Flush Gutters for Dairies

Abstract

Many factors influence the design and layout of flush gutters for dairies. Flushed areas must be sized to perform the desired function of the area. Flushed freestall alleys are typically 7 to 10 feet wide to accommodate cow traffic and to allow vehicular traffic for scraping and servicing freestalls. Flushed alleys with freestalls on one side and a feed bunk on the other are typically 12 to 16 feet wide. Return alleys from milk parlors may be 3 to 6 feet wide. Flushed holding pens may be 20 feet wide for the conventional herringbone design, to as wide as 30 feet for the parallel parlor layout.