Canvas sheds

[Cannon_Farms]

I had to redo our side "hobby" room and turn it into a bedroom for my son, my metal shed is full of everything that was in that room so I no longer have a place to milk the goats, if they would behave and wait patiently on their turns I could milk on the porch, but we all know thats not going to happen.

So, Ive been thinking of getting one of those temporary shelters like we sell at tractor supply, hubby said it was a waste of money it would only last a few years that he would build me something... I just got the sides on the barn we started two years ago and the does are due in roughly three weeks. So Im thinking a few years is better than milking in the rain, or wind and its something I can do myself, or at least screw it up enough he takes over and finishes it .

So what do you think about them?

[HappyFarmer]

Not sure what defines "temporary", but anything "temporary" I also consider a waste of money.

Get a carport or a "temporary" shelter that has good solid piping. don't waste your money on anything that is less than 1" piping - 1.5 - 2" is better especially for our snow loads.

Use the covering that comes with it, when that goes cover it will metal building siding and you will have something that will be useable in 20 years, and is moveable. Or it can be converted to a greenhouse, or......it will be rugged enough and last when you grow up, out, or down. Think multipurpose.

Just my $.02.

HF

[Hollowdweller]

We had one and the wind absolutely tore it to hell.

It blew away once so we bought RR ties and really tied the thing down and then it got hit again and it didn't blow away but it turned the tubing into pretzels.


I have a friend who made a little kid rearing area out of Stock Panels, and it's closed on both ends and it works.

[Cannon_Farms]

the one I was considering was a 10x10 for $150 we dont normally have snow here but can get some rough winds.
The hoop house thing may be the way I have to do it but I wanted something a little less stand outish so when folks came to get milk it wouldnt look rough.
I just hate to have DH to do anything when hes so backed up with work but I am really running out of time fast.

[mpete]

I got one last year. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! The hoop huts did much better. The wind and sun damaged it so badly that we has to tarp it for the last part of the spring (& I purchased it in November.... A cattle panal and a roll of black plastic has done so much better

[prairiedog]

Do a hoop house with cattle panel and tarp ours has lasted several years. Just re-tarp every couple of years. Ours is on the third year of the tarp.

[Donna1982]

I've been thinking about a milking room myself. I wouldn't personally get on one of them. We bought the grand daddy one at TSC and after having it up for two days we had 15 mile hour winds and it ripped the zipper. We had one before that that the wind got under and ripped the top down the middle. We were hoping this one from TSC would be different since it is a heavier material... but yeah we have nothing but trouble.



What about something like this? http://www.lowes.com/pd_274588-25-LW...7C0&facetInfo=

[jennigrey]

I have one that Costco sells and the waterproof canvas has held up for 3 years so far. I am using it for sheltering my manure composting operation. I used mobile home auger-type anchors at the four corners and 2x lumber for the sides and the partitions between each composting bay.

We don't get much for snow... usually only 5" at a wallop a few times each winter. 30-40 mph winds.

[Goat Servant]

We just put up a new one from Costco. It has steel posts driven several inches into the ground. We sleeved em into pvc part way up. We're not using the sides.
It's butted up against a three sided shelter that takes the prevailing wind.
So far I think we've gone through 3 of them in the last 5 years; the previous ones cost around $130 so we never expect them to last more than a few yrs but they do fine while they last.

[Ranger]

I use heavy duty canopy's for shelter for the kennels, horses, and milking "shed". The ones from TSC are way too flimsy, but you can usually find good ones at bigger flea markets, tarp shops, etc. I also use RV tie down augers and ratcheting straps to tie them down. The tarps are heavy duty and usually last about 2 years. The poles last a very long time. The one for milking has tarps that I can drop down in the winter. I can also hang hear lamps and lights in there.

[LFRJ]

We purchased a tough plastic Rubber Maid type shed. 10 X 10 I think, and doesn't look half bad. Just enough room for a milk stand, a bench and a couple of feed cans. It was cheaper than a tuff shed, faster than building one from scratch, but not completely inexpensive. It was not meant to be temporary, so we're happy that it has held up for us. I particularly like that, it being plastic, I can hose it out, unlike a wood shed. It would need to be on level ground though.

[Cannon_Farms]

LRFJ, I was just looking at those, I think it would work wonderfully for us but a bit out of my budget right at the moment.
I am now cought between a metal shed for a hair under 300 to just doing the hoop house things as much as I want things to look tidy money is short and bellies are not as big as I would have hoped.

[Jyllie63]

I would milk on the porch...one at a time

[Donna1982]

Lfrj how much did one of them cost? I like that idea a lot.

[Cannon_Farms]

Originally Posted by Donna1982

Lfrj how much did one of them cost? I like that idea a lot.

they are about $8-1200 at home depot

[Donna1982]

Originally Posted by Cannon_Farms

they are about $8-1200 at home depot

Thanks

[Goat Servant]

In the old days when I only had one to milk I'd just bring her into the kitchen.
She was very well behaved, never did any business on the floor.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I would put up a hoop house with cattle panels & a heavy duty tarp. I think those temporary garages or what ever they call them don't hold up very well.

I think those hoop houses can look neat too. Use a tarp or tarps all the same color. I don't see anything that looks untidy about them.

[nzw tom]

Here is another idea when your ready to build. Use rough cut lumber from a mill, or better yet find someone who has a home saw mill. I make all my outbuildings with rough cut lumber. It's a little herder to build with as edges are not always square and you have to pre-drill hardwood before screwing or even nailing.

I have a guy down the road who has a little mill. I buildt a 8X10 goat shed. He charged me $20 for all the wood (planks, 2X4's, and 4X4's). What a deal.

I like the way the rough cut lumber looks. Treat the 4X4 posts with a fence post dip (TSC ahs it) before sinking it in the ground.

Just an idea.

[LFRJ]

Originally Posted by Donna1982

Lfrj how much did one of them cost? I like that idea a lot.

When I googled it said $599 - Home Depot, which is just about what we paid. I was mistaken though - that's a 7;x7; but still works for us. We only have one milker. This might be totally impractical for a large herd. Not sure how the plastic would hold up in bitter cold temps, though I'd imagine the manufacturer would have thought that through. We have more rain and mud than cold, so works well for us.

Future plans are to have rotating goat areas, and a barn with a milking room. Pie in the sky for now, (the barn part) but the thought was that this shed might be light enough to move if needed to follow the dairy herd around quarterly.