# Building a Horse barn??



## landis1659 (Jan 18, 2010)

I only have a one Saanen goat and some chickens right now, in a 10x10 barn.  But I can't keep the goat from eating the chicken feed and I heard it can be bad for her.  So were looking into building a barn for the goats (she's gonna have kids soon).  But thinking ahead a couple years we want to get a horse or 2.  So we want to build a barn that would house the goats and horses.  Possiably 3 12x12 stalls.  What should we use for the floors, walls, etc.  How tall should we go? Thinking about ceiling fans??  And storage overhead for hay?  *Can we even keep goats & horses together??  How strong do the stalls need to be?  Is it better for inclosed, we live in Central AL but it does get really cold hear sometimes.  Most important we only have 2 acres fenced in right now with some trails outside of that for riding.   What do you think of our situation.  Is it possiable to have a couple horses and maybe 4-5 Dairy goats living together (Don't forget the 15 or so free range chickens.  Am I going over board??


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## fadetopurple (Jan 18, 2010)

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## ducks4you (Jan 19, 2010)

Get online and check out Universities websites that have AG Departments.  Many have online plans for barns.  I can offer a few pieces of advice:
1) _separate room for grain _that can be shut with an animal-proof closure
2) _allow access to your grain room for cats_--either design it for their access, or create a cat-door
3) _store grain in METAL containers_--galvanized steel trash cans (BUT NEW) with lids keep out mice
4) _plan on big stalls_, 10 x 10--no smaller than 8 x 10 (I have one of those)--so that you can consider a large horse in the future, or house a large horse NOW
5) _Hay lofts above the stalls get a bad wrap _BUT, if your hay has been cured right, it NEVER gets wet in a loft--WATCH out for weight capacity if you do this--think:  build for 2x the weight you intend to hold (This is the rule used in the building/road construction industry.)
6)  JUST like on BYC, have as many windows as possible for _air circulation_
7)  _Separate Tack Room with a door_--tack can be REALLY expensive--don't let your horse's break it!  You can start with a room and some tack stands, if necessary.  You can also store turnout sheets/coolers, polo wraps/shipping boots,  trailer ties, extra halters/leads, etc. in your tack room.
8)  _Build with as much WOOD as possible_--LOTS cooler in the summer, LOTS warmer in the winter  EVERYWHERE (not just in the North)
*9)  **Most important*:  Visit barns in your area and ask what they like and dislike


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## lupinfarm (Jan 19, 2010)

www.dencosheds.ca

I think from what you've told us, this sort of thing would be best for you! They're great for small acreages and there are plenty of companies that make them in the US for much cheaper than Denco does here. Actually, they're pretty simple to make. It's basically a run-in shelter with 4 sides instead of 3 and some doors and windows  

http://www.dencosheds.ca/dencosheds/proofsheet/IMG_0289.jpg

Many of the ones in the US will build in an 8x10 tack room/feed room too! Very cool IMO. And since they're skid barns and technically not fixed you may not need a permit depending on where you live.


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## lupinfarm (Jan 19, 2010)

Often you see them with an A roof and on one side there is a hatch/window for the horse and on the other the dutch doors. With most American companies you can request an overhang too and use it as an area to tack up.


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## ducks4you (Jan 20, 2010)

Try NOT to store your "leather" tack in the same place as your grain.  If you GET mice, *they'll chew on the leather saddles, too!!* 
**ducks4you hugs her sweet kitty, _"Favorite"_ who owns the barn and eats all of the nasty mice there!!!**


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## lupinfarm (Jan 20, 2010)

Yes! I don't like to store my tack in the barn anyway. With us, our little tack area down at the barn is mearly to store brushes, halters, and some training bridles and saddle pads. My saddle will always be kept at the house unless by some freakish happening I end up with a lovely barn LOL but its unlikely hahaha.


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## freemotion (Jan 20, 2010)

You said ceiling fans....hmmm...if you do, make your ceilings REALLY high.  Think rearing horse.  10 feet is good for a ceiling, I'd go much higher for a ceiling fan.  I'd prefer ventilation fans over ceiling fans.

