Cattle barn ideas

[cwine18]

I need to build a cattle barn for 50 cows. I need to know how big how deep.
These barns should be closed not open sided. This is just something for cows to go in at night. If angus cows are grain feed how much pasture should do they need.

 

[mysunwolf]

Where are you located? That's usually what determines how much pasture your cattle will need. A lot of times, your local extension agent would be the one to contact about that.

Around here, we've got pretty lush hills with native grasses; if I buy weaned steers and raise them to 12-16 months (we're assuming feeding a LOT of grain), I could probably put about 2 head per acre, maybe more if I didn't mind a mud pit at the end of the season. Weaned steers are 0.6 to 0.75 of an animal unit (depending on weight and genetics). Where I am, the general guide for lush spring pasture is 1 animal unit per 1 acre. In a dry or cold season, that goes to 1 animal unit per 1.5 or 2 acres. Your extension agent should know what that number is in your area, or just ask an old timer who raises/raised cattle where you are. This is assuming you want them to get a decent amount of nutrition from forage and not tear up the pasture.

And on the barn question, I can't quite remember nighttime square footage requirements. Around here, we don't really use closed barns for cattle. Angus are fairly hardy and can do well without a barn, though it's nice to have an open shelter for running them through a chute and feeding grain. The only reason you might need a barn is if you're buying bottle calves and raising those for beef--then it's good to have more shelter and a way to lock them up for predator protection. However, I have to warn you that unless you have a source of cheap milk or replacer, bottle calves are not cost effective.

In short, tell us more about your situation and we might be able to help more

Also, this might should be in the cattle section of the forums.