Whether you own or rent a barn, your facility needs to have certain features. These can help keep animals happy and healthy and reduce your time working in your barn.
Blackburn likes to place service areas (feed room, tack room, wash stall) in the middle of large barns (16 stalls or more). This allows less travel for workers and increases efficiency.
Plenty of Space
Your barn must have plenty of space. This ensures the livestock has a dry place to sleep and rest while giving caretakers ample room to work and clean.
Providing ample ventilation will keep the animals healthy by removing ammonia and other toxic gases that can build up and affect animal health. This is particularly important for cattle, as they are susceptible to respiratory problems from urine and manure.
A good barn design, like in custom made garage & barns Missouri, includes a spacious tack room where saddles, bridles, and other equipment can be stored and kept clean. This will extend the leather equipment’s life and help protect it from the elements. Ideally, it should be positioned downwind from prevailing winds to facilitate airflow. It is also helpful to plan the tack room with future expansion in mind.
Easy Access
A well-run barn should have a schedule for when grain and hay are fed and when lessons, checkups, or other events will occur. This structure will help ensure that each day runs smoothly for the horse and its handlers.
Clear access is also important for cleaning and maintenance. Trash left out can attract rodents and become a fire hazard. And hay that’s not stored correctly may spontaneously combust.
The best way to prevent these kinds of issues is to keep trash containers, water troughs, and feed stores in a location that’s easy to get to. This will minimize the likelihood that any items will be accidentally tampered with. And it will eliminate the need for people to carry supplies to a different part of the barn to clean.
Plenty of Light
Enough lighting is one of the most essential features to look for in a barn. You must avoid squinting at horses or reading medication labels in the dark!
Often, domes can be added to the roofline of a barn home for additional light and ventilation. This can also add a unique look to the barn.
Most barns will contain hay bales to supply livestock when fresh grass isn’t available. These hay bales are often stored in the feed room with other materials, equipment, and tools for feeding the animals. Exterior Dutch doors are standard on the back of stalls for safety purposes and for letting livestock out in an emergency. This prevents them from getting trapped in a fire or other disaster.
Ventilation
When planning to construct your barn, it is easy to get caught up in the nitty-gritty details like what color siding should be used or what type of window you want. But remember to plan for adequate ventilation as well.
Ventilation helps keep the air in your barn fresh and achieve a comfortable temperature range for livestock. This is important for health and productivity.
Typical ventilation systems use fans and baffles to force cooler outside air into the barn through inlets while warmer air is funneled out of roof vents or windows. This method is often referred to as cross ventilation, and it works best when consistent with prevailing wind patterns. It is also a more cost-effective alternative to mechanical ventilation.
Security
The goal of every barn should be to protect animals and their handlers. A barn needs to be designed and built to do just that. That doesn’t just mean ensuring it’s sturdy and durable enough to withstand storms or fires. It also means having a sound security system to deter thieves and vandals.
A sound security system should include a camera with a web-connected dialer. This can help to keep an eye on things even when you aren’t there. It’s also essential to have proper trash receptacles in convenient locations and not leave any debris or rubbish around that could attract rodents and other pests. Regular sweeping, cleaning, and mucking of areas can reduce virus, bacteria, and fungus problems.