building my 1st hobby barn. Suggestions requested!

[forester7]

Hi all. I am planning to build a hobby barn/machine shed. Basically I want to have a pole barn shed for hay and machinery with a lenter on the back for animals, because I am told this would be the most money-efficient design (as apposed to a loft barn). The animal section on the back would have to be 14 feet wide due to the design and my location. I just don't know how long I would have to make it (and the machine shed with it) to keep the animals I want. I am trying to figure out how much space I will need for 6 head of cattle tied in stanchions, a 10x12 calving pen/pig pen, and an area for 12 chickens and 12 meat kings. Fitting in the cattle will be the biggest trick. I want a 4 foot walkway down one side which only leaves 10 feet more.... too short to run cattle head to rear and allow room on each end to muck out and feed. My question is... what dimensions does each cattle stall need to be to keep them in stanchions?

I was originally planning on going with a 40' x 30' pole barn with 40'x14' lenter on back for animals, but I think I would have to go longer (maybe 60') than 40' to house all those animals and hay and have room for a few machines as well?

Any thought out there?

 

[Bossroo]

Where are you located ? What is your weather like, wind direction, your topography, soil types, availability of power, etc. Keeping machinery and metals in the same building with livestock is problematic because the ammonia from urine and feces, then the moisture from their resperation is a recipe for excelerated corrosion and rusting on metal equipment, tools, etc.. Why do you want to keep cattle tied in stanchions as that would be labor intensive ?

 

[forester7]

The machinery part would be separated from the lenter holding animals by a boarded wall. maybe that would not prevent corrosion of the machinery? I never thought about the corrosion issue! I am located in New Brunswick, Canada where we can get cold winters, and very wet springs and falls. I am thinking of keeping them indoors in the winter because of the cold and mud (don't want my pastures chewed up). I was thinking stachions because I thought pens would be harder to muck out with shovels with cattle running around, and I didn't want to go so big as to allow for a tractor to go in to clean it out. Am I out to lunch on this?

 

[Baymule]

I went looking and found these.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mwps_dis/mwps_web/ut_plans.html#Anchor72057

http://myoutdoorplans.com/shed/free-pole-barn-plans/

http://www.heartlandpermacolumn.com/products/free-post-frame-building-plans/

What about a barn for the animals and a barn for the equipment?

 

[Baymule]

Why would you keep your cattle tied? Why not just dedicate a corral for winter with an open run shelter for them to access as they see fit? Give them a round bale and let them decide if they want shelter or the open. In the spring, move them to pasture and muck out the corral and spread on pasture or make a compost pile. Oh, you mentioned pigs. Let the pigs root it up for you and loosen the packed poop, straw or bedding for you.

 

[NH homesteader]

X2 pigerator! Put some corn in, let the pigs in and they'll make compost for you.

I don't know much about cattle but most animals enjoy going outside in all seasons so they might choose to be outside if given the chance. Just make sure there's drainage so their outside pen doesn't get muddy. I wouldn't tie them. That's just me.

How cold does it get up there? We get down to - 20 without wind chill on occasion and my goats are often outside as long as it isn't raining or too windy.

 

[Bruce]

I'm with @Baymule. Leaving the cattle tied to stanchions 24x7 is pure cruelty.

Whatever you build won't be big enough, there is ALWAYS something else to put in a barn!

For the chickens you will need something that is predator proof at night with a minimum of 1' of roost per bird. 4 or 5 nest boxes are plenty for 12 layers. During the day they should have a minimum of 10 sq ft/bird. With 24 birds, that is about 40% of the space you have listed for the animals in a 40'x14' building assuming the coop is part of that area and is accessible during the day.

 

[forester7]

Many beef farmers around here keep beef cattle indoors in stanchions, and it was the only way it used to be done here. There must be a reason? Certainly it would help keep a barn warm enough to keep water lines/bowls from freezing. I hava square baler too, which makes feeding outdoors a bit more tedious (and cold)!

As for separate barns for machines and animals... it would be much more expensive I would think?

How cold does it get here? I've seen it get to -35 or -40 celcius (-35F)

I am enjoying all the thoughts! Pleas keep them coming!

 

[Baymule]

WAY too cold for me! LOL! We think 20*F is COLD!

 

[Bruce]

That's pretty cold! Definitely want a 3 sided shelter open on the leeward side for the cattle if you don't lock them inside. I'm not a member of PETA nor do I generally subscribe to their philosophy but I really couldn't restrict an animal that way. Eat, stand, poop, sleep all in the same small area every day of their lives? They might CHOOSE to stay inside on really cold or windy days, my chickens do. Don't know about the 2 alpacas, I just got them 8 days ago. So far they haven't chosen to sleep in the barn. They had frost on their backs the other morning but we've only just started to go below freezing some nights.

I see no reason why your plan of a wooden wall separating the machine side of the barn from the animal side wouldn't work. And you could always add on the the ends of the barn as needed when you find you have run out of space as long as you leave room for that.

@Baymule +20F IS cold in SE Texas! We sometimes get that high in December, January and February but not often.