Out Around the Barn

Here we are almost a year on our blog.  We have posted over 70 blogs and would appreciate comments from our readers.  We would like to know your opinions and ideas about our blog.  If there is an article that caught your eye, let me know your thoughts on the subject.  We look forward to hearing from you.

If there is a subject that you would like to know about, we can do our best to find an answer to your question.

We are a farm family and enjoy our animals and farm life.  So talking about the farm and all that it requires is a passion of ours.  From equine supplements to chicken coupes, we will discuss just about anything.  Comments welcome.

If you have animals you will have to have some type of livestock feeders to feed them.  Now, I do not mean cats and dogs, I’m talking cattle, horses, goats, sheep, pigs and such.  Depending on the animal or animals you have will tell you what size you will need.

Goats, sheep and pigs usually need a low feeder where the trough is low to the ground or sits directly on the ground.  This makes it easy for them to reach.  Horses and cattle, unless  babies, can be higher.  High enough so that they do not have to eat off the ground and low enough that they can easily reach without struggling to reach their feed. 

Once you have determined the size, how high and how many will be eating from this one feeder, you will need to purchase supplies.  That will include lumber, treated or non-treated, some 2×4’s and 2×6’s, strong sturdy posts and some screws.  How much of these will depend on the size of the feeder you want to build.  Then you get your measuring tape, saw, hammer, if using nails, drill and begin to build.  I am certain that if you do not have an idea of how to do this you can find instructions on the internet or contact your local farm bureau.   It will take some time but in the end well worth it.

On the other hand, you can purchase livestock feeders at any online or storefront farm supply company.  There are several to choose from, all shapes and sizes.  If you are not one to build things or work with your hands, then this may be the way to go.  Check out our website by clicking on livestock feeders and look around.  Click out our affiliate “Barn World” and you will also find some feeders and ideas there.

Allergies are a common problem these days.  I never had an issue with allergies until I became diagnosed with Diabetes.  Now, it seems that Spring and Fall bring out the worst in me.  Always feeling congested with headaches.

So why do I live and work on our farm?  The answer is so simple, because it makes me happy.  I am the happiest here with my animals and the outdoors.  I lived in the city for 15 years and will not return if I can prevent it.  I only suffer from mild to medium cases of allergies, just enough to make me miserable but, my partner suffers from Asthma and allergies and has major issues.  But, more so than me, he would not trade this lifestyle for anything,  He has lived and worked here all his life and loves it. 

There are so many allergies out around the barn and outside in general.  Just like us, our animals have allergies also.  For their symptoms we give them livestock supplememts similar to our own supplements.  It helps them through their suffering  and makes it easier for them to deal with the tearing, congestion, sneezing, wheezing and coughing. 

Some of the things we face are pollen, mold and dust.  When hay season is in full swing, you can pretty much bet we are tearing up and sneezing.  Benadryl really helps. 

My Jack Russell has major allergies and has to have an injection every year.  She just cries continuously otherwise.

So to answer the question that was asked of me, yes, there are allergies on the farm and OUT AROUND THE BARN.

You would think that a horse would not shy away from water simply because they are outside animals and it seems natural that a horse would go through water just fine.  Most of the time that is the case but, there are some horses that have a difficult time.

I had one such horse, she was a Paint mare named Dallas.  She was 8 yrs. old and approximately 15 hands high.  She was beautiful and I was so happy when I got her that I never dreamed we would have so many problems.  She was my dream horse, always wanted a Paint and now I had Dallas.

When I first started working with her we had some issues.  I figured it was me because I had been away from horses for a while and I was tense.  So I did a lot of ground work.  I, then, rode her in the round pen and we got along well.  Oh, we had several instances where she seemed to forget everything we worked on and I would have to start over but, I thought I was making progress.  The day came when we needed to check cattle so I went  into the tack room and got my saddle off the saddle rack and saddled Dallas and Allen saddled Bubby and we went in search of our herd.  She seemed okay with everything until we came to the creek.  She stopped then and there and would not budge.  I finally was able to get her to walk along side the creek but could not get her feet in  the water.  I did this for about 20 minutes and finally we touched water.  That was all it took, she bolted and threw me, then ran for the barn.  I was lucky that day being in a wooded area and trees all around.  Too close for comfort when I landed within inches of a tree.

I had read several articles, been to demonstrations and watched horsemanship shows on television telling us how to remedy this problem.  The advice was:

• keep calm
• walk the horse along the edge of the water
• go back and forth several times
• each time getting closer to the water
• allow the horse to step in a little at a time
• Do Not Rush!!!!!
• if this does not accomplish the task, dismount and walk with the horse
• do the same as mentioned above
• continue this pattern until the horse will venture in and get their feet wet
• you don’t have to be in deep water to accomplish the task at hand
• after getting feet wet, walk out and do it again
• repeat several times before mounting
• once mounted, repeat the steps again before continuing your ride

This should help your horse the next time.  You may need to work on this several different times before your horse is comfortable crossing water.  Even though it may seem natural, horses have fears just like us and they have to be addressed accordingly. 

