# for those with a only a few cattle :)



## RockyPhoenix (Jan 23, 2011)

can you possibly post pictures of the shelters you keep your cattle in? I want to get a few cattle but im not sure how big to make my shelter..or how much $$ THANKS!


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## goodhors (Jan 23, 2011)

You need to provide more information.  Shelters in KY would be different than shelters in Wisconsin, New England, northern New York's deep snows or Wyoming!  Do you have woods or hills, maybe out in the Plains country where the wind never stops.  Will these be steers, heifers or cows calving?


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## jhm47 (Jan 23, 2011)

I live in South Dakota.  It has been below 0 here for the past few weeks, and our cattle are NEVER inside.  They have protection from the wind, and a pack of cornstalks to lie on, but they are much better off outside.  If we were to put them all inside, the air would be very humid from their breathing, and they would be very susceptible to pneumonia.  We give them extra hay and they provide their own heat from the fermentation in their rumens.


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## Royd Wood (Jan 23, 2011)

It depends on what your doing ??beef?? and which breed you go with and there's no guarantee they will use it


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## herfrds (Jan 23, 2011)

Only time any of our cattle are inside a building is putting in the cows that "look" like they might calve and only over night. It also has to be at 0 or colder with snow and ice everywhere.

Oh the memory of the year we calved in shirt sleeves outside day and night.


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## glenolam (Jan 24, 2011)

AGREED - there's no guarantee they'll use it! 

We spent about $1500 on a 24x48 shed.  DH helped a friend who's a carpenter so we basically just had to buy the material.

ETA:


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## animalfarm (Jan 24, 2011)

Hey.. they will use it!  My bull knocked the sides out and then started on the posts until he had them broken off. Can't put a value on a good sparring partner and why go around it when you can just go through it.


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## Royd Wood (Jan 25, 2011)

animalfarm said:
			
		

> Hey.. they will use it!  My bull knocked the sides out and then started on the posts until he had them broken off. Can't put a value on a good sparring partner and why go around it when you can just go through it.


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## ohiogoatgirl (Jan 25, 2011)

look! an abominable snow-cow!!! 
     

that's great!
my aunt has a 3 sided barn for her beef cows. i think they only go in if they really don't like the weather.


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## theawesomefowl (Jan 25, 2011)

what about a dairy cow? I guess I'd bring her in to milk?


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## glenolam (Jan 25, 2011)

theawesomefowl said:
			
		

> what about a dairy cow? I guess I'd bring her in to milk?


I'd think so...unless you wanted a milkshake right then and there!


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## animalfarm (Jan 25, 2011)

By dairy cow, if you have something like a jersey or holstein, then you will need shelter.  They have huge udders and need a place to put them when they lie down. Frost bite/comfort is more of  an issue for them. My 3 jersey cows have access to a bedded horse stall for the night and during the day they bed down around a round bale in the corral. Also, if they have calves, the calves need a place for nightly lockdown away from mom; I keep the morning milk and the calf gets mom all day and winter calves need shelter. A 3 sided well bedded shed will still suffice. Open side to the south. You can partition a back corner for the calf. Open sided sheds are better for cattle as the dominant cows always stand in the door with their heads out and block access for less dominant cows. Also remember that cows produce great piles of poop and you will need to clean your shelter every spring so make it easy to access for that purpose as well. 

I solved the problem of cold winter calves by crossing my jerseys with my belted galloway bull. My Nov and Feb babies this year came with wool coats and they only needed to be protected for 2 days and then out in the snow they went. I am looking forward to seeing how the milk production will be with this cross.


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