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Post by SWMan on Jul 25, 2020 22:52:18 GMT -6
I can't believe I'm asking this, but here goes....
If a guy was to build a barn for a few cows/chickens/etc what size and layout would you choose? Seems there is livestock guys on here and probably lots of good advice in this regard. Nothing big, started out as a chicken coop and greenhouse, but likely overkill it in case we want to experiment with a few head of cattle. Any way to wrap these all into one structure?
Is a small pole shed with say a 10' ceiling and alley down the middle the way to go? What sort of things are necessary in a barn or useful to have? Probably want to fit a skidsteer down the middle and provisions for water.
I'm open to being talked out of the cattle too, chickens and tomato plants seem pretty low risk.
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Post by Beerwiser on Jul 25, 2020 23:24:14 GMT -6
How many head of cows and chickens? I am not a fan of permanent structures for either unless you spend big bucks. Keep in mind someone has to clean it is what I am getting at. My ticket to use a pitch fork expired years ago and the kids failed the quiz. My father spent big dollars on cattle shelters (post frame) that are pretty much useless now. 8'fronts that were fine at the time when equipment was smaller. Everything was cleaned out by an equivalent of a D5 loader cat. Now manure guys are running wheel loaders and can not get into them. Best thing I did since taking over was skid shelters for the cows. Same for calves. Drag the sucker out of the way and clean the area. Not to mention a 8' entrance and 12 foot or so peak does not keep the animals heat.
I want to do the same for the chickens. Looking for a oilfield skid frame to mount an old wooden grain bin on.
Edit, I have some cows for you......
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Post by SWMan on Jul 25, 2020 23:37:00 GMT -6
I see where this is going...lol Maybe 100-200 birds, half dozen cattle. Gotta keep kids busy doing something. Maybe I should have started a thread about keeping kids busy.  |
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Post by Beerwiser on Jul 25, 2020 23:50:31 GMT -6
Well I do have a chicken coop that needs cleaning š”š¤£.... Honestly unless you put down concrete you will end up with a nightmare. 40 years of cleaning the loafing barns makes for a good dugout. Chickens were on wooden floors that got forked out on the hottest day of the year as I recall.
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Post by meskie on Jul 26, 2020 0:12:01 GMT -6
Well I do have a chicken coop that needs cleaning š”š¤£.... Honestly unless you put down concrete you will end up with a nightmare. 40 years of cleaning the loafing barns makes for a good dugout. Chickens were on wooden floors that got forked out on the hottest day of the year as I recall. You probably went to bed early the night before also...... |
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Post by bob123 on Jul 26, 2020 6:35:19 GMT -6
Look up a "chicken tractor". No cleaning and they're in fresh grass each day. Build them to a size the kids can move. I like mine way better then a smelly coop. Youd either need to get rid of them or or put them in something for winter though. Lots of people just put them in an old wooden grainery
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Post by kevlar on Jul 26, 2020 9:29:21 GMT -6
Meat chickens or laying hens? I can't help much with cattle, but I got a few laying hens about 3 years ago, think I started out with 30? thinking it would be something good for the kids. Problem was I got 2 roosters to go with them, and were they ever wild. Not sure if you have ever been attacked by a rooster, but it scares the hell out of you! lol Needless to say the kids didn't have much to do with them once they lost their fluff and got feathers, so now they are pretty much my job, kids were a bit too young realistically at first to do much, 6+3, but thought having them around some animals would be good. Ours are close to the house, I enjoy being able to watch them and hear them, especially the rooster, they are interesting to watch. I just keep them in an old barn chop bin, but have a permanent fenced area for them to go outside in, and have a fence I move around to different sides of the barn so they have fresh grass and room to run. I don't know about meat hens, but laying hens sure lay better when they are happy with fresh grass and not confined to a coup. You don't need to worry about keeping them warm in the winter, as long as they have good shelter. I have a heat lamp I have put out there on some really cold weather thinking they would be huddled under it but they don't even go near it, even the few times it was -40. Once you start eating fresh eggs it makes it hard to go back to eating store bought.
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Post by Beerwiser on Jul 26, 2020 11:12:28 GMT -6
Haha kevlar, I still have scars from a rooster and not too long ago either. Through welding gloves too. He was a real asshole all the way till the day the wife cut his head off.
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Post by SWMan on Jul 26, 2020 13:47:15 GMT -6
Meat chickens or laying hens? I can't help much with cattle, but I got a few laying hens about 3 years ago, think I started out with 30? thinking it would be something good for the kids. Problem was I got 2 roosters to go with them, and were they ever wild. Not sure if you have ever been attacked by a rooster, but it scares the hell out of you! lol Needless to say the kids didn't have much to do with them once they lost their fluff and got feathers, so now they are pretty much my job, kids were a bit too young realistically at first to do much, 6+3, but thought having them around some animals would be good. Ours are close to the house, I enjoy being able to watch them and hear them, especially the rooster, they are interesting to watch. I just keep them in an old barn chop bin, but have a permanent fenced area for them to go outside in, and have a fence I move around to different sides of the barn so they have fresh grass and room to run. I don't know about meat hens, but laying hens sure lay better when they are happy with fresh grass and not confined to a coup. You don't need to worry about keeping them warm in the winter, as long as they have good shelter. I have a heat lamp I have put out there on some really cold weather thinking they would be huddled under it but they don't even go near it, even the few times it was -40. Once you start eating fresh eggs it makes it hard to go back to eating store bought. Would be both. We are getting from friends now, go through a fair bit of eggs and chicken here. Yikes on the rooster!!! He didn't have a double chin did he...lol |
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Post by SWMan on Mar 29, 2022 20:27:42 GMT -6
I'm gonna drag this thread back up to ask what you guys do with water in a barn? Assuming you would have several pens and need water at each one, what is the best strategy?
I can barely remember the old barn here, but I think we had a frost proof hydrant and likely pailed water from there.
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Post by meskie on Mar 29, 2022 20:40:35 GMT -6
Donāt have water in our barn. Cows go out to get a drink. Our cows never stay in for more then 12 hours at a time for the most part. If needed we just let them out as we have a watering bowl right by the barn.
We do have a small office in our barn that has our pressure system hot water heater and cattle supplies in it that we can pail water to the cows if really needed.
One of my friends has a big barn but doesnāt have water in any pens either. Just has a water bowl in the free stall area for cows to drink.
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Post by Beerwiser on Mar 29, 2022 22:28:16 GMT -6
Don't have water in either of the hip roof barns or the loafing barns. The smaller hip roof barn is the only one that sees cows and that is only during calving/sick pen. Still stand by my first post with permeant structures for animals, don't unless for a sick ward. I got the insulated panels for the chickens late last fall, but never had a chance to put it together and I can just see a corner poking out of the snow bank right now. My old coop is 10x16 I think and has 45 or so birds in it with a section for feed/misc stuff. I have a 55 gal tank gravity fed to a water bowl. Tank heater, heat tape, and a silicone heat mat keeps everything thawed, I will get some picture tomorrow if I remember.
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Post by serffarmer on Mar 30, 2022 20:17:26 GMT -6
We just have a hydrant outside the calving barn. Nothing inside. Back in the day at the old barn we had to carry water pails a long ways as it wasnāt close to the well. āBuilds characterā is what my dad used to say when we complained as kids.
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