Questions about milk & cream

[SageHill]

I'm a little late to party here (was busy and gone all weekend). First a 12x18 ft barn seems incredibly small to me. Especially if you want to put in anything other than livestock. At our old place our chicken coop was 10 x 12 super nice, but only big enough for the chickens - and they had a 12x18 attached run. Once you put walls up it will feel a lot smaller than lines or boards on the ground. LOL -- laying out our barn with surveyors tape and stakes the 48x40ft looked huge, when the walls went up (it's actually 36x40 with a 12x40 porch) is didn't seem huge. The original plan was 36x36 - but we went bigger. Glad we did. Of course that may be the only usable space you have as well. For a really good feel for what that size is go to Home Depot or similar and check out their sheds.
Aaaannnnndd - with a barn comes a "where do we put the _________?" DHs will say The barn!
I'm in So Cal - so my answers may not apply to VA. Even with a good size barn after awhile you'll want bigger. Yeah there's that!
I have a dozen sheep at the moment and I use I guess you'd call it square bales - though they are actually long rectangles and weigh ~110-120 lbs each. Round bales do exist out here, but even the cattle ranch down the road uses the same as I do. I keep mine in a 12x12 stall in the barn and also covered - keeps out huge amounts of dust and dirt as well as cuts down on sun-bleaching even in an enclosed space.

 

[Ridgetop]

Aaaannnnndd - with a barn comes "where do we put the _________?" DHs will say The barn!

Absolutely - those darned DHs see covered space and their greedy heart want it! Our Texas barn is 40 x 60 and it is just a small barn. (Our California barn is 24 x 36 and way too small. However, we have a 10 x 24 Connex where we store hay. DH already has both his tractors in the Texas barn and is planning to put other vehicles there as well!

12 x 8 is much too tiny! Lowes and Home Depot sell small storage sheds that are bigger. Way too small for even a couple milk goats. You will need an area out of the weather for the goats, another area to kid in, then an area to separate the kids away from their mothers for at least 12 hours since you want the milk for the house. Then you will need at least a 10 x 10 area to set up the miking stanchion and grain barrels. This area will be permanent since when not milking the stanchion will be used for trimming hooves, medicating, etc. Using movable panels for the interior pens are all well and good, but you have to allow enough area to set them up and then store them. Have you determined how long each panel will be?

I use I guess you'd call it square bales - though they are actually long rectangles and weigh ~110-120 lbs each.

In California alfalfa is as cheap as grass hay so we all buy alfalfa and they come in 110-120 lb. rectangles.

I would do the math on the spoilage as per @farmerjan and @Baymule, consider whi will be feeding the goats, and whether the extra money wuld be offset by the east of storage and feeding.

 

[Finnie]

Just for some visuals, here is my 3 sided lean to barn that is 12x12, so I’m picturing your 12x18 as like this only 6 feet wider. (50% wider)
Sorry it’s not a complete view. It’s also almost 12 feet high, so it’s basically a cube.

And my chicken coop is 12x14, so again, I’m imagining like mine with 4 more feet added on. The 12 feet is across the front, and the 14 feet is down the sides. If you picture mine with 4 windows down the side instead of 3, that would be about right.

I don’t know if this is very helpful, but it can give you an idea of scale.

If your roof is high enough, you could put in a loft for hay storage.

 

[dairydreams]

Not 12x8, 12x18…but even so, I see everyone’s point! And it’s funny because I’d already been having these same debates with hubby, haha. Actually the original plan was 12x24 and hubby said he thinks that’s too big (that was to also hold the round bale). I’ll attach a picture of the original rough sketch which is only an aerial view of the inside of the barn and does not include the roof line or doors to outside.

Again the milking/grooming area is supposed to be in the garage. I’d probably be keeping grain there as well in galvanized containers, or inside the basement (where we currently store food for the flock—the basement is connected to the garage). Hay would ideally be stored in the barn, if not in its own room, then on shelves above the stalls (obviously only if square bales). But I am certainly on board with the idea of making it larger and just having the stanchion area within the barn and space for hay.

No one commented on the attached yard space…is 50x50 feet enough? We intend to add attached paddocks that will run behind the fenced in area and into the woods. Those ones I’d like to shift them through to supplement feed but also just to switch up their environment in warmer months.

Lastly on bales…I just looked locally and 4x5 rounds are $55 dry stored (says about 750lbs). The cheapest squares I can find are $7-$10 each for 45-50lbs bales so definitely the round bales are worth the price if we can get the dry stored ones and keep ‘em dry stored!

 

[dairydreams]

Just to explain the sketch a touch...the idea was side by side stalls that had walls that are removable. The communal space outside the stalls is about 6x18ft. Then off to the side, which is what hubby said to cut off, is the feed room that would have a space large enough for a round bale plus extra space for mineral storage, etc. That end of the barn would have a large sliding door to be able to drive bales right up to and get them inside. The criss cross line dividing the storage space and the main area is indicative of a mesh or wired barrier (presumably extra fencing) rather than a solid wall. There will be a door in that fenced wall as well.

If the storage room is cut off, then imagine shelves above the stalls for square bales and doors on either end of the barn that exist to the main pasture.

 

[farmerjan]

I get it on the round bale vs sq bale costs... and it is better IF you can keep it DRY.....
You do realize that the stalls are less than a sheet of plywood in size??? that is pretty small except for keeping them contained if injured or with new babies as in a "jug" to get them bonded to the mother...
Other than that it looks like it will serve your needs for the time being... again.... "chicken/goat/sheep math"

 

[dairydreams]

Honestly I just put in a search engine “size of goat stalls” and 6x4 was the most popular answer what should I be aiming for there?

 

[farmerjan]

Honestly I just put in a search engine “size of goat stalls” and 6x4 was the most popular answer what should I be aiming for there?

Question for the goat people.... I don't know because of what/why/when goats are contained in stalls.... it just seems small when you think of a sheet of plywood laying on the ground.... but who am I to know????

 

[Alaskan]

then an area to separate the kids away from their mothers for at least 12 hours since you want the milk for the house

Eh... I have heard that...

But, in my experience, we still got lots of milk, even with the kids still on the her.. with 2 of my 3 does.....



And... separating kids... so much work... and then you have to keep them warm...

 

[Alaskan]

Question for the goat people.... I don't know because of what/why/when goats are contained in stalls.... it just seems small when you think of a sheet of plywood laying on the ground.... but who am I to know????

My baby sister uses small stalls for kidding that are made with cattle panels and gates and such movable things... however big those are... but, they are small. Point is, when not in use they go away.

I just had 2 areas. So new kids were locked up with mom for a few weeks... rest of the group in the other half.

I never had 2 kid at the same time, so I never needed more than 2 pens.

I did buy a doeling one year, she came with a free wether. They were freshly weaned. So... they stayed with the herd during the day, and at night I would bed them both down in a dry water trough with a gate/lid on top to keep them safe, with ventilation and warm. So... I guess the water trough acted as a pen?


As to milking and feed in the garage, the nubian I bought, her owner did that. She would walk the one she was going to milk around to the garage. It was a nice setup. And, concrete floor, warm and clean.

As to the barn, I will look at the plans @dairydreams you posted in the morning. But... loft, I LOVE MY HAY LOFT.