# Sheep Barn!



## Baymule (Mar 11, 2018)

When we bought our first 4 Sheep, all I had was a fenced pasture of about an acre, and most of that was briars. They bedded down up by the road and I worried about coyotes. So I built a small lot, temporary. We all know what “temporary” means..... That lot still stands. 

They had no shelter. So I built a 2x4 frame and used OSB plywood. Two sheets for the roof and a back and one side. The other side was the portable building. I covered it in tar paper. Only temporary. There’s that “temporary” thing again. 

I planned out coming off the roof of the portable building with a lean to. 24’ long and 20’ wide. I got started on it. Then DH decided to help. He drove me nuts. We bickered and argued, I could either knock him in the head and tell God he died, or quit. I quit. 

The pitiful few 2x4 rafters we put up got weathered. Some curved and wrenched themselves loose and they fell down. On closer inspection, he missed the 2x4 with the screws, they were held up by the hanging bracket. I sure was glad I quit and didn’t try to finish out the whole thing with his “help” 

I suggested getting a neighbor that built our barn, to build the Sheep barn. DH agreed. Neighbor agreed. Then it rained every weekend for it seemed like forever. Finally we got a nice weekend. Neighbor and his little boy came over yesterday, DH and I helped Neighbor. DH never questioned Neighbor. We got the first half done. Rafters, decking and tar paper. See my pitiful shelter I built for them? It worked, but I will be happy to wreck it out and carry to the burn pile.







Today Neighbor came back with his 10 year old boy. We, mostly Neighbor, got the second half done. I’ll be ordering metal R panels roofing tomorrow!





















Once the roof is finished, I can plan out how to finish the outside walls. Next weekend, if it ain’t raining and the creek don’t rise, we’ll put up the metal roof. Unless it’s not ready until next week...


----------



## CntryBoy777 (Mar 11, 2018)

Really looks Good!! Bay, I have some of the "temporary" stuff here too....so, I'm a bit behind ya, but standing in the same water. I know it will be much nicer for you and them. I may end up doing something on a smaller scale over at the goat house.....that's why I'm interested in your thread....Love your ideas....


----------



## Baymule (Mar 11, 2018)

That little 8x8 temporary shelter has done it's job. But now my flock is growing and they don't all fit in it. When I sell the lambs, it will make more room, but it's time to build them a real barn. I am so excited to get this done!


----------



## Pastor Dave (Mar 12, 2018)

Nah, it just needs built onto and extended some more.


----------



## mystang89 (Mar 12, 2018)

That's awesome bay! I'm glad the DH could convince you to get the neighbor to help by "forgetting"to put that screw in that 2x4. We always try to think of our wives!


----------



## Jennifer Hinkle (Mar 12, 2018)

Looks good to me!!


----------



## Baymule (Mar 12, 2018)

Today I went to Tyler, ordered the metal for the roof and paid for it. I can pick it up Friday afternoon. Metal for the sides will come later, after I figure out what I'm going to do--and PAY OFF THE CREDIT CARD!  I also ordered metal for the roof of the future dog room for Paris.


----------



## Pastor Dave (Mar 13, 2018)

You bought NEW material?!


----------



## Baymule (Mar 13, 2018)

Pastor Dave said:


> You bought NEW material?!


Yep, I want it to match the tin roof on the portable building. I may be a scrounger, but I do want the finished product to look nice. On our big barn, we bought all new tin for it too. $$$$$$


----------



## Baymule (Mar 17, 2018)

Today we got the tin put on. Neighbor came back with his boy and a friend. DH and I helped with putting the tin on the roof and did a lot of clean up. The boy pitched in and worked hard. He helped us clean up and did things we didn't even ask him to do.  DH gave him $6 for working. When they were done and leaving, DH asked the boy if he still had the money and he said yes. DH told him he didn't work that much and wanted the money back. The boy's face fell, but he handed back the money. DH said he wasn't worth that much. The boy said Yes Sir.  Neighbor was grinning..... DH pulled a $20 bill out and told the boy he was worth THAT much and gave it to him. 

Tonight it is raining and the sheep have plenty of room to take shelter from the rain.


----------



## Pastor Dave (Mar 18, 2018)

Sounds like something I would pull.


----------



## Baymule (Mar 18, 2018)

I got a picture today. The sheep have plenty of room now!


----------



## frustratedearthmother (Mar 18, 2018)

Looks great!


----------



## Alaskan (Mar 19, 2018)

it looks great... but I had to keep telling myself  "she doesn't get snow, she doesn't get snow!"  

That roof isn't anywhere steep enough to shed snow... just so ya know.


----------



## Baymule (Mar 19, 2018)

Alaskan said:


> it looks great... but I had to keep telling myself  "she doesn't get snow, she doesn't get snow!"
> 
> That roof isn't anywhere steep enough to shed snow... just so ya know.


