We are building a new finishing house with a straw bedding, please could you suggest what fall we need to lay the floor at so that it drains away from the bedding? The pen will be 7m long. We will also put in a new loading ramp, are there any rules we need to follow?
In order to maintain dry beds floors typically slope away from the lying area with a fall of 1:40. Thus for a pen 7.0m long there will be a difference of 0.18m (75/16") between the two ends.
Regarding loading ramps the assurance scheme standards are as follow:
A ramp angle of no more than 20° is permitted.
It is permitted to make a step at the top of the ramp of up to 20 cm to reduce the ramp angle though this is not recommended.
Further information about building requirements is
published in The Farm Buildings Handbook, RIDBA 2009 (www.ridba.org.uk)