I did not have the chance to try to get Dallas to cross water again.  She was at the barn when I returned and would not even allow me on her.  My partner tried to ride her and calm her down but, she did her best to try to dismount him, she did not get her way there.  I decided after she had thrown me several more times that she was not the right horse for me, so I decided to find me something with a calm disposition and broke to ride. 

You cannot always tell by looking or even riding if a horse will shy away from something or has a fear of something until you are faced with it together.  Always be cautious when riding a new horse, you both will learn a great deal from each other.

The question has been asked so I will do my best to answer.  I am no expert when it comes to building things.  I have tried my hand at tables, benches, cabinets and gates.  Those projects turned out okay but far from professional.  They did do the job they were built for but, I did learn a few things along the way.

To begin with, you need to know exactly how you want your barn built.  Will it be a Pole Barn, all open inside; will it be built with a hay loft as a second upper floor or just on one or both sides; will it have stalls to board horses and cattle or will it store farm equipment?  In other words, you will need a floor plan or blueprint.  Are you building this yourself or hiring a contractor?

If you are hiring a contractor, he/she can help you determine exactly what you will need in the form of materials like posts, screws, bolts, nails, hammers, drills, saws and etc.  The right kind of lumber makes a big difference.  It is, of course, your preference on what type you use but do make sure it can withstand the weather and if it is treated or not.  They will also be able to help you with the type of roofing materials you will need. 

One of the best ways to decide what you want is to look around your neighborhood.  Look at your neighbors barns and decide what layout you like.  Look through farm magazines and online to see if anything catches your eye.  Visit your neighbors and see how functional their barn is and if it will meet your farm needs.  Then the next thing is to jot down your thoughts on what you like and dislike.  This will help you determine what you will need in order to have a fully functional barn for your farm. 

When thinking about the layout; think about how you will use the barn.  For example; we have 5 stall on one side of the barn and 4 on the other.  The south side with 4 stalls also has a head shoot.  That side of the barn is set up for sorting and loading livestock, whether it be cattle or horses and on the outside is a catch pen.   The north side with a feed room, where we store our livestock feed, vitamins and supplements  and 5 stalls is used for our horses that we put up every evening  and if needed we will use these stalls for the bulls in the leasing/breeding season.  It, also, has a sorting corral outside.  Our stalls in the center of the barn are directly across from the other so we can run the horses straight through the barn to their pasture.  It makes it easy to move them if we need to.  Above the 5 stalls we have a hay loft and it is easy to feed the horses hay in the winter.  The rest of the barn is open to the roof for storing big hay bales, farm equipment and whatever we need to keep out of the weather.  In the front center of the barn up by the head shoot is our tack room with saddles, harnesses and all other tack close at hand.  For us, it works quite well but, even now we can think of things that we could have done differently.

So, all in all, you really just need to know what you want, talk to your neighbors and ask to see their set ups, check out magazines and online, speak with contractors and carpenters on what they would suggest as to their preferences for the materials and then go from there.  Then if you are ready to start your project, grab your wallet and go for it.

Photo is from Tri-County Barns. distributor of Barnmaster Barns, Inc. in Texas.

If you do not live on a farm or if you have never been on a farm this question is not that silly.  I was always told that no question is silly if you do not know the answer.  To someone like me, the first time I was asked this, I was surprised.  It seemed so funny that y0u wouldn’t know what is around a barn.

I guess the first thing most of us would say is animals.  Whether it be horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs or whatever livestock we raise.  Then, of course, there is the feed, horse feed, cattle feed, salt blocks, minerals and cat and dog food.  Also, there is the hay for the animals to eat and straw for their bedding.

Then the next thing would be the equipment, such as, tractors, wagons, combines, disks and maybe plows.

Of course, there would be all the neccessities of farm life such as fencing supplies, shovels, rakes, pitchforks, manure spreaders, buckets, log chains, hammers, wrenches and all other kinds of tools.  

It may be surprising what you find out around the barn.  You might find lumber, where someone has been building something or horse shoes lying on the ground where they have just finished shoeing a horse, halters and bridles hanging and saddles on saddle racks in a tack room.  There will be lead ropes and sorting sticks and sorting paddles used for herding the livestock.  You might even find a skull or two of bulls or deer. 

There is just no telling what you may find.  I do know that a farm is a great place for a treasure hunt. 

Any how, these are just a few of the things you will find on a farm, out around the barn.