Best Barn Location

[Autotech]

I am beginning the process of finding a barn to relocate to my property. I hope to find a nice old post and beam (traditional) barn, and use it in fairly tradiional ways - a few animals, storage for feed, etc. It may also serve as an anchor for one end of a simple equipment shed. I have read numerous books about barns and such, and while I've learned a lot there are some holes I need to fill. One of the questions I have is where is the best location? Obviously you can't see my place, but some general guidelines would help. I know that higher ground is better, and proximity to the house also has merit, but what factors are important beyond those? And why? How should these factors be prioritized - should I move the barn farther from the house for higher ground, or?
Another related question is orientation. I've read that barns generally housed the animals with a southern exposure for the stable or overhung side of the barn. I also have a fairly strong prevailing wind, and thought that protecting the interior of the structure from this would be a primary consideration.

Any input at all appreciated!!

Thanks

Gregg

[egon]

Try and locate it downwind and downhill from wells. A corral offering summer shade is nice. Keep it far enough away to avoid flies.

And have fun finding a good post and beam barn that can be relocated. I beleive they are at a premium. Consider Building a new post and beam after doing some cost research.

Egon

[Pat]

WHAT EGON SAID!

Post and beam are being raided for lumber and architectural components recycling. This competition drives the prices up, maybe to the point building new is reasonable, especialy if you have access to some useable timber.

Don't put the barn uphill from the house (or well) without an intervening swale to divert runoff or rain will wash stuff into your yard (or well) you'd rather not have there. Close is good to a point and the point is till you smell it too well and the flies bridge the gap. You might be happy with various orientations but I would not choose North for the larger openings, doors or whatever if your winters aren't really mild.

Another suggestion is to buy or build a larger barn than you think you will need. It is easier to not use space you have than to operated in cramped over crowded situations wishing you had more space.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[retired_young]

just to extend on the proximity question... about flies and smell...what kind of livestock has the least pest and odor issue? I'm quite familiar with horses and cows and the sweet but commanding fragrance, but what about sheep or lama?

[Pat]

I'm not a "gourmet" in this area. A little bit is OK but a lot is not, as far as I am concerned. I can still remember "OPENING" up all my sinus cavities with the ammonia in a barn's eau de livestock. Two much concentrated in a small area and not cleaned up is not pleasant IMHO irrespective of the breed/species. (Also see Colin Fletcher's comments regarding staying in one place for a while back packing in his book, "The Complete Backpacker" (I think).

Least smell? Cats with plenty of out doors room or automatic cat boxes indoors. Fish, in aquaria or in ponds if not overcrowded and properly cared for are pretty inoffensive. All grazers and browsers share an odiferous problem when numbers are high, space per animal is low, and human maintenance/intervention is inadequate. Keeping stock too close to the house will exacerbate the fly problem enourmously. Overcrowding and under tending will raise the fly problem to a plaque of biblical proportions.

In our area (not super productive) a typical "load" is 8 acres per head of beef or cattle unit (cow and unweened calf.) This is not due to physical crowding but is a concession to typical grass production. This distributes the manure fairly well and is not at all like a feed lot. Areas where cattle are penned up, worked, or otherwise concentrated for a period of time would ideally be farther from living/playing areas for people than the nearest grazing. While fences allowing cattle to graze within 25-50 feet of the house might be acceptable with stock concentrations of one cattle unit per 8 acres, you sure don't want pens or other handling or concentrating facilities anywhere near that close.

Better to walk or drive a tad further than to live with THAT much smell and a plague of flies.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]