FARMERS interested in inspecting an innovative new Kojonup shearing shed that could become an industry standard design, could see it operating this Thursday, February 4.
Geoff Bilney, who runs Glenpadden Farms with wife Linda, said he and his shearing contractor Darren Byrne hoped to have three of the six stands operating for the open day, which will essentially run shearers' hours, 7am-5pm.
Shed builder Chad Lavender, of Chippy Chad & Co Constructions, will also be there to answer any questions.
Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) WA stakeholder engagement co-ordinator Ellie Bigwood will also be attending the open day.
Mr Bilney said about 30,000 sheep had been shorn in the shed since it was completed at the start of November.
"The shearers are happy with the whole thing and I see that they're having some different meals because of the facilities - they're having breakfast here," Mr Bilney said.
"I think we might have quite a few people come to have a look on Thursday."
As previously reported in Farm Weekly, the Bilney's shed incorporated many design aspects from an AWI shed design project aimed at reducing work-related injuries and improving animal welfare and is the first in WA based on that design.
It features a repeatable three-pen and board modular design with sufficient holding capacity for at least two shearing runs and multidirectional plastic grate flooring for laneway and holding pens.
Catching pens feature a sloping grated floor so sheep naturally stand facing away from double-swing gates, ready for the shearer to drag them back to the workstation.
The catching pens are angled around the horseshoe-shaped flat board so it is a straight drag for the shearer, reducing risk of back injury from having to twist or turn and the angle and saw-tooth arrangement of chutes maintains that straight line.
A flat top on the galvanised sheet-metal chutes provides a space for shearers' accessories and personal items, while the chutes have an initial short vertical step to prevent sheep resisting and the angle of descent decreases so sheep are on their feet coming off.
The shed incorporates a built-in kitchen and lunch room, male and female toilets, change rooms and showers on the upper level over the wool bale storage area.
One of the design changes specified by Mr Bilney was an underfloor height of 2.7 metres to allow a skid-steer loader to clean out an expected 61 centimetres build up of sheep manure a year.
Apart from its own commercial flock of 4500 Dohne ewes, Glenpadden Farms operates a sheep feedlot which sees 65,000-70,000 sheep and lambs shorn over 42 weeks a year.
The open day is this Thursday, February 4 at Broome Farm, 1519 Old Broomehill-Kojonup Road, Kojonup.
Details of the AWI shed design project are at wool.com/sheddesign
