lack of pushing and cleaning work saves a lot of time and costs.
No dirty to feed
Because feed is in the bunk, there is no dirty contamination to feed in the barn. This is important and keeps the biosecurity in high level. Lay-out can be planned so that all the cow traffic is in the middle of barn and feeding is outside.
What might be the reason for no need for feed refusal in bunk feeding? I´m not sure but I think upon mentioned things together. Feed stays fresh when being in the outside wall and cows can´t sort it so well. In our present outside feed wall system we have the rubber belt mounted to turning wall over the feed after delivering. Under the rubber belt there is some feed which cow´s cant eat and during the day when they eat fresh, not tossed feed, it drops down under the belt and maybe this prevents some tmr-sorting , also bunk design itself prevents it because feed is generally in very small narrow area. Another thing for feed refusal might be in flat feed lanes, that when cows toss feed towards the feed table, feed gets barn air and when feed is pushed back, it also might get some dirty from feed table.
Cow-comfort issues
When feed is in the right dimensioned bunk, it´s always available for cows. Cows don´t need to reach the feed and push their necks against the feed rail. Hard reaching of feed is also not good for cow`s legs.
Robotic milking layout
In robotic milking systems, when having more than 1 robot unit, european tendence is to have robot room (with 2 or 4 robots) in the middle of barn and feeding tables in both sides. Now they do it with two 4-5 meters wide feed alleys, instead they could do it with outside feeding system and save 6-8 metres building width.
