Cowshed for 50 heads: design and dimensions of the farm, how to build with your own hands

The idea of creating a barn project for 50 heads can be successfully implemented at home. The main thing is to study the basic requirements, the procedure for erecting a structure. In the built "house for cows" the animals should be comfortable, dry and warm. Then the result will certainly appear: regular milking, weight gain and an increase in livestock. And building a barn according to ready-made drawings, calculations is not so difficult.

Cattle maintenance requirements

The farm being built for cattle must meet a number of requirements. Be sure to follow the sanitary standards. You can not bring the barn closer than 15 meters to residential buildings, 20 - to a well or water well.

Wood is the most suitable building material for a barn. You can, of course, use adobe, masonry, light blocks (slag, concrete).

The design of the barn depends on the number of livestock that is planned to be kept in the corral. For 1-2 cows or an adult animal with a calf, wood is most suitable. This is a material that is generally available for the barn, which can be purchased at any lumberyard, in the carpentry shop.

Reinforced concrete is often mentioned as a recommended material for a barn in some sources. There are arguments both for and against it.

Reinforced concrete is relatively cheap, allowing you to speed up the process of building a barn. In the USSR, this material was used everywhere.

But poor thermal insulation qualities minimize all positive aspects. Approximately in the same position are metal structures. They are lightweight, easy to install, and low cost. At the same time, they are subject to corrosive wear and need to be insulated.

Even without drawings at hand, you can estimate the approximate dimensions of the future barn. They are determined based on the following parameters (the data are given in the table):

18Several cows:

	Minimum square meters
Adult cow with calf (separate content)
Adult animal (no baby) Cow with calf	6 9

This is how the dimensions of the barn are set according to the actual or expected composition of the animals.

In addition to this factor, it is important to consider that cows are demanding animals for care and maintenance. Failure to comply with a temperature regime that is comfortable for animals, cleanliness in the barn will lead to diseases, loss of livestock. Be sure to consider the following criteria:

• air humidity;
• temperature;
• ventilation;
• illuminance.

Like a person, a cow is sensitive to a combination of living conditions. If many important little things are taken into account at the design stage, then later you will not have to spend money on additional equipment, alteration of the barn. For example, it is possible to foresee drinking bowls, feeders, placement of these structures in a paddock.

One of the barn options is shown in the video:

An excellent solution is the idea of zero-waste production, when the waste product of cows is used to heat the farm, barn, and generate electricity. Regular manure.

The video shows the solution, the construction of a compact biogas plant from a barn:

Drawings and dimensions of the barn for 50 heads

To build a barn, you can use ready-made drawings or order a project for your needs.

The first option is budget. The second will be tailored to specific needs, including adult, young or mixed cows.

Whatever method is chosen for construction, it requires a balanced approach, the choice of tools and the calculation of materials. It depends on this whether the cowshed will turn out to be really convenient, reliable, or it will turn out to be wasted money, materials, time and effort.

What tools and materials will be needed

The choice of barn design affects labor costs, the complexity of construction. The assembly of foam blocks seems to be the most promising. It is light, warm, durable material. But building a foam concrete farm requires a minimum of bricklayer skills. Even for such a structure, a foundation will definitely be needed, at least a simplified one.

The same applies to reinforced concrete. Best of all for small private households, construction options from rolled metal or wood are suitable. With proper design, in the future, a barn for 50 animals can easily be converted into a larger one, for 80 or 100 animals.

As an example, consider a wood project as a universal one. Of the materials and tools you will need:

1. Boards, timber.
2. Insulation (roll, slab).
3. Trough for mortar, concrete.
4. Shovels, hand drill.
5. Hand saw, circular saw.
6. Building level.
7. Plummet.
8. Roulette.
9. Electric drill.
10. Nails, screws.

This is the minimum required set. Separate components, materials can be either added or excluded from the list. If a reinforced concrete foundation is selected, reinforcement will also be needed.

It is better to dot all the “i” in advance, calculate the proposed options in order to avoid possible costly rework.

Making a barn with your own hands

When the drawings are ready, materials are purchased, all possible nuances are taken into account, including the choice of a place for a barn, you can proceed directly to the manufacturing process. The construction itself should be divided into several stages:

1. Earthworks (digging a foundation pit, laying a foundation, sewers).
2. Building walls.
3. Coating device.
4. Flooring.
5. Finishing, wiring, ventilation, barn equipment.

Not a single stage can be canceled, it can be completely eliminated if this sequence is included in the farm project. It is also impossible to interchange the stages, since they are interconnected, subject to the requirements of the technology of building production.

