building my 1st hobby barn. Suggestions requested!

[NH homesteader]

Yeah it's cold! Frozen pipes and all!

I don't know about "warm" barns and keeping water from freezing. Our water just freezes and we smash the ice out. I do know that you don't want to close up the barn too tight or they'll end up with respiratory issues. I also have been in my in-laws horse barn in winter and boy do those horses keep it warm with their body heat!

You can feed and water inside but give them access to inside and outside, then lock them out if you need to clean up. I just would never tie up an animal. Sorry, the people who do may have reasons but I don't think they're good ones.

 

[Southern by choice]

There use to be someone on here a few years back... he lives in Canada not far from Niagra Falls. He raised all pastured meat. Cattle, sheep, chicken, turkeys, ducks. Oh yeah and pigs too.
His are out year round, they have access to shelter as they want it but don't use it much.

I have never heard of raising cattle tied.
It may be how it's been done but doesn't mean it should be.
A few others I know from Canada had family that raised or still raises cattle... never heard them say they were raised in stanchions or stalls... they all ranged.
This is very interesting.

I don't have heavy equipment so no advice o it but we are in a cattle county. All the cattle farmers here have their equipment in a different barn. Never saw a barn with livestock and equipment in it.

 

[NH homesteader]

The cattle farms around here have 3 sided buildings and they can come and go as they please.

My husband just said it's a major fire hazard to have equipment in the same barn as the animals, particularly if you also store your hay there. And like @Bossroo said it will cause your equipment to rust out faster. I don't think it should make a huge financial difference to have 2 smaller buildings rather than one large one.

 

[forester7]

I am amazed at how many people find the use of stanchions odd! Here in New Brunswick, Canada everyone kept cattle that way years ago. Today most farmers still do (beef AND dairy). Tying in stanchions November-April isn't ideal, but I am not sure I am convinced yet that having cattle turn my pasture into a mud pit spring and fall, and out in temperatures down as low as -35F in the wintertime is a better option. Anyone out there at all that prefers the stanchion option?

 

[Bossroo]

The only times that I have seen cattle tied to feed troughs were in county fairs where show cattle are housed that way with deep straw to lay down in and an attendant there at all times ( they have cots and chairs, grooming and cleaning equipment to stay with/ near the cattle ) to cater to their every need around the clock.

 

[NH homesteader]

I've seem dairy cows tied but only at big operations.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH Aside from the discussion on stanchions... as for the size of space required it would depend a lot, I think, on what breed of cow you'll be housing. I've never personally heard of folks tying their cows to a post for months at a time... Not pro or con, just new to me (as are many things regarding animal husbandry since I'm a beginner). Can you talk to some of the folks up there who are doing what you want to do? May be they could provide some guidance/ideas? I mean, if they're already doing it... no sense re-inventing the wheel...

Most of the ranches/farms that I've ever been around/by/past that had cows, they were outside year round. This includes New England, Florida, Colorado, and eastern VA. Even in the coldest weather, the cows would just lay down out in the fields and chew cud. If it was blowing hard or wet or both, they'd seek shelter under trees, or behind a wind break, but I've rarely seen them seek or go inside the/a barn... Unless of course they were dairy and needed milking...

There were/are typically multiple pastures and the animals were/are rotated around through them. If you're concerned about them tearing up an area during the mud season, can you just limit the size of that pasture to a minimum and then once mud season is past, move them out of it to clean it up/re-seed/re-grow? Or as others have said, turn that area into your new piggery and let them till the area up for you? Since you're only talking a 1/2 dozen cows, I would think an acre dry lot for them would be more than adequate for a couple of months. It would be a dry lot scenario and of course you'll need to feed them while they're there, adding to your expense, but you'd need to feed them in a stanchion situation as well. Just build them a wind wall/lean to or run-in shelter, so they can get out of blowing weather and they should be fine.

As for the equipment housing and hay, can you purchase those quick install, carport type buildings to cover it? What will you be keeping inside the barn you'll be building, that you want to keep the hay and machinery outside it? I have to admit I'm going through the same deliberations here on barn design as I just bought my new place here and need to build a structure for many of the same reasons as you... hay, machines, animals, etc.

Hope you'll keep with us here and share some pics as you progress! I'm sure many would love to follow along with your decisions and progress! Glad you joined and look forward to reading/seeing more going forward!

 

[forester7]

Hi Latestarter: I am asking about keeping the machinery outside the barn as some here have suggested the ammonia and moisture will accelerate rusting.

 

[Bruce]

I think I would be more concerned with @NH homesteader 's comment about fires in the the machine shed. Never thought of that. Then there is the issue of hay fires, almost sounds like a person could use THREE buildings far enough apart that if one burned the others would be safe. Talk about inconvenience!

My hay for the alpacas is in the drive bay in the big part of the barn as is the garden tractor. The 12 chickens and 2 alpacas (except they don't go in the barn often at all) are in the lower shed portion. There is a short door between the drive bay and the "feed room" below which is directly next to the horse stall converted to a chicken coop. So I am clearly not very secure should something catch on fire. that never happens!