# Housing and Space Guidelines for Livestock



## SheepGirl (Nov 26, 2011)

Courtesy University of New Hampshire Extension 

*Housing*
Most farm animals need some shelter in the winter time, but their natural coats allow them to endure much colder temperatures than people can tolerate. When animal housing is designed for human comfort, it can actually be too warm and unhealthy for animals. Buildings with plugged air cracks and windows covered with double plastic are often poorly ventilated. This situation can result in a buildup of moisture and animal odors, creating an unhealthy environment.

A simple, three-sided shelter with an open front will meet the needs of many farm animals and is often the building of choice to raise healthy livestock. When designing a three-sided animal shlter, make sure the open side faces the south away from prevailing wind. Locate the structure on an elevated, well drained site and make it accessible for feeding and materials handling.

There are several factors to consider when planning adequate livestock shelter in cold weather:
* _Air Quality_ - An animal shelter should either be open, with provisions for natural ventilation, or enclosed, using fans and proper air inlets around the ceiling perimeter to provide ventilation. Tight buildings result in a buildup of respiration gases and animal odors, which can irritate the animals' lungs and cause pneumonia.
* _Drafts_ - Animals can stand cold temperautres, but you should protect them from drafts. Constructing panels in front of an open building can reduce drafts. When animals are allowed to run loose in a pen, instead of being hitched, they will search for the most comfortable spots.
* _Dry Bedding Area_ - Animals will be comfortable in the cold if they have clean, dry bedding. A thick, dry bed provides insulation from the cold ground and decreases the amount of energy the animal has to expend to keep warm. Shelter from the snow and rain allows an animal's coat to remain dry, to provide maximum insulating value.
* _Fresh Water_ - All animals need water to survive. Under cold conditions, provide fresh water often or use freeze-proof watering devices.
* _Adequate Food_ - Animals can endure severe cold temperatures if they eat enough food to maintain their energy reserves. Animals need food for growth and maintenance. They require additional amounts of good quality feed during cold wather to allow for the extra energy expended in keeping warm. Hay racks or feed bunks will properly dispense forages to reduce waste.

*Space*
Refer to the following guidelines for estimates on the space needs of various animals for exercise yards and pasture. You will not need a pasture as long as you provide adequate purchased feed, have an exercise yard and develop a sound plan for manure management.

If you do provide pasture, the number of animals it will support per acre depends on soil fertility and environmental considerations. Rotational grazing--the practice of sectioning off one section of a pasture with electric fencing and confining animals in that section, then repositioning the fence and moving animals to another section--prevents pastures from being overgrazed and will support more animals than one large unimproved pasture of equal size.

The following guidelines lists the minimum space requirements, housing types and fencing needs of various farm species, along with the number of animals that will meet the food, fiber, recreation and other needs of an average family farmstead. Use it only as a rough guide.

_(Note to municipal planners: The minimum space and housing guidelines apply to both commercial farms and backyard operations. However, you should not apply the numbers of animals suggested in the "Family Needs" category to commercial farms when drafting ordinances regulating agriculture in your community.)_


----------



## Kitdragon2000 (May 28, 2012)

I just registered, but i wanted to say thank you! I am new to all of this, trying to research as much as possible Before i get into anything... but i havent been able to find anything that give me a nice straight out thing that said these animals need this much amount of space. and your information is Great to! so Thank you! Thank you Thank you!!!


----------



## secuono (May 28, 2012)

I don't like how the chart uses "chicken wire" for anything. That stuff needs to be renamed and used only for concrete sidewalk building! 
It is worthless to most predators and far too many people screw up believing this junk named after chickens is the best to use. 

Note to people reading the chart, those are *minimum* spacing needs. Add one too many animals like that for just a second too long and you have yourself a nasty mud pit. Minimum is never in the interest of the animal, only your own selfish greed.


----------



## Goatherd (May 28, 2012)

> Note to people reading the chart, those are minimum spacing needs. Add one too many animals like that for just a second too long and you have yourself a nasty mud pit. Minimum is never in the interest of the animal, only your own selfish greed.


Absolutely!  Too much space is always better.  You animals will do bbest if they look "lonely" in a field...in other words...lots of space.


----------



## kfacres (May 28, 2012)

A short story, for those who prefer 'too much space'.

My neighbor is also an advocate of too much space.  He runs about 20-30 mature goats on around 150 acres of good prime IL Grass, along with 5 mini donkeys.  he's always running 'out of space'.  I think those goats are either the poorest converters, or need to be ran in conditions like out west- -10 acres per pair...  He believes that a bushog is the best tool a grazier can have.  

Of course this won't apply to 99.9% of the people on here== but it's still an interesting comparison.

I on the other hand like to run my livestock on acceptable stocking rates.  I was not gifted my land- and thus it needs to pay for it'self.


----------



## Cricket (May 28, 2012)

I like to read that 3 sided sheds are on the 'approved' list, as that's what we've always had.  We divided ours into two spaces and put a sliding track door on one side.  I like to have a 'lock up' space for if you want to catch and hold someone.  I also give my cows their daily cup of grain in there so they're used to being caught.

We don't use rotational grazing, but have different pastures we can open and close off.  We open more pasture as we finish haying and then in the winter it's down to the home pasture.  Seems with a lot of space to choose from, they self rotate and we don't have parasite problems.


----------



## redtailgal (May 28, 2012)

Cricket said:
			
		

> I like to read that 3 sided sheds are on the 'approved' list, as that's what we've always had.  We divided ours into two spaces and put a sliding track door on one side.  I like to have a 'lock up' space for if you want to catch and hold someone.  I also give my cows their daily cup of grain in there so they're used to being caught.
> 
> We don't use rotational grazing, but have different pastures we can open and close off.  We open more pasture as we finish haying and then in the winter it's down to the home pasture.  Seems with a lot of space to choose from, they self rotate and we don't have parasite problems.


That pretty much how we've got our cattle set up, except we do move them into a smaller pasture during calving, so that they are easier to find and check on.  I like to run livestock on too much space too, extra space makes healthier critters imo.


----------