Foundation

Before laying the foundation, the type of construction is determined (or rather, it is already included in the project) - tape, pile, from torn stone.The depth of laying is calculated depending on the region, how much the soil freezes in the winter season. Too deep foundation will increase labor costs. Not enough - will not ensure the stability of the structure.

Before the construction of the foundation, the layout of the site, marking is mandatory. At the bottom of the pit, fine crushed stone (screenings) and sand are poured. On weak, bulk, moist soils, only a pile foundation is arranged.

Reinforced frame increases the strength of the structure, but requires the availability of rolled products (these are additional costs), skills in working with welding or wire knitting. Before pouring the foundation, reinforcing bars must be laid, fixed in order to avoid their displacement. The outlets left above the edge are needed to fasten the overlying structures (walls).

If groundwater is close to the surface, and the site cannot be replaced, it will be necessary to carry out hydraulic engineering measures to get rid of excess moisture.This event is costly, difficult, but if it is not carried out, the barn will begin to collapse. The floors will rot and the animals will get sick.

When constructing a concrete foundation, the setting time is set. Approximately 30% of the strength of artificial stone is gaining in 3 days. You can’t load it earlier, you can’t move on to building walls. Earthworks, concrete laying are carried out strictly in the warm season, at positive temperatures.

Do not forget about waterproofing: it will protect the foundation structures located in the ground from destruction. Can be coated (mastic) or pasted.

Floor and gutter

Early arrangement of the gutter will solve the problem of manure collection and waste disposal. The floors can be made of wooden construction or flooring of rubber plates. The use of cement, lightweight concrete floors is undesirable: they are cold and lead to animal diseases.

When constructing a gutter, a slope is created, the possibility of cleaning manure and runoff is provided. It is better if its walls are reinforced with stone tiles, special sections made of galvanized steel or plastic pipes. This will eliminate the need to deal with seepage drains, destruction of floors.

It is permissible to use lattice structures for flooring: in this case, all waste falls into the sewer located below. But such floors are difficult to install, and besides, they are not safe for cows. Do not forget about the bedding.

This is a special layer poured onto the barn floor. It acts as an additional insulation, although it complicates the cleaning of the room. In European farms, backfilling from dried, crushed manure has proven itself well. A special machine will be needed to make it.

Approximate material consumption for backfilling is shown in the table:

Walls

The construction of the walls provides for their construction from wood (boards, timber) with subsequent insulation, sheathing with special heat-insulating material. If a frame scheme is chosen for the construction of the barn, then the space between the columns is filled with insulation (even pressed straw briquettes can be used).

The walls are connected with the foundation into a single rigid structure. The tree must be treated with special solutions to avoid damage by insects, rotting, and the development of fungi. At the top, the walls are connected with beams and roof structures to make the whole building strong and stable.

Openings (window, door), as well as their placement, are calculated in advance. Paints used to coat wood must not contain toxic materials or cause allergic reactions.

Roof

The roof of the barn should protect animals from precipitation, bad weather, be strong, reliable and, if possible, inexpensive. The budget option provides for a cover device from a profiled sheet. The same roof is chosen if they arrange a summer corral. For a capital barn, it is desirable to organize the insulation of the coating.

The roof can be pitched (with 1 or 2 slopes), flat. This design provides rainfall drainage. The installation of a drain, storm sewer is not included in the list of mandatory works, but it significantly extends the life of the roof. Also, when constructing coating structures, outlets for communications of the ventilation system are provided.

Windows and doors

Illumination is an important parameter when setting up a barn. It is ensured by the presence of the proper number of windows.It would be nice to take into account the possibility of ventilation, create removable transoms or sections. Glasses are installed on a sealant or a special tape to eliminate gaps. In winter, any gap, a hole in the barn will lead to heat loss, animal diseases due to hypothermia.

Doors are made independently or purchased. Be sure to provide a gate for animals (usually 2-leaf) and a separate entrance for people. If there is more than one section in the barn, each of them is equipped with a separate entrance. The design of the hinges must withstand the weight of the gates, doors, and the locks must ensure reliable closing of the barn.

Ventilation and communications

It is important to ensure air circulation in the barn. For this, there must be inflow and outflow. By design, the ventilation of the barn can be both natural and forced. The required parameters are determined by calculation, in no case at random.

Cowshed communications include electrification, plumbing, sewerage, additional equipment (for example, heating with a thermostat). They are carried out on the basis of a pre-selected scheme, project, structures, materials.

In barns, it is not uncommon for robotic cleaners to replace humans. And the automatic drinker will eliminate the need to monitor the availability of clean water for animals.

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