Cold?  Horses laugh at the cold!  Here in MA, much colder than AL, my older mare lived in a run-in for several years.  It was actually a double stall with a removable partition that I kept stored in the rafters.  I only closed the door twice....once when we had a blizzard that came in from the south and right into her door, and once when she got an infection in her foot and was on stall rest for a few days.

Go with the biggest stalls you can afford to build.  You will never regret big stalls, but you will likely regret small stalls one day.


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## lupinfarm (Jan 20, 2010)

I agree. Generally I like 11x12 stalls, 12x12s aren't always plausible despite only being a 1ft difference. My run in shed in Mylie's paddock is 10x10 and while I'd love for it to have been bigger, it wasn't in the budget at the time. However, I am lucky in that it is a) floating and can be moved if need be and b) there is enough space on one side to add another 10x10 section and make it work.


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## currycomb (Jan 21, 2010)

i had a 36x100x8 stall barn attached to a 50x50x12 barn that was used as a round pen. still didn't have enough room for all the tack(30 yrs accumulation)so...tack went in a portable bldg. with loft, 12x14, and the feed room was another portable bldg 10x20x7. the horses never got accidental access to feed, mice were kept under control with poision inside tack room(cats could only access barn and feed room) when i got married and moved to hubbie's place 27 acres, no barns, the portable bldgs went too and are doing their respective jobs. finally have a garage and barn, hubby built a leanto on the barn for critters. it is working. what i don't like about tack in the barn is the dust. when you clean stalls, rake hallways, you make dust, and it gets in everywhere. by keeping tack in seperate building, saves on the cleaning. you also have a nice wooden floor to sweep. my barn only had dirt and limestone floors. didn't want concrete, slick if horse was to run down it. used rubber mats in aisle for grooming and farrier. would have loved a wash bay, but that just never happened.stalls were 10x12, i like that size for cleaning. the horses seemed to trash the larger stalls, guess they walked around more in the bigger stalls.i boarded horses, there was alot of stall cleaning!!!


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## landis1659 (Jan 21, 2010)

There is just so much to think about.  We only have 3 acers 2 that are fenced and one that we use for trails through the woods.  My granddaughter wants a pony and I thought about getting her a small horse instead and one for me to ride with her. But there might be enough to graise but I don't know about really being able to ride.  The trails will only be for walking.  We already have a Dairy goat and would like to have a couple more to keep her company.  I just don't if this would be possiable here.  We have a buck too but he is off by himself in another small pen 50x100.  We thought that would be big enough for him, it was full of brush about 3 ft tall when we put him there last spring, it only took him about 2 weeks to clear it out. Now we have to buy hay for him all the time.  I'm hoping some of it will start to grow back this spring but I'm sure it won't be enough.  The chicken coop my husband built last year is big enough for the goat and the 12 or so chickens we have but we can't keep her out of the chicken feed.  No one told me when I got her not to put her in with chickens.  Thank god I found this site before she got sick.  Anyway I guess I'll just have to think more about this before we go any further.  I defenitly need another barn away from the chickens but just now sure about the horses.  I've driven around the area and saw horses beside the road living with just about everything.  I want to be fair the the animals and make sure they each have all the room they need.  We keep the feed inside right now in our utility room and my husband says he can make shelves in his shop for the tack but now I'm rethinking that because of saw dust. We were thinking of building a 3 stall barn. Since the horses don't need to be inclosed we would only close in one stall for the goats and that is probably only around kidding time.  She like to come and go from the chicken coop so most of the time we leave it open.  I haven't had any problems with prediters yet, I'm thinking my dogs keep them at bay.  I have 2 huskies but it's was a problem with keeping them away from the chickens in the beginning had to build and 8ft fence o keep the chickens from flying right into the dogs path.  What an experience this has all been.  But I haven't given up yet.  My husband just thinks I'm crasy to love all these animals.


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