Want to see pics of small barns

[Kim P]

We have to build a barn. I don't want to spend a lot of money. I just need one to serve its purpose for three minis in which one is pregnant. I need some ideas. Simple ones please. I really want to see some pics of others set up. Thanks

 

[Kim P]

I looked on some sites and I liked the one that brought me back to this forum. It is really simple and want cost that much money. And looks good too. To me anyway. I was going to build it by the grassy area but I guess I need to build it by the dry lot and just take them back and forth everyday. Y'all are teaching me!

 

[chandab]

I have some pictures on my website of my main mini barn, we converted two calf shelters that we jacked up on 4' posts so the barn would be taller, but you can just built it straight up. http://www.freewebs.com/hcminis/minibarnandcorrals.htm My barn has four stalls 6x8' plus an 8'x12' aisle, and two of those stall have a removable wall inbetween so it converts to an 8x12' foaling stall.
And, I just built this shelter last summer, my husband set the posts for me, and my MIL helped me sheet and roof it:



It's 12'x16', 6' tall in the back and 9' tall in front; I know really tall for minis, but I have hay storage in the back, and might put a small loft in the front for other storage (like summer water tanks and such).

 

[paintponylvr]

How simple and inexpensive?? Mine have had as simple as stringing a tarp across two round bales (sorry can't seem to find my pics of that one).

You can use cattle or hog panels as a barn/stall walls/roof and run a tarp over the top. I've just started a chicken "hoop coop" - it's not finished yet. The long sides are 10' and the short sides are 8' (2x6's - so a little shorter than those lengths in actuality). This one is made with 2 cattle panels (50" x 16" and just $20 at Tractor Supply Company) - making the long side about 100". It's tall enough for me at 5'6" to walk standing up in. We plan on also doing temporary hoop coops to store some equipment for now - later we will build a 3 sided shelter with the front opening able to be tarped shut in bad weather to replace the "hoop coop" storage units.

Before winter, we will have a back on this out of plywood and a door on the front of it. Will probably just have a larger silver tarp over the top - to cover it and fully cover the sides. Otherwise, thinking about the panels that let light thru - but this one is movable and since I used 2x6's it's already unbelievably heavy...

You can do a 3 sided shed w/ walls out of panels or combo of panels and wood and gates on the front. RDU Sheds or West Wind Shelters .

I've used dog kennels in our carport to foal out our mares as large as 45" in height... The pic was taken from the open gate. Not sure of the size of this one... I actually have 3 pens here - this "stall" is the largest and on the outside. The tarp showing in part of the photo was put up on the kennel side that Koalah is facing for a storm that hit later that week... and also again the following winter allowing us to foal out 2 mares in between snow storms here in NC.

This photo shows the "stall" after the larger one has been removed (used somewhere else) and another separating panel between the two front gates has been removed as well to make one stall still under our carport that is now 10x10. Pic taken of Bit after she aborted her colt and was very sick for a while - from our kitchen door.

and here is a stall made out of some gates I'd brought to NC and wasn't using yet on the leased property. The solid boards were OSB that had also come down from MT w/ us. This is under a tin roof attached to a tobacco barn that we were using for feed and tack storage.

THis one is huge - sorry!!

This shows Magic and Pixie in the back of the "stall". I used 4 - 8' gates (that aren't quite 8' wide). That makes the stall 8x16' long... The boards are just tied up to the gates with haystring thru holes that I drilled in them. It worked as a temporary stall for many uses for 5 out of 7 years before the OSB "died" from the wet weather and the gates were used on paddocks that we put up. Those same gates have now been used on several different paddocks and pastures at our new place here in Lillington. Two of them will need to be replaced soon - the bottom rails are rusting out and they are 20 years old now.

If you google Pallet buildings, you can see many things built with pallets both on websites and on YouTube. Here is the one I'd like to build - Pallet Shed . I can get 48x48" pallets w/i 20 miles of me for $2 each. Not free, but pretty darn close! I think you could do something similar for a barn for minis...

When you decide what and how you are going to build your barn/shed/stalls - let us know! Pics of what you do/have built would be wonderful!

 

[MindyLee]

in 2008 when my dad and I built these, I paid about $130-$150 each for materials. They are 6x8 4 sided run ins for my stallions. I like them cause ya can move them also.

I need to build another next spring but I bet the will be closer to $150-$200 this time to built cause of prices went up since then, BUT sill way in my budget.

I also have a 8x16 that cost about $1000 to build that is in my broodmare pasture. I have 5 mare in that one and it too is a 4 sided with a door that can be shut. All fit just fine and that too is moveable.

 

[amysue]

My husband built me these simple barns when I was keeping horses at my father's property. They fit right into the tractor loader bucket to be moved. I plan on moving them further apart and building another stall inbetween them and making it a gambrel roof. I also use a lot of those garage in a box car ports with corral panels in them. They're cheap and moveable plus they're a temporary structure so most towns won't tax you on them.

 

[chandab]

Google "pallet barn" or "pallet shed" and you should get lots of hits for making small barns out of pallets. Pallets are typically free, so that could help with the building budget; just make sure to get clean pallets, I usually get my from the feed store, so I know chemicals haven't been stored on them (might not be an issue either way, but I don't want to risk it).

