Retrofitting Covered Housing Over an Existing Feedlot: What Needs to Be Considered?
Adding covered housing to an existing feedlot doesn’t mean starting from scratch.
Your existing pens, feed alleys and access routes all need to be considered when planning the new building. The aim is to find a solution that works for your feedlot while keeping costs and disruption to a minimum.
You don’t need to work all of this out yourself.
At TechSpan, we work with you to understand your feedlot, explore your options and plan a building that suits your operation.
Here’s what to consider and how we can help you get started.
1. Start With the Feedlot You Already Have
Every feedlot operates differently, so we don’t start with a standard building size.
We start by understanding your existing operation and what you’re trying to achieve.
If you have a site plan, survey, aerial image or existing drawings, we can use these to explore how covered housing could fit.
Together, we’ll look at:
- Existing pen sizes and cattle capacity
- Feed alleys and machinery access
- Ground levels and drainage
- Existing infrastructure and services
- Areas you’re considering covering
- Opportunities for future expansion
We’ll also want to know what’s working well and what you’d like to improve.
From there, we can start planning a building that works with your existing feedlot.
Not sure whether your existing pens can be covered?
You don’t need a finished plan. Talk to TechSpan and we’ll help you explore the options.
2. What Can TechSpan Help You Work Through?
Retrofitting covered housing involves more than choosing a building size.
Structural design, site conditions, drainage, approvals and construction all need to be considered. Decisions in one area can affect another.
Getting us involved early means we can help identify potential challenges before you’ve committed to a design.
During the early stages, we can work through:
- Building orientation and configuration
- Structural spans and column positions
- Roof height and ventilation requirements
- Machinery access and clearances
- Connections to existing infrastructure
- Roof-water collection requirements
- Construction access and staging
Building spans, column positions and layout can all affect costs. We can help you compare options before committing to a design.
Exploring different building options early can also help you avoid costly changes later.
We can work with your existing advisers or bring in specialists from our consultant network when needed.
We’ll help bring the right people and information together, so you have a clearer way forward.
3. Can You Build Covered Housing Over Existing Pens?
Yes. Covered housing can be retrofitted over existing feedlot pens, although the design needs to respond to the site.
At Airlie Feedlot in Queensland, a new roof was built over existing pens.
The design had to work with the existing layout, while allowing for airflow, natural light and rainwater drainage.
You can read more in the ALFA Airlie Feedlot case study.
4. How Will the Building Fit Around Existing Pens and Machinery?
Column positions are particularly important.
A column might work structurally but create problems if it blocks a gate, feed bunk, cattle route or machinery access.
We’ll need to understand:
- Where cattle enter and leave the pens
- How feed is delivered
- What equipment is used for pen cleaning
- Where machinery needs to turn or travel
- Which areas need to remain clear
We can use this information to plan column positions and clearances that work for your feedlot.
The same applies to pen cleaning and manure management. We need to plan the building around the equipment you use and how you clean your pens.
MLA’s covered housing guidance also identifies these as important design considerations.
The goal isn’t just to fit a roof over the pens. It’s to make sure the feedlot can continue operating effectively underneath it.
5. What Happens to Drainage When You Add a Roof?
Adding a large roof changes how rainwater moves through your feedlot.
Rain that previously fell directly onto the pens becomes roof runoff, which needs to be collected or directed elsewhere.
For example, a 10,000 m² roof receiving 25 mm of rain has approximately 250,000 litres of rain falling onto it, before losses.
That’s a significant amount of water to manage.
We’ll help plan how roof water will be collected and managed, working with your existing drainage system where practical.
We can also bring in specialists from our consultant network to help with drainage, civil works and environmental requirements.
Our Feedlot Drainage & Effluent Management guide explores these considerations in more detail.
6. How Will the Building Affect Ventilation and Cattle Conditions?
Adding a roof also changes the environment underneath it.
The building’s size, height, roof shape and openings all affect airflow and conditions for cattle.
We also need to consider how many cattle will be housed and how the feedlot will operate.
MLA’s Feedlot Covered Housing Guide provides more information.
We can work with your existing layout and bring in specialists to help plan ventilation and cattle requirements.
Our Covered Feedlot Design Parameters Guide explains these considerations in more detail.
7. Can Your Feedlot Keep Operating During Construction?
How can you keep your feedlot running while the new roof is being built?
Shutting down large sections of an operating feedlot may not be practical.
That’s why we want to understand your operational requirements before the building design is finalised.
Together, we can consider:
- Which areas need to remain operational
- Construction vehicle and crane access
- Material delivery and storage
- Cattle and staff movements
- Whether construction could be completed in stages
Airlie Feedlot stayed open while its new roof was built, showing what’s possible with careful planning.
We can work with you to explore construction stages and access requirements before building begins.
Concerned about construction disrupting your operation?
Talk to our team about how the project could be planned around your existing feedlot.
8. What About Approvals?
Your existing feedlot approval may not cover a new roof.
You may need further approval depending on your location, cattle numbers and what you’re planning to build.
It’s best to check this early, before finalising the design.
We can work with your advisers or bring in specialists from our consultant network to help with approvals and planning.
For more information, see our Feedlot Approvals and Feedlot Environmental Requirements guides.
9. Do You Need to Cover Everything at Once?
Not necessarily.
You might start by covering one group of pens and expand into other areas later.
If future stages are likely, it’s worth considering them during the initial design.
This could affect:
- Building orientation
- Structural configuration
- Future extension points
- Drainage and roof-water management
- Machinery and construction access
Planning for future stages doesn’t mean building or paying for everything now.
We can help you plan the building in stages, so you can expand when you’re ready.
10. What Do You Need to Get Started?
You don’t need a completed design before contacting TechSpan.
A few details are enough to start the conversation:
- Which pens or areas you’re considering covering
- Your current cattle capacity
- What you’d like to improve
- Any existing plans, drawings or aerial images
- Your expected timeframe
If you have drainage information, surveys or existing approvals, those can also be useful.
Don’t have all of that information? That’s okay.
Through our 3C Advantage, we can help you work through the project from the early concept stage.
Concept: We work with you to understand your operation, explore building options and identify what needs to be considered.
Configure: We develop the structural design and coordinate with the wider project team as required.
Construct: We manufacture and construct the agreed building solution, with construction planning tailored to the project.
You know how your feedlot needs to operate. We’ll help you work through how covered housing could fit.
Considering Covered Housing for Your Existing Feedlot?
Ready to explore what’s possible?
Send us your existing layout or tell us what you’re planning. We’ll help you work through the options and take the next step.