# How would you build your barn using these foundations?



## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

I have these concrete pads with center drains (to a septic system) and electric. Thinking of turning them into a barn...looking for ideas on how you would set it up if it was yours?? I have goats (milking and meat), cows (family milkers and calves), chickens, pigs, sheep, etc.

Each pad is 50ft long, 22 ft wide, center drain is ft. In between each pad is a 10ft gravel walk way. The roofs are set up that they can be fully covered with a slant to the next gutter. On the far end is 11 5x10x6 ft concrete dog kennels im not currently using (thinking kidding pens maybe?). Everything has a slope towards drain. The chain linl fencing can be moved...leading to an L shaped 20 acres of pasture (that im also trying to figure out how to femce it for ease of rotational from barn. 

I was planning on fbuilding most of the outside and inside wall with pallets or old privacy femcing i have. Thinking holding pens with seperation/loading shoot (diy..goat size), as well as loafing pens to turn out to pature. Chicken coop and chick raising area. Creative, fun ideas anyone??


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## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Oh that will be a fun project!!. I have nonideas but sure you will get plenty on here..lots of creative minds here!! I'll tag a few off the top of my head...but there are more...
@toth boer goats
@Moers kiko boars
@Jessica84
@ksalvagno
@MadHouse


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

happybleats said:


> Oh that will be a fun project!!. I have nonideas but sure you will get plenty on here..lots of creative minds here!! I'll tag a few off the top of my head...but there are more...
> @toth boer goats
> @Moers kiko boars
> @Jessica84
> ...


Thank so much for the tags! I like thinking about fun projects like these even when they arent mine in some spare time......so hoping to find others who do also and give some expertise input. I love building stuff...but im pretty terrible at it and take down/redo many times. This is such a big project really hoping to have it right the first time


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Those look like really nice cow free stall barns in another life! You could put up those side curtains and fence off the inside-What are your winters like? 
Most livestock mainly need a place out of the wind- draft free with good ventilation. Do you have water out there? Since it is gravel in the middle, you could 
run a water line out (rent a ditch witch for an afternoon.) Sounds like fun, planning your buildings!


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

South texas...mild winters mostly. We have had livestock for over 10 years...also ran my dog training biz here but stopped the dog training and have a ton of strutures im not using (these are 2.5 pads of 10 total plus another 8 smaller pads, roofs without septic..). Our pasture (total 25 acres) has very little natural shade on the 15 open grass...which our biggest challenges with livestock has been shade, working area...and water access....lots of water spouts around kennels and building but not out in the fields. (both ive used temporary half butt built things i keep taking down and moving around) its also pain of rotating the less tame stock with the way the field fence is set up (easy to change but i want to do it right this time). Also building temp pens closer to gate for sales (so i dont have people driving all over my land...im private and weary) is a pain every few months. These pads are close to the gate
.which is why id like to put sale pens, simple cutting/loading shoot diy fashion. 
All and all my focus is on building the inside to make those concerns more manageable...i hope that makes sense.


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

I definitely need an clean area to milk our goats and cows..not sure what area of the building that should be in either as ive always had more temporary set ups. 

I


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

Goats Rock said:


> Those look like really nice cow free stall barns in another life! You could put up those side curtains and fence off the inside-What are your winters like?
> Most livestock mainly need a place out of the wind- draft free with good ventilation. Do you have water out there? Since it is gravel in the middle, you could
> run a water line out (rent a ditch witch for an afternoon.) Sounds like fun, planning your buildings!


Also..sorry...all the pads have 4 water lines...they were dog kennels with automatic water systems...so one on each side of gravel and one on each side of drain (where water system ran). All electric is run on the far side opposite of water, 10 outlets spaced on the peak of each roof with one on/off for entire pad. These pads are less than 200ft from our main house and 50 ft from the feed storage building...i know because i installed all the hardwire security cameras myself  a few years ago. So close to everything difficult to access in the pastures.


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

It is smooth concrete built for dogs pads and easy cleaning..but i have many rubber mats we use for livestock to not be slipping around when needing.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Looks easy enough to put walls up. I personally like using the heavy duty livestock panels to create pens.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Wow.. looks like Heaven to me!
1 I would enclose as a nice barn. I would get those plastic grates for a floor. Then use that drain !
2 i would use for a round bale hay shelter. Put down railroad ties about 2 feet apart to set the round bales on.
3 That dog kennel area, i would tarp the doors, and use them as kidding or calving pens. Just use wood chips. Easy to clean on the concrete.

