Building a Cowport

[Wayne02]

I need to design and build a cowport for one corner of our field. This will be a smallish structure, say maybe 18' long by 10' deep by 12 foot high at the open end. It would be covered on the top, closed on the backside and closed on the one end facing the prevailing weather. The front and the other end would be open. The roof would be a simple sloping affair being high at the open side and sloping down to the closed backside of the cowport. The floor will likely be a concrete pad.

The purpose of this cowport is to store small quantities of baled hay, a feeder for dispensing the hay when needed (mostly grass fed but usually need some hay as well), and maybe a place for the cows to get out of the weather... although I'm not convinced yet this is really needed. This will be servicing 2-5 cows. It will be located in a location that we could run power and water to it at a later date if needed. This will not be the main hay storage location, which is in the main barn on a different part of the property. It would be nice if I could design it such that the bales of hay would be transported from the main barn on pallets with the tractor/loader/forks, and just set inside the Cowport, thus minimizing handling of the bales.

Given these requirements I'm thinking a simple pole barn/post type construction with simple metal siding and roofing...

or

I wonder if one could by one of those 20 or 40' shipping containers and cut one side out of it? Then you don't need the $$concrete$$ for the floor, and it is considered "portable" which means no permits (not that we would get one for this size building anyway I guess) and no tax on the structure... I have seen these shipping containers with one side cut out of them with a row of payphones against the back-wall. Sort of a portable multiple phone booth deal I guess. I'm not sure if you can buy them that way or if you have to torch out the side yourself.

or

I wonder about using pallets as the framing material then covering that with metal siding, though I'm not sure how the pallet deal would work when it came to supporting the roof...

Thoughts, ideas on this? Anybody else have Cowports to serve a similar function? Pictures of them???

Thanks

[uncle Will in In.]

Is it possible to make a lane for the cows to come to the present barn? Or maybe take a wagon with a flatbed hayrack on it and build a top on it about 5 feet above the floor with a metal roof covering it. Have one side with 2x4 uprights spaced for the cows to reach in to eat hay. Hang a canvas down that side from the top with props to push it out as a canopy when needed. Beef cattle stand out in open fields here with temps going below zero with nothing for protection except a wagon/hay feeder with round bales dropped in the top with a loader tractor. I do recomend a roof and windbreak for freezing rain.

[ace admirer]

yeah,,,,if you cut one side of a container out, you will have to reinforce it to keep it from falling in on itself. one problemm i have found with a tall shed is that rain will blow under it.

[gardenfay]

my Dad used pallets alot; but i think you still need to make the basic pole barn structure for strength and then just use pallets for sides. 2 or 3 high if necessary; but they would just be attached to the original poles or lets say 2 x 6's that go from pole to pole.
Also could you just lay pallets on the ground to store the hay on top of? that way; if you put cows or pigs or other livestock in the building later; you don't have to put them on concrete..

[Windy in Kansas]

What you are calling a cowport is typically called a loafing shed. You will find plans available on the Net.