Our barn burned down and we need to build a new one

[Baymule]

What will be the main use for your barn? What is most important? Are you planning on keeping all your animals in the barn for winter shelter? Different animals need different size accommodations. You need to draw what you want. Play with it, draw different plans, maybe take pictures of your plans and post them on this thread. We can help give you ideas.

 

[Whitney123]

What will be the main use for your barn? What is most important? Are you planning on keeping all your animals in the barn for winter shelter? Different animals need different size accommodations. You need to draw what you want. Play with it, draw different plans, maybe take pictures of your plans and post them on this thread. We can help give you ideas.

Our property isn't very large so other than chickens, any livestock we have will need to have winter shelter in this barn. My initial plan was to start with chickens this year then get pigs next year- just 1 or 2 for food for our family. Beyond that we hadn't decided. My husband wants goats and I'd like to raise our own beef or possibly a dairy cow. I wanted to start slow and work up to it.

I think researching the needs of the animals we're interested in and planning from there is a good idea. That is probably our best bet at this point. I would really hate to build something and realize it really doesn't meet our needs.

 

[Grant]

I’ll just say this…whatever size you think you need…it’s not big enough.

 

[Baymule]

I’ll just say this…whatever size you think you need…it’s not big enough.

Amen to that!

 

[Baymule]

If you raise feeder pigs for the freezer, you may not need to keep them through the winter. I raise pigs every year, but they go to slaughter and I’m done. I don’t want to keep breeding hogs, we only have 8 acres and have other animals that mean more to me than sows and a boar.

How many acres do you have?

Goats and a steer to raise for the freezer would be good. And what’s a farm without chickens? LOL Maybe a dairy goat instead of a milk cow, if space is crucial.