Sheep Barn!

baymule

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When we bought our first 4 Sheep, all I had was a fenced pasture of about an acre, and most of that was briars. They bedded down up by the road and I worried about coyotes. So I built a small lot, temporary. We all know what “temporary” means..... That lot still stands.

They had no shelter. So I built a 2x4 frame and used OSB plywood. Two sheets for the roof and a back and one side. The other side was the portable building. I covered it in tar paper. Only temporary. There’s that “temporary” thing again.

I planned out coming off the roof of the portable building with a lean to. 24’ long and 20’ wide. I got started on it. Then DH decided to help. He drove me nuts. We bickered and argued, I could either knock him in the head and tell God he died, or quit. I quit.

The pitiful few 2x4 rafters we put up got weathered. Some curved and wrenched themselves loose and they fell down. On closer inspection, he missed the 2x4 with the screws, they were held up by the hanging bracket. I sure was glad I quit and didn’t try to finish out the whole thing with his “help”

I suggested getting a neighbor that built our barn, to build the Sheep barn. DH agreed. Neighbor agreed. Then it rained every weekend for it seemed like forever. Finally we got a nice weekend. Neighbor and his little boy came over yesterday, DH and I helped Neighbor. DH never questioned Neighbor. We got the first half done. Rafters, decking and tar paper. See my pitiful shelter I built for them? It worked, but I will be happy to wreck it out and carry to the burn pile.

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Today Neighbor came back with his 10 year old boy. We, mostly Neighbor, got the second half done. I’ll be ordering metal R panels roofing tomorrow!

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Once the roof is finished, I can plan out how to finish the outside walls. Next weekend, if it ain’t raining and the creek don’t rise, we’ll put up the metal roof. Unless it’s not ready until next week...
 

Carol Dee

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That is going to serve the purpose well. Amazed at what you all do with scrap treasures and salvage things. The sheep are looking really good and those babies grew FAST!
 

baymule

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very nice! Do you keep your freezer full of lamb? Or do you sell them?

Both. We sell some to help cover the cost of keeping them.

That's a nice roomy shelter Bay. Do they need outside walls? Or would that be for horizontal rain protection mostly?

Outside walls will be next on the agenda. That we can do ourselves. Putting up the roof is above my pay grade. LOL

That is going to serve the purpose well. Amazed at what you all do with scrap treasures and salvage things. The sheep are looking really good and those babies grew FAST!

Thanks Carol. They have outgrown my "temporary" shelter I threw together for them. LOL
 

baymule

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Today I went to Tyler, ordered the metal for the roof and paid for it. I can pick it up Friday afternoon. Metal for the sides will come later, after I figure out what I'm going to do--and PAY OFF THE CREDIT CARD! :lol::lol: I also ordered metal for the roof of the future dog room for Paris.
 

ducks4you

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@baymule , you are SO SMART to sell to cover costs. My chickens are a money drain, but they have been laying well enough for me to get back to giving eggs away and taking feed as barter.
The horses are a TOTAL money drain. When I ran a small riding academy I mostly broke even on costs.
Lovely sheep shelter, btw!! I figure that is enough for them bc I have studied horse barns and everything south of the Mason/Dixon line uses horse shelters instead of barns, so I am sure that sheep, who have that wonderful coat, can be quite comfortable with an open sided shelter. It looks like they will also get good summertime shade.
Do you shear them? Do you sell the wool?
 

baymule

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@ducks4you they are hair sheep, they grow in a winter short wool coat, then shed it out in the spring. The shelter will have outside walls at some point, probably a 3 sided shelter.

haha my horses are a hole in my pocket that I dump money in. The egg sales don't even break even, I'm thinking about scaling back on numbers and dropping the egg sales. I make money on the pigs, and ours is free.
 

ninnymary

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Looks like you have 2x4's down the middle. Are you planning on dividing the space and perhaps making 2 sections. One for the pigs and one for the sheep?

I am always amazed how many projects you guys do. Seems like several major ones each year. Pretty soon you will run out of them! haha

Mary
 

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