Post by anniet on Nov 5, 2010 1:52:28 GMT -5
We've got a dilapidated barn that our friend is going to help us repair. I have no experience with milking, and have never raised cows, so I don't really know what all we'll need. Please forgive me if some of my questions don't make any sense. I'm planning on milking one cow and 2 or 3 goats, but may want to add more later on. We'll also want to raise a couple of calves each year for beef.
After reading all the wonderful information in the projects & plans section, I know I want electricity and water and probably a gravel floor. We figure we'll wall off a corner of the barn & insulate it & have this for our milk room. We'll put in a sink with a small hot water heater, some old kitchen cabinets, a fridge to keep the milk in, and maybe even an old dishwasher for clean-up. I can keep the milking machine in there too, if I decide not to milk by hand.
I imagine I will want the milking area to be right outside the milk room. Should the floor of the milking area be concrete, or can it just be gravel? In looking over the photos of stanchions, it appears that many of them only allow access to one side of the cow. Since I have the option, would it be better to arrange it so I can get around to both sides of the cow or goat? And if so, how much space would I want to allow between the cow & the wall? Or would I even want to put myself in that position...
After reading all the great advice I received on another thread I posted about OAD milking, I think I'll be wanting to milk in the mornings (though I understand I may need to milk TAD when the cow first freshens). It seems that it would be easier to have the cows & goats sleep in the barn at night, so I don't have to go fetch them from the pasture every morning before milking.
So, I figure I'll need sleeping quarters for 1 -2 cows & calves, and 2 or 3 goats & their kids. Am I on the right track here? How big should I make the stalls? I assume I can make one large stall for each cow/calf or goat/kid pair, then divide it with a panel once the babes are big enough to separate from the mamas at night?
Should I also provide a stall where I can quarantine a sick or new animal? If so, I assume I'll want this as far as possible from the sleeping quarters for the other animals. In addition to the milking animals and beef cows, we will also have half a dozen non-milking goats and a few pigs living in the oak forest to clear the brush and help us create more pasture under the trees.
I know I'll also want some space for brooding chickens in the Spring, and room to store hay and grain. Our cows will be on pasture most of the year, but I figure I should plan on feeding hay for about 4 months of the year. The goats will also need hay to supplement the browse that they'll get in the forest. So how much space should I plan on for hay storage?
Currently the barn is 35 X 24 feet. We plan to add another 8 foot wide shed on the North side, so the whole thing will be 35 X 32 feet. The South side is mostly open, with a 7 ft. wide wall at each corner. I think I want to put sliding doors on that side so I can open it when the weather is warm & close it up when it's cold out.
I'd appreciate any advice. Since we're going to be investing a chunk of money into the barn anyway, I'd like to try to do it right to begin with. Many thanks. I'm so glad you're all here!
After reading all the wonderful information in the projects & plans section, I know I want electricity and water and probably a gravel floor. We figure we'll wall off a corner of the barn & insulate it & have this for our milk room. We'll put in a sink with a small hot water heater, some old kitchen cabinets, a fridge to keep the milk in, and maybe even an old dishwasher for clean-up. I can keep the milking machine in there too, if I decide not to milk by hand.
I imagine I will want the milking area to be right outside the milk room. Should the floor of the milking area be concrete, or can it just be gravel? In looking over the photos of stanchions, it appears that many of them only allow access to one side of the cow. Since I have the option, would it be better to arrange it so I can get around to both sides of the cow or goat? And if so, how much space would I want to allow between the cow & the wall? Or would I even want to put myself in that position...
After reading all the great advice I received on another thread I posted about OAD milking, I think I'll be wanting to milk in the mornings (though I understand I may need to milk TAD when the cow first freshens). It seems that it would be easier to have the cows & goats sleep in the barn at night, so I don't have to go fetch them from the pasture every morning before milking.
So, I figure I'll need sleeping quarters for 1 -2 cows & calves, and 2 or 3 goats & their kids. Am I on the right track here? How big should I make the stalls? I assume I can make one large stall for each cow/calf or goat/kid pair, then divide it with a panel once the babes are big enough to separate from the mamas at night?
Should I also provide a stall where I can quarantine a sick or new animal? If so, I assume I'll want this as far as possible from the sleeping quarters for the other animals. In addition to the milking animals and beef cows, we will also have half a dozen non-milking goats and a few pigs living in the oak forest to clear the brush and help us create more pasture under the trees.
I know I'll also want some space for brooding chickens in the Spring, and room to store hay and grain. Our cows will be on pasture most of the year, but I figure I should plan on feeding hay for about 4 months of the year. The goats will also need hay to supplement the browse that they'll get in the forest. So how much space should I plan on for hay storage?
Currently the barn is 35 X 24 feet. We plan to add another 8 foot wide shed on the North side, so the whole thing will be 35 X 32 feet. The South side is mostly open, with a 7 ft. wide wall at each corner. I think I want to put sliding doors on that side so I can open it when the weather is warm & close it up when it's cold out.
I'd appreciate any advice. Since we're going to be investing a chunk of money into the barn anyway, I'd like to try to do it right to begin with. Many thanks. I'm so glad you're all here!