Feed Alley and Cleaning Alley
The balance of the floor is devoted to the feeding alleys and the cleaning alleys. The width of the feeding alley and the level
above the ground floor will be determined by the type of manger used.
The proper height of the feed alley floor, where the floor is brought to the level of the top of the manger, is shown by the illustration at the top of page 143. The bottom of the manger and cow bed are on a level. The feed alley is, therefore, equally high above both. The amount of room left is devoted to the cleaning alley, which should be brushed with a broom before the concrete has set in order to give it a rough finish.
The importance of making the barn wide enough will be seen at once because anything taken from the width comes out of the alleys and a narrow alley is an inconvenient place in which to work.
The Drains
Every part of the concrete floor, as well as mangers and gutters, should be provided with a means of drainage so that they can be flushed with water and thoroughly drained. Care should be taken, however, that the walks and alleys are nearlylevel so that there will be no danger of the cow slipping.
Posts or Columns
In planning the inside arrangement of the barn, one of the most important matters to consider is the arrangement of the posts or columns. These should be located in the curb between the stalls and in line with them where the cows face in, and they should be placed back of the stall partitions where the cows face out.
Steel columns are preferable to wood posts because they occupy less space, are stronger and are more durable also, because they offer less obstruction to the light and are not subject to decay. They are more sanitary.