Milk barn suggestions

janij · #1 03/20/11, 12:53 PM

Hi all,
We have decided to get a milk cow. We have milk goats, but I really want a cow. My problem is that said cow needs a barn. And a place to milk. I have been looking and looking for plans for a small milk barn and I am coming up empty handed. Does anyone have any great ideas? How big a stall do they need? Set up ideas for a milking stall. What about a calf? I would really like to get a springer cow, or one with her calf, but I don't know if I will get that lucky. Any suggestions would be great. I am not looking to go USDA and sell off the farm. I think TX just changed their law and made it a big pain.
Any ideas are appreciated.
Thanks,
Jani

Callieslamb · #2 03/20/11, 03:42 PM

If you don't have to worry about shelter as well as milk barn, how about a 2 sided shed to milk in? All you really need is a grain manger and a well-trained cow. I nailed a manger on the side of a barn stall and milked my cow there - with nothing holding her. Or, you build a stanchion - head gate to lock her in while milking. It doesn't have to be fancy. I milked inside our barn for MY convenience. I didn't think I would enjoy milking with rain pouring down my back or in 2 feet of snow.

If you haven't looked yet - go to keepingafamilycow forum. There are several people there that milk outside.

janij · #3 03/20/11, 04:26 PM

I would like a roof! Milking in the cold wet is no fun. But what about a calf? If you wanted to only milk once a day and keep the calf.

cowkeeper · #4 03/20/11, 09:51 PM

The easiest and cheapest is a pole building. The 6-8 inch diameter round, or 6 inch square posts are dug into the ground several feet which gives the building it's stability. To below frost depth if the ground freezes deeply. If you cant dig very deep, you will need to make corner braces to keep the building strong and square. You can make the building in increments of, say, twelve feet, and let's say 12 feet front to back. You could start with two 'bays' to end up with a building of 12 feet by 24 feet. Make the front 3 posts higher than the back three, so the roof will have some slope. Spike on some two by tens (or whatever will span 12 feet without sagging, and have enough strength to support the roof weight) front and back of the posts, to carry the roof rafters. You can notch the posts below these to rest them on for extra strength. Then use your 2X8 rafter material 16 inches or 24 inches apart. On top of the rafters, from high end to low end of the rafters, nail on 2X4's every 16 or 24 inches. These will be used to screw down the metal roofing sheets. Spike two by's horizontally near the middle and bottom of the posts, then nail your covering material top, middle and bottom. Plywood sheets are easiest though not the cheapest. You could use heavy boards or slabwood.
You can line the inside to make the whole thing stronger, at least on the bottom 4 feet. One 'bay' of 12X12 can be a box stall. The other 12X12 side can be storage, a calf pen and milking stall. ck

RoyalValley · #5 03/21/11, 12:48 AM

I have an old blocking chute from when I did steers in FFA that I stole back from my Grandpa to use as a milking stall, it's got the head catch and I can move it where ever I want.

I don't have a barn. I have a roof and 1 side of a wall that I milk under. I'll admit it stinks in the winter when the snow/rain is blowing in, but most of the time, it's not too bad. Unless you are going to heat your barn, it's not too much different than outside most of the time. We used slab wood from a lumber mill to do the sides.

Good luck!! You will love your cow!

sammyd · #6 03/21/11, 10:09 AM

Quote:

I am not looking to go USDA and sell off the farm. I think TX just changed their law and made it a big pain.

If you are talking about milking a cow for your own use then the USDA does not need to be involved and the only laws you need worry about are if cows are allowed in the zoning of your place.
A halter and a place to tie her up would really be all you need.
We have tied cows up to the poles in our garage. Keep good hay and grain in front of her while you milk to keep her happy and you should be good.

Quote:

My problem is that said cow needs a barn.

Cows do not need barns...farmers need barns.

janij · #7 03/21/11, 02:21 PM

And I am a farmer who needs a barn. We have British White cows, nubian goats, pigs and chickens. We built a pole barn for the goats. But I have no storage space for feed or even a place for an emergency pen. So I think we will put up a barn. Is a 10x10 stall to small for a cow?
I am really excited about getting a cow. I got goats thinking that the milk would be okay. I fell in love with goats, but not the milk. I already like cows, but what I really want it yogurt and cheese.

arcticow · #8 03/21/11, 02:25 PM

I would make the stall 12x12 if you want her there for any length of time.

janij · #9 03/21/11, 02:28 PM

What about the calf pen? I want a place to separate the calf at night.

sammyd · #10 03/21/11, 03:50 PM

A 10x10 shed adjacent to the pasture would be fine, she won't be in there all the time anyway.
As for the calf I would buy or build a hutch and keep it in there some ways away from the cow.
We built 2 hutches like this http://msucares.com/pubs/plans/6301.pdf a few years back.
We didn't bother with any of the feed holders and extra trap door..just the basic shell with the trap door on the back for ventilation. Even cheaped out and used 1/2"OSB with a few coats of paint rather than 3/4" outdoor plywood. If room is tight we can lay 4x8 sheets of plywood on some 2x4s between them and make a "super hutch" almost twice as wide.
When the calf outgrows the hutch we either put a bunch of them together on pasture or if we only have a couple we tether them around the homestead and move them daily.
I prefer keeping them separate from the time the calf is born.

francismilker · #11 03/21/11, 10:42 PM

Here's a copy of a link I started back in 07'. It's fairly primitive and I've since poured some concrete. It can give you an idea of what poor-boy primitive design could be utilizing a few old torn down pallets and shipping crates.

As a side note, I no longer use the wooden box crates for feed troughs. They have been replaced by plastic drums with a head hole cut out in them. It keeps them from swinging their heads side to side while eating and feeding more grain to the chickens than themselves.
Here's my setup. What's yours?