How to build a cowshed with your own hands
Some farmers prefer not to order ready-made construction, but to build a barn with their own hands. But you need to remember that when building your own barns, you need to take into account many factors that affect the quality of the construction. And here you need to think about the comfort of animals, and how many of them will live in the dwelling. You also need to choose the right materials for future construction. It is also worthwhile to think over the construction scheme in advance, since improvisation does not work in such matters.
DIY barn construction
Basic requirements for housing for cows
It is not so difficult to build a cowshed with your own hands, how to make it comfortable for cows. Every novice livestock breeder should remember: these animals are very sensitive to dampness, cold or heat, as well as to drafts or lack of oxygen, so there should be no extra gaps in the room, but it is worth equipping it with a normal ventilation system. For winter maintenance, additional heating will be required. All this must be thought over at the design stage.
Thinking over the project of your barn, you need to decide how many heads of cattle it will be designed for. The classic options are for 10, 20, 50 and 100 heads. For a novice owner, a small cowshed for 10 heads may well be suitable, but it is permissible to make a room for 20 places. The limit that a beginner breeder should be guided by is a building for 50 animals. The construction of large cowsheds does not always justify itself even on large farms, not to mention private owners.
Choosing a place for a barn
You also need to choose a suitable place for the building. According to the basic requirements, the premises for keeping cattle must be located at a certain distance from other buildings. In particular, there must be at least 20 m from it to the nearest water source. According to the same sanitary standards, you need to build your own cowshed at a distance of 15 m from residential buildings. Of course, it can be erected at a greater distance from housing.
It often happens that sheep, chickens, rabbits and other animals are kept on the same farm with cows. It is desirable that the premises for their maintenance are located at a certain distance from the cow dwelling, but the proximity of various plantings is only welcome. If the vegetable garden is located near the place of keeping cattle, then there are no problems with fertilization. Manure removal is combined with fertilization of the site for various plantings.
Materials for the construction of a barn
When building homemade barns, it is important not to be mistaken with the choice of material for your construction.Here it is necessary to take into account the cost of the resource, and its main characteristics, and the conditions in which the building will be used. It is worth remembering that different materials are usually used for different purposes. In the construction of a barn, wood, metal, cement and concrete, shell rock, cauliflower, clay and adobe can be used.
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of materials:
- Cauliflower and shell rock. These sedimentary rocks are not found in all regions, but where they are mined, they are quite cheap. These materials are very convenient for construction. They are durable, retain heat well and are suitable for a barn in a number of other parameters. Their only drawback is that these materials are expensive where they are not mined.
- Wood. Well-made wooden walls keep heat well, and such a room is easy to ventilate. But this material easily absorbs various unpleasant odors, and the wooden floor is short-lived and quickly begins to rot in the barn, so it has to be repaired within 3-5 years after laying, depending on the conditions.
- Cement and concrete. The walls of this material are durable, but, unfortunately, additional heating is often required in such rooms. The concrete floor is very durable, but it needs extra insulation or the cows can get sick. Cement is not the cheapest material, but it is usually used when a large barn needs to be built.
- Unfired clay and adobe bricks. Clay is often the cheapest material available to a farmer. It is easy to handle at home, its price is also low, so many novice breeders prefer this particular material. An adobe floor is durable and keeps warm well, as are adobe walls, but unbaked clay is vulnerable to moisture.
- Metal constructions. Walls or floors cannot be made of metal in principle: it is expensive and completely ineffective, since metal is not able to retain heat, but many structures inside the barn are very convenient to make from this type of material. Such structures are durable, durable and easy to clean.
To draw up a plan for the construction of a barn, it is necessary to decide from what building materials it will be erected. And this must be done even at the stage when the drawing is being prepared. It is better to figure out in advance how much it will cost to build a barn, for example, for only 10 heads, because then you can face unforeseen expenses that will hurt your business. The same advice applies to the arrangement of the premises. You need to immediately find out the price that will cost to electrify the building, and how much each stall and feeder will cost.
Differences between strapped and loose cowsheds
There are 2 main types of barns that you can build with your own hands: these are tethered and loose type barns. They differ in the methods of caring for animals and the principles of their placement in the room. A separate video is devoted to these differences, although already from the photo of the room you can understand what type it belongs to. At the same time, tethered premises are somewhat more compact, at the same time loose maintenance is often cheaper.
