Post by twistedtimbershomest on Aug 29, 2023 23:50:58 GMT -5
I know there are threads with barn layouts, which I've been searching and looking at... Many very helpful. But I have a few specific questions for our barn.
We are FINALLY getting fill and gravel tomorrow. 6 loads of it!! (Each load is 12 yards) 😳 Will be getting a skidsteer and vibratory tamper and maybe some other equipment this weekend. I'm excited but also a little stressed, I do not want to mess this up!
We have gone through one winter of deep bedding with an always poopy cow (didn't matter how frequently I cleaned up poop, she would always lie in a fresh warm plop) And now one spring/summer of mud mud mud and more poop. The cows completely churned up the ground in and around the barn and anywhere they like to hang out that is wet. I now know even slightly damp, our ground gets destroyed by their hooves. I've seen mentioned on a couple threads that people put geotextile fabric under the gravel to prevent some of this churning up. I'm just wondering if it has to be the non woven fabric or would landscaping fabric do the same thing? I'm guessing the thicker stuff would be better, but is also harder to find and more expensive. I can order it online, but nowhere around seems to have any in stock immediately. (Maybe Amazon has some I could get before the weekend if I order right away)
With the fabric, would it go directly above the fill and under the gravel? Or somewhere in the middle of the gravel, closer to the top? Once there's gravel down, is straw or shavings on top of that good enough? I want sand on top, but my husband doesn't think that's a good idea if we still need straw for winter. Should we put a weeping tile, French drain or just slope everything to where we want any moisture to drain? Sorry I have a million questions! I want Barn 2.0 (aka actually finishing the barn) to be so much better than what we currently have, which is a disgusting, mostly unusable mud hole. Any ideas appreciated!
To jog your memory, this is the current mess, though I have since put a bunch of scrap wood pieces over the mud so the cows can mostly walk on the wood to get to the stanchion (which is in the higher and dry area of the barn). We will be removing all the posts, pen, stanchion, EVERYTHING from the barn and leveling/sloping it properly. I am pretty adamant that we build free stalls, a better hay feeder (and one outside!) plus a better stanchion and calf pen after we get the floor finished. Plus organization for cow supplies, feed and a place dog and cats can live in the winter, ideally. If I can store some hay and straw in the barn that would be good, but likely it'll mostly be outside, tarped. The barn is 24'x40'. One day I dream of a loft and at least one lean-to... But that's maybe in a year or two. 😅
Check out my hubby and kids measuring/calculating how much fill we need. Covered from head to toe because of mosquitoes 🤣
We are FINALLY getting fill and gravel tomorrow. 6 loads of it!! (Each load is 12 yards) 😳 Will be getting a skidsteer and vibratory tamper and maybe some other equipment this weekend. I'm excited but also a little stressed, I do not want to mess this up!
We have gone through one winter of deep bedding with an always poopy cow (didn't matter how frequently I cleaned up poop, she would always lie in a fresh warm plop) And now one spring/summer of mud mud mud and more poop. The cows completely churned up the ground in and around the barn and anywhere they like to hang out that is wet. I now know even slightly damp, our ground gets destroyed by their hooves. I've seen mentioned on a couple threads that people put geotextile fabric under the gravel to prevent some of this churning up. I'm just wondering if it has to be the non woven fabric or would landscaping fabric do the same thing? I'm guessing the thicker stuff would be better, but is also harder to find and more expensive. I can order it online, but nowhere around seems to have any in stock immediately. (Maybe Amazon has some I could get before the weekend if I order right away)
With the fabric, would it go directly above the fill and under the gravel? Or somewhere in the middle of the gravel, closer to the top? Once there's gravel down, is straw or shavings on top of that good enough? I want sand on top, but my husband doesn't think that's a good idea if we still need straw for winter. Should we put a weeping tile, French drain or just slope everything to where we want any moisture to drain? Sorry I have a million questions! I want Barn 2.0 (aka actually finishing the barn) to be so much better than what we currently have, which is a disgusting, mostly unusable mud hole. Any ideas appreciated!
To jog your memory, this is the current mess, though I have since put a bunch of scrap wood pieces over the mud so the cows can mostly walk on the wood to get to the stanchion (which is in the higher and dry area of the barn). We will be removing all the posts, pen, stanchion, EVERYTHING from the barn and leveling/sloping it properly. I am pretty adamant that we build free stalls, a better hay feeder (and one outside!) plus a better stanchion and calf pen after we get the floor finished. Plus organization for cow supplies, feed and a place dog and cats can live in the winter, ideally. If I can store some hay and straw in the barn that would be good, but likely it'll mostly be outside, tarped. The barn is 24'x40'. One day I dream of a loft and at least one lean-to... But that's maybe in a year or two. 😅
Check out my hubby and kids measuring/calculating how much fill we need. Covered from head to toe because of mosquitoes 🤣