Man those are sooo nice. And the expensive part is built! Thanks for asking for ideas! Have fun, it will be fun to see what Great Ideas come from others! Ill be watching!


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## K.B. (Mar 15, 2021)

ksalvagno said:


> Looks easy enough to put walls up. I personally like using the heavy duty livestock panels to create pens.


Exactly Wood can be chewed on and broken!


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

Moers kiko boars said:


> Wow.. looks like Heaven to me!
> 1 I would enclose as a nice barn. I would get those plastic grates for a floor. Then use that drain !
> 2 i would use for a round bale hay shelter. Put down railroad ties about 2 feet apart to set the round bales on.
> 3 That dog kennel area, i would tarp the doors, and use them as kidding or calving pens. Just use wood chips. Easy to clean on the concrete.
> ...


Is a 5x10 big enough for calving..our previous cows couldnt turn around i without back up i dont think? Our previous cows all pasture calved. Goats we have used those kennels for many times! I tend to use straw as bedding in the kennels as its easier to remove and not get washed down the drain (shaving are hell on spectics and the grain is a large opening...we have a cover but its a pain to scrap throu the poop first). But will keep it in mind to try! 
I havent put our bottle calves in the kennels...but they would fit nicely, easy to clean and be warm for sure also. I like turning them out once a day to be calves...so i would need to think of an easy paddock access thats not far to walk them back and forth every day...hmmm


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

K.B. said:


> Exactly Wood can be chewed on and broken!


I could use concrete blocks too for first so many feet hight..cheaply if i can remove blocks from the other 80 kennels and reuse materials. I was about to tear all this infrastructure down as my property taxes are high because of it and without the biz they are impossible to pay or sell the whole place. But this is our home and we put our heart, soul, everything into this place ...not ready or wanting to sell really. I just dont want to do something permenant like ciderblock and it not be valueable if i decide to sell in the near future and market as a working dog facility like it was built...today economy has made me really indecisive :/ But i sure would live and get good use from a barn if we stay here until old age


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

Your right 5 x 10 wouldnt be big enough for calving. I like you idea for bottle calves though. 
I dont know if you have dairy goats, but 1 of those kennels would make a nice milk room. If thats all you did in 1. 
I know a heavy duty tarp could really work as a side wall with plywood and cattle panels. Keep from bein permanent.


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

Moers kiko boars said:


> Your right 5 x 10 wouldnt be big enough for calving. I like you idea for bottle calves though.
> I dont know if you have dairy goats, but 1 of those kennels would make a nice milk room. If thats all you did in 1.
> I know a heavy duty tarp could really work as a side wall with plywood and cattle panels. Keep from bein permanent.


Do have dairy goats..and hand milk one at a time. The only thing i dont love about the kennels for a milking area is: it only has one door. I found when i used one of our whelping rooms to milk i didnt like the amount of time i spent bringing one in, taking it out in a seperate pen (since rhey all want in the palor, milked or not...then moving all to a grazing area during the day. When you have a few small children, house chores, many animals species to clean and feed...efficiency just makes my mind happy if that makes sense. 
So i was hoping to have a milking palor set up considering does seperated from kids at night pen right next to palor..with an exit pen (i milk once a day and let babies graze with mom during the day mostly) then like a fencing set up i can just open gates to get milked does and kids to the right grazing area without more than opening and closing gates once per group.
But im not sure what that would look like in this space along with other things i would like to have such as pigs, chickens, sheep that i like to rotational graze keeping fields happy and sorting shoot system..any ideas? Is this a pipe dream?


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## Friendlyphin (Jan 2, 2022)

This might help also...black is boundary line of property. Yellow is house, blue is the 2 kennel pads without the concrete 5x10 runs that im hoping to make this barn/easy access to grazing fields without too much hassel to the L shape pastures behind the house and side by pads.


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## Moers kiko boars (Apr 23, 2018)

I dont have milk goats, only.meat. Your idea of.the milk parlour and fence of parcels sound very smart. The pasture rotation should be every 2 months. I know cattle & goats can cohabitate. I dont think so for the pigs. Im not sure about the diseases they could promote. I always had to keep swine seperate. I know they raise swine on concrete with drainage inside of large barns. 
You have so many options. Im sure more will be on here to help you.


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