Tethered cowsheds
In such a room, each animal is secured in its own stall. A strong chain is usually used as a harness, which clings to a wide collar. Each cow is in its own stall, which separates it from other animals. In length, such a stall is 2 meters and is made in such a way that it would be convenient for workers to remove manure. The stalls are delimited by small metal or wooden partitions.
When keeping a large herd, animal leashes are arranged in 2, 4 or 6 rows. A feeder is located in front of one row.It is often made of concrete, and it looks like a long gutter, whose width is 40-50 cm. In the back there is a shallow trench through which manure is removed from the room. This method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here is what experienced livestock breeders, who have been breeding cattle for a long time, write about them on the forums:
“A typical tie-down barn is very convenient for a number of obvious reasons. Firstly, such a room allows you to effectively milk the cows and fatten the bulls. Secondly, each animal can be given individual attention. This applies to both health and feeding. Finally, these buildings are quite compact. But there are also several problems: it is not easy to equip automated structures in these premises, and keeping in a tied barn is not cheap due to personnel costs. "
Loose cowsheds
This method of breeding cattle has both advantages and a number of significant disadvantages. The animals are housed in a building divided into several large sections. Each part usually contains from 2 to 5 dozen heads. There is also an exit from the building to a special walking area, where cows are usually fed and watered. In the barn, each animal is allocated at least 5 square meters. m. area. On a walk, this number at least doubles. One cow will need at least 10 square meters. m of walking.
On walks, automatic drinkers and group feeders are always made. It is advisable to install the feeders under awnings, enough space should be allocated for each animal. For one cow, 70-80 cm of the width of the feeder is usually enough. But with loose housing, it is important to observe all technologies: make slatted floors, remove manure and ventilate the room in time, and ensure the correct milking regime. Otherwise, you will not be able to get profit.
DIY barn construction
First, you should carefully consider the size of the building in which the animals will be kept. It doesn't matter if you are drawing up a drawing of a small barn for 10 cows, or you need to build a larger complex. For one cow with a calf, an average of 20 sq. m area. If the young are kept separately, then each calf will need 8-10 square meters. m. The height of the building should be 220-250 cm. The size of the barn should not be made smaller: it will be cramped for the animals.
When constructing a building with your own hands, one should not forget about such things as heating, lighting and ventilation. Much depends on the region in which the farm is located. In the southern regions, rooms are made with thin walls or generally in the form of awnings. Where in winter the temperature does not drop below 10-15 ° C, the walls may not be insulated if they are made of sufficient thickness, and in cold regions the barn will need additional insulation and a well-thought-out ventilation system.
Barn foundation and walls
Even if a mini cowshed is used for one cow with a calf, it will require a solid and solid foundation. How the foundation is made for such a building can be seen in the corresponding video. It can be made of brick, sedimentary stone, or concrete. Stones are usually fastened with cement mortar. It is better to make sure that the foundation goes into the ground at least half a meter. So that moisture does not go from it, it is advisable to separate its top from the main building with a waterproof material.
The outer walls of the building must be made so that they can keep the heat inside. Fired brick, adobe or sedimentary rock is suitable as a building material. You can make them out of wood, but the wood walls must be additionally dug and a blind area must be made on them for insulation, and the adobe brick must be covered with waterproof plaster on the outside, which protects it from moisture. What you can't do is try to fire the adobe brick. Inside the barn, the walls should be waterproof and not absorb too much odor.
Barn ventilation and heating
Natural ventilation will only work when the animals are kept in warm climates. In all other cases, the device and design of the air ducts must be planned in advance. You can look at the video and photo, how exactly they are arranged. In a large barn, additional fans must be installed to expel stagnant air from the premises. The number, size and arrangement of air ducts are selected at the design stage of the barn.
Additional heating in the barn is only done in really cold climates. Sometimes farmers combine lighting and heating, making the lamps in the building a source of heat. But in order to reduce costs, it is worth making insulation from the inside with the help of mineral wool or foam rubber. It is also recommended to adapt an attic in the barn, in which the hay will be stored for feeding. The design of the attic traps heat in the building and facilitates feeding and keeping the herd.
Conclusion
Building a cowshed with your own hands is not the most difficult, but very responsible business, the future conditions of keeping animals and, as a result, the farmer's profit depend on it.