# Barn Lights



## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

We are finally at the point of needing barn lights installed in the barn that is finally up! It is a pole barn 40'x60' with a 10' high ceiling. (Plus a lean to- enclosed for the milk room, grain room, etc.) We are not having a hay mow- so it is the typical 2"x4" pole barn construction. 

The enclosed rooms will have the 4' florescent lighting, if they still sell them. (seems like they keep discontinuing all the good lights!).

I am trying to figure out the best, economical, gives the most light, lights! 

Thanks!


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## chuckles (Aug 7, 2014)

Unless your barn is climate controlled, you might want to rethink the florescent lighting - they have a tendency to not work well in very cold weather, and they also have a tendency to decide for themselves what constitutes very cold weather! :laugh: I would go with simple incandescent, 100 or 250 watt bulbs - depending on how many receptacles you have installed.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I just did the typical ceramic 100 watt lightbulb. I wanted it to be easy to change.


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## Sundancer (Jan 21, 2012)

I use an 8' double tubed cold start florescent lighting in our goat barn. The units are 60 or so bucks each but they do light up in the cold weather (ours did at 1 degree this past winter without any problems) In the last 4-5 years we have had one tube out of 22 (44 bulbs) units go bad


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Goats Rock - I don't have any light advice for you except that the motion activated light I put over the door to my goat shed was a great investment!

But I was wondering if you could possibly post some photos of your new pole barn? Construction or finished? We are building a 32'x32' pole barn now. I would really really love to see a newly constructed one! Did you build it all yourselves? A lot of people around here (New England) don't understand what pole barn construction is, they all think I'm talking about post & beam!


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Even cold weather ballasts will not give you great bright light for quite a while in the cold.....I would go with a standard bulb fixture, possibly one that can take flood bulbs in the winter, the flood bulb will give extra heat to the barn in a safe way.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Deb's (aka: goats rock) aaaaamazing pole barn!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

We chose the same roof style for ours so I'm thrilled to see how it will look!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks for posting!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Very nice barn! I would do rows of regular light bulbs and put each row on a different switch. Then you can have just one area lit up or the whole place. I had 2 rows because the center of my barn was open and we had hay lofts on 2 long sides. Barn was 40x50. Had 5 lights running down the 50 ft side. When both sets of lights were on, it was pretty bright in there. We also had 5 lights going across on each hay loft side so we had 4 total. You could do 3 sets of lights.


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## TylerTX (May 23, 2014)

We're shifting toward LED lights. They give great light in all temperature and will hardly turn your electric meter. With the cost difference between a ceramic lamp holder and a twin tube fluorescent fixture, the extra cost of the bulbs will be minimal.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Well, my barn is finally pretty much done. I still have to get the bulk tank in and the double sink. 
But, the fencing is all up, half the lights are up and functional and the goats are in residence. 
I also have to get some feed bunks built. 
I will try and post some photos, in some kind of chronological order!

The first couple of pictures are just of the floor and the particle board walls. Where the lawn tractor is, is actually 2 kidding pens. The pens with the plywood were hay feeders- 

The third and also last picture show the head catches. I can lock them in while they eat. 

There are 4 big pens, with swing gates that I can make into different configurations- and I can lock all of them in the back of the pens to clean with a tractor! 

I have 3 drop down gates that will be holding pens for milking, they are run by a winch. (no pictures yet of that). That is what those long arms are in the 3rd. picture. We cut the long part off, didn't need it. Originally, we were going to use counter weights, but I vetoed that idea! The men forgot the KISS- keep it simple...! 

Anyway, those are some pictures of the barn. I will get more in the day time, when it isn't too cold to have all the doors open!


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

WOW ! Is all i can say…….jaw hitting top of desk…………I'm soooooooo jealous :green grin:

What a stunning barn , your goats are mighty lucky :thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I have saved for a lot of years- since I was about 14 yrs. old. (About 40 yrs!) The fencing is a bit more
than I anticipated, but if I get tired of goats, I think the giraffes would be right at home! At least a small one!:laugh:
We are going to ship milk to a cheese place- The milk inspector said that there is no reason we won't be Grade A! 
That will be exciting!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Goats Rock that is a really nice barn. You make me miss my barn at my old place.


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