 

[Kim P]

I like these little wood ones. I haven't checked out the pallet yet. Do I have a dirt floor or wood. I think I need wood bc that will keep them from water leaking under but then they are going to be peeing and all. I put those saw dust pellets under their lean to so it will be kinda soft and in the trailer so they want slip and it makes for easy clean up. They are only going to be using them for about two or three years bc we are going to build and move. It would be nice to make something that we could take too. I don't know, maybe a dirt floor is easier with smell and all. What do you think? I love getting all these ideas from everyone. My husband said we can start next week. I want to be sure to be prepared for winter and this baby coming!

 

[amysue]

If you install a wood floor, rubber mats are a good idea, since wood is very slippery to horses. I personally keep my barn floors dirt and just pack them with sand footing and bed with sawdust as its cheap and easy to clean.

 

[Kim P]

I think I will just have dirt floors. That seems easier!

 

[misty'smom]

Here are some pictures of my little barn. Nothing too fancy but I love it and it's just perfect for my minis. We had it built along with the fence 2 years ago right before I got my minis! I have one big stall 10x12, for Misty and my little dwarf Josie. My floors are dirt with a thick layer of crushed blue stone and then the heavy duty stall mats. Same in the storage areas, very easy to sweep clean!!

 

[paintponylvr]

I vote dirt floors, too. Especially if you will be moving.

We keep moving my boarders' horse's pen - he is constantly shifted to fresh grass (at least 1x a week - sometimes more often) and since June his 16x16' pen has grown back several times. He's actually been in 3 different spots 3x each already. We talked about moving it more into the center of the area - i can move my horse trailers back to the back again and then we'd have a larger area to move his pen around (have to have it anchored w/ at least two steel fence posts in the open.) She plans on having him gelded either this fall or next spring - once he "knows" he's a gelding - we'll try turn out with the boys...

Amysue - do you have the dimensions on those handy little stall barns?? Those are SWEET!!

Mindy Lee - can you also put dimensions on your little barns?

My first post didn't have the proper size of the actual "structure". The boards are 2x6 by 8' (front and back) and 2x6 by 10' on the sides. There are 2 cattle panels (actually combo panels as the one end of them has smaller squares - put on the bottom when doing fencing) - they are 50" tall and joined comprise 100" or just over 8'. SO - the "building" is 8.3' by 8'. The "destructions" I was following used 3 panels - making the sides 150" or 12.5 x 8'. Actually, think it's listed as 8x12.5'.

I plan on doing some of the tarped shelters from cattle panels with open ends this year as shelters for our ponies... They are on sale right now, but alas, no $$ for that project at the moment. If on the 2x6 "skids", the ponies can pull them to move to a new location and allow for easier manure pickup (or a truck or tractor). YAY! For some reason, I wasn't considering these for the larger horses (now only 2), but think this could work for them as well. Will see if the cattle panels will attach ok to the feed pens I have set up in their pastures... OR just found plans for attaching a "roof" made from either lightweight chain link fencing (aluminum poles) or from PVC - again with a tarped roof! Hmmm... but at $20, think the cattle panel will be less expensive and less building work, if it will attach ok...

 

[paintponylvr]

Misty's Mom - NOTHING FANCY??? Phttt!

That puts any building skills I MIGHT have to shame!!! I had trouble squaring up that little chicken shelter above, can't remember how we EVER got our sheds in MT to be square. Maybe Dad did that part alone? I can't remember. I did however, get up on the roof and help with putting the sheeting, tar paper and shingles on.

AND your barn is beautiful as well as functional.

 

[amysue]

My little sheds are small, only 8'x10'. I never leave horses in them long, just in case of severe weather. If you are planning to stable horses overnight and not give them a run in/out option, I personally would build bigger so as to allow for more movement and comfort. My stalls inside the little barns are onl 4x5 standing stalls which are too small for extended stabling. I like the $99 car ports at Benny's hardware as with a little ****rigging they make nice temporary run ins. To make a car port more permanent, you can set up corral panels inside to keep the horses from going through the tarp. The roofs on the car ports dont handle snow well, so either keep up with snow removal with a roof rake or wire cattle panels (ike what paula usef for her awesome chicken coop) to the inner ceiling to reinforce it.

 

[Kim P]

Oh my! That is just too cute! I love it! I may do something like that after we move. It is just darling!

 

[Kim P]

I think I will do something like mindy or Amy. Whatever my husband can do best! I am just the helper. It is just to keep them something to run in and out of the weather. I am new to all this so simple is what I have to do until I learn more. My husband told me today "these ponies are starting to spend a lot of money" lol. He likes them too though. We can build things but we aren't carpenters. I probably need something I can move around till I find what works. I know at some point I have to seperate before the baby comes. I just love all the ideas I am getting. Mistys mom I just love your barn. I want that! But that will have to wait for the new place.

 

[MindyLee]

4x8

4 feet deep

8 feet long

4 feet tall in back

6 feet tall in front

All 7/16 OSB boards and 4x4 materials

And damaged package of shingles from Home Depot.

If I used better materials it would last longer. They have about a 10 year durability using these materials.

The one with the door needs to be replaced next year. The other one with just the doorway is still holding strong and just needs another layer of paint.

 

[Kim P]

Well we have a good start. This is what I have ended up with. The openings are bigger than I wanted but like I said we aren't carpenters and I am just a helper. We need to put some trim up to close the gaps and paint it. We still need to build one more on the other side of the pen. I am happy though.

 

[paintponylvr]

Great little sheds! Is each stall about 8x8?

 

[Kim P]

Yes. I wanted the doorway smaller but he did not do it like that. I am not going to complain. We are going to build one more on the other side and separate the pen. I have to wait a month to do that bc my husband leaves for work Monday and will be gone a month. We are slowly getting there.