Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
9 Outbuildings
D
epending on the size and scale of your operation, you may find that you need buildings, in
addition to a barn, for your farm or ranch to function properly. As you develop your prop-
erty, you might want to consider adding a farm equipment shelter, a hay barn, loafing sheds,
or other specialized buildings.
In arid country, a roof minimizes sun bleaching.
Hay Barn
Due to increased risk of fire and the health hazards associated with dust continually falling
or blowing into stalls, the traditional hayloft over stalls is no longer recommended. Storing
more than a few bales of hay in a horse barn simply isn't safe. That's why it's best to keep
housing for horses separate from the storage of feed and bedding.
The hay barn should be located at least 75 feet from the horse barn for fire safety, yet close
enough for convenience in transporting weekly supplies of hay, grain, and bedding to the
feed room in the barn. To determine your hay storage needs, figure you will need between
3 and 4 tons per horse per year if you feed hay year-round and do not rely on pasture for
supplemental feed. A ton of hay, 2000 pounds, is usually composed of about thirty 65-pound
