Slatted or dry bedded housing for sheep: What questions do I need to ask myself before deciding?

They may not be the most common sight on sheep farms, but they are becoming more popular…and that is slatted units.

The cost of building any type of housing facility is substantial but on sheep farms – and now over the last few years on beef farms – it is becoming that bit harder to do as profit margins are tight and have been getting tighter.

This year has been an exception for sheep farmers, as prices remained strong pretty much throughout the entirety of 2020.

With 2021 forecasted to be an even better year for sheep prices, some farmers may think about going that extra mile and go about building a new housing unit if the plan is to improve on or build new facilities.

If the plan is to build a new housing unit for your flock then you have to ask yourself a number of questions before committing to a plan.

The first question is: What sort of a budget do you have? There is a point saying you are going to build a slatted unit and then realise it is way out of your budget. Get some financial advice and talk to a local advisor or building planner to get an idea of the costs involved and see if it is achievable to build what you want.

Then, you need to look at the size of your flock and ask yourself: Am I going to increase numbers or stay the same? If you are running a small flock of ewes, then a slatted unit might not be feasible and a dry unit might be the best option as it can be built that bit cheaper.

If you are planning on increasing ewe numbers or are currently running a large flock of ewes then in the long run a slatted unit might make more sense and pay itself back quicker. In the long run, bedding costs would be reduced, with only a small amount of straw needed around lambing time.

Also, with a slatted unit, it is likely it will be idle for at least nine to 10 months of the year if you are only using it for lambing ewes. Therefore, at least with a dry bedded unit, it could be used for various different things or jobs throughout the year.

So, if you were to maybe think about fattening store lambs or lambing early and mid-season then you might be able to say to yourself that I can justify building a slatted unit. Otherwise, you could be looking at paying it back for a long time by simply just housing ewes in it for six-to-eight weeks.

Speaking to farmers who have built slatted units for their flocks, they said they have been very happy with them and that they have noticed they are seeing fewer cases of lame ewes. However, they did say it is a big investment and that a lot of thought and consideration needs to be taken in order to justify building one.

Both slatted and dry units have pros and cons and one shed might suit one farm better than another one. It all depends on the system you have in place and what your plans are for the future of the farm.

Also, from talking to farmers who have installed slatted units, all of them said that plastic slats were the best option in comparison to timber slats.

The best thing to do if you are thinking about building a shed, whether it be slatted or dry, is to go and see new ones that have been built, whether it be a neighbour or a friend, to get a few ideas and help you to make the right decision for you and your farm.