Yeah, I know. We can barely walk under it. The elevation just doesn't cooperate on that side of the portable building. On the other side is a pretty good drop and we will someday extend the roof on that side and park the tractor and trailer under it.

When it snows here, maybe once every 3 years, we get a few inches, it melts and is gone in 3-4 days. No biggie.


----------



## CntryBoy777 (Mar 19, 2018)

Looks really good Bay!!...I know they and you will enjoy it much better and make it much nicer and easier in the wet weather for sure....


----------



## Jennifer Hinkle (Mar 27, 2018)

Looks good, want to come build me one


----------



## secuono (Mar 27, 2018)

How hard is it to build that?

I want to put up an enclosed lean-to to the short end of my barn and make it the maternity ward.


----------



## Baymule (Mar 27, 2018)

secuono said:


> How hard is it to build that?
> 
> I want to put up an enclosed lean-to to the short end of my barn and make it the maternity ward.



Measure out how far you want to go from each corner, set poles, divide the distance between them, set pole in the middle. We went out 20 feet, so two sets, a 20 foot span is too long without support. 

We used joist hangers to make it easier to put up the rafters. We put them on 16" centers and decked with OSB. We covered that with tar paper. We went over the tar paper with radiant heat barrier, then put the tin roof on. 

Later on we'll put up outside walls.


----------



## secuono (Mar 27, 2018)

I'm wanting to use the clear corrugated roofing for light, no electricity in our barn. 

Digging post holes will be the worst part... =/


----------



## Baymule (Mar 27, 2018)

secuono said:


> I'm wanting to use the clear corrugated roofing for light, no electricity in our barn.
> 
> Digging post holes will be the worst part... =/


What size do you want to make it?


----------



## Latestarter (Mar 27, 2018)

Check the length availability of the clear or translucent (cuts down heat in summer) corrugated panels as I think the longest they come is 12 feet. So if you want a longer stretch, you'll need to overlap.


----------



## Baymule (Mar 28, 2018)

@secuono if you make it a 3 sided shelter, there will be enough light during the daytime to see. At night it wouldn't matter anyway. I would go with a plywood decking and metal roof. The clear roof panels deteriorate and get cloudy, at night they wouldn't make any difference. Go with the better roof. Do it once and be done with it. 

If you want lights, get some of those LED battery operated stick ups, you just press on them and the light comes on.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...&hvtargid=kwd-3574379465&ref=pd_sl_yw1cghsr_b


----------



## Wehner Homestead (Mar 28, 2018)

I like your sheep barn! I can’t wait to see it finished.


----------



## secuono (Mar 28, 2018)

It gets dark in my current barn very easily, even on a clear, sunny day in the 3 sided areas.  

I want at least a few clear panels. I have extension chords I use for when the shearer comes and also a 4ft shop light I plug in and use to stack hay into the night. But I otherwise keep it unplugged from the socket. Don't need my one and only shelter to burn to the ground.  
I want it fully enclosed, except for venting. I'm tired of the barn being so terribly breezy during lambing. 

The barn is about 20ft wide, I'd like to at least have it out 8ft, 5ft jug depth, 3ft asle. Current asle is 2.5ft, which works fine for me. Having it out 13ft would be great, though. Have used a max of 4 jugs at a time this year, but that will grow a little more over the years, so the 13ft would allow for 8 jugs in one go. 
I'd put Dutch doors on either end in the middle so it is easier to get the ewes in. Right now, if they are in the back pasture, I need to bribe them up and all the way around to get into the side that the jugs are kept. And have convertible jugs, so they could go from 5×5ft to 5×10ft and such. Shelves above the jugs to store square bales for easy feedings. 

 

Sorry for butting in on your thread.  Its a project I'll be doing alone, so I keep putting it off and then posts like yours get me curious on how you handle it and such.


----------



## Baymule (Mar 28, 2018)

secuono said:


> It gets dark in my current barn very easily, even on a clear, sunny day in the 3 sided areas.
> 
> I want at least a few clear panels. I have extension chords I use for when the shearer comes and also a 4ft shop light I plug in and use to stack hay into the night. But I otherwise keep it unplugged from the socket. Don't need my one and only shelter to burn to the ground.
> I want it fully enclosed, except for venting. I'm tired of the barn being so terribly breezy during lambing.
> ...


A few clear panels makes sense. Don't worry about butting in on my thread, isn't this what we post for? So we can discuss and help one another? if there is something in my thread that helps you, great! Hi-jack all you want to!


----------



## Wehner Homestead (Mar 28, 2018)

I will say that we got a quote on a new barn roof and they told us that they have come out with an upgraded clear skylight for barn roofs that doesn’t discolor as fast and is made to last longer without becoming brittle. Can’t remember what it’s called but might be worth looking in to...


----------

