# quick barn idea



## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

i think i was shown this on the old goatweb coffeeshop...?...

get yourself at least 2 cattle panels and 6 2' metal fence posts
lay the cattle panels on the ground next to each other
and put three fence post in the ground by the 2 outter corners and where the 2 panels meet in the middle
then stand up a cattle panel so the short end is on the ground and wire it to the first fence post
wire the inside corner to the middle post 
then wire the inside corner of the 2nd panel to the middle post 
wire the last outside corner to the last post
now
bend the panels over in a big upside down "U"
figure out where you want them (how far from the bottom of the other side)
and put your 3 fence posts in and wire the panels to them
then wire the 2 panels together
then you can put a tarp over the whole thing
well, leave one end open for the goats to get in and out of
lol
hope the pic turns out
the barn has since been torn down as the goats like to climb on it and the cattle panels finally collapsed (Pig is huge but still thinks he is a baby that can climb on everything) but the barn was up for a little over a year (15 months) and worked great for a kidding barn this past march


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I like that!! Portable too!


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

I love the idea :leap: but I cant quite link your instructions to the stuff in the picture... :scratch: 

If you ever make another one, it would be great if you could take photos through the building process so it makes more sense.

Thanks


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

i wont be building another one any time soon as we put up a "real" barn of wood
lol

let's see

take 2 cattle panels 
(do you have them? they are 16 feet long and 4 feet high - made out of heavy gauge wire)
lay them down side by side so the long sides are touching where you want your barn
use cable ties or some wire that you would use for electric fencing and wire the two panels together
put 3 metal fence posts in the ground
one at each corner and one in the middle where the panels are joined
(i bought the 2 foot posts as they only need to stick out of the gound about 1 foot or so)
(you need help here)
stand the panels up right on their short end so they are towering 16 feet above you
(well, the top can curl over and probably will but i wanted to get the idea across)
while someone(s) are holding the panels upright someone else needs to wire the panels to the posts in the ground
use wire for this and do it atleast 2 times per post
now
let the top part come down so you have a big upside down "U"
when you get the other side where you want it
have someone drive in 3 more posts and wire the panels to those posts

hope this helps
:wave: (welcome to the goat spot)








then put a tarp over the whole frame - covering the back opening and leaving the front opening open - lol
you can use as many panels as you want and make it look like one long tunnel
(wire tarp to frame)


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

It helped a little, but trying to explain to me is difficult, maybe my mum would be able to figure it out lol.

The bit with the posts is what mucks up my small mind :question:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I think it is a great idea............... :thumb:


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## heathersboers (Sep 5, 2008)

I was thinking about doing that also, but will the goats try to eat the tarp??? :scratch:


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

mine didn't chew on the tarp but they loved to climb on it so make sure your tarp is tight and well anchored


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

Wow! That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing. The second set of instructions was easier to follow. I'm not sure if we'll try it but it is a good idea.


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

Lol I'll try read it slowly >.<

Is it good against heat? Because where i might move it gets pretty hot, but less humind...
Im just worried about heat stress lol (i swear im OCD)


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I have something similar up for my girls as a sort of "umbrella" for shade....where the barn and yard is they get full sun til around 5pm so I have a cattle panel bent upside down and pegged with a tarp over it to provide shade...I have it zip tied to where it is snug on the panel and no ends flapping...open on both ends and across the bottom of the panels so the tarp is across the top and halfway down each end....gives enough shade and throws enough of a shadow to give the girls some comfort.


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## heavenlyhaven (Apr 17, 2008)

i understand what you are saying liz
great idea!

piccolo
if it is hot do not cover either end 
leave both ends open so the air can get thru
i know it stays really warm in the winter
my girls had babies in early march and they all snuggled in that barn


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## PiccoloGoat (Sep 10, 2008)

ok thanks its a really good idea

But you never know, where me move might already have a barn or shed lol


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

I changed my mind. . . .  I think we're going to try and make this next week. We have some cow panels just laying around so might as well put them to use. We're not going to use it as a barn (since we already have one) but I'm thinking to use it as Liz does, for shade. Also, because some of our does may get kicked out of the barn at night and I want them to be able to go somewhere. 

Do u think I should put an end on it or leave both sides open?


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

If you are just going to use one, it wouldn't be big enugh if you put an end on it.....you can double the width by putting 2 together that would give you an 8 foot wide by 16 long panel and you would be able to tarp one end......or you can take one and cut it in half and do the same...you just won't have alot of height to it, but since it's not permanent and easily taken down you won't need to worry about being able to stand up under it. Stand it up and adjust the width across the ground...an 8x8 foot section fastened to posts on the ground at 4 feet apart should give you a 4 foot height....it would give you an 8x4 shelter big enough for 2-3 minis to snuggle in. If you decide to go with the full 16x8 you can have something like 9-10 feet across the ground area and arch it up to be 5-6 feet high.....even more area for shelter that way.


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