# Run-in shelter



## brumer0 (Jan 21, 2015)

I’m surprised there isn’t more talk of this on here -at least not that I’ve found.

Looking at getting a few head of cattle. The max would be 3 due to the property size. I’m going to start with 2. Here in eastern NC winters are short but we do get an occasional ice storm and hurricane. 

The barn I have has turned more into a storage shed. I feel I should put up a 3-sided shelter for those times where weather is horrible. I also may want to get some goats to break the parasite cycle and to clean up what the cows don’t eat (and that’s the ONLY reason; I could care less about goats). So this shelter I’m looking at building would be used for both goats and cows if needed. 

How big of a shelter do I need to build? I’m not looking to build another barn...

I have ZERO interest in milking. I also hope to have at least one cow for AI breeding (or find a close-by bull). The goal is quality lower cost beef than the supermarket, and less mowing.

Thanks guys!!!


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

many beef cows never enter a barn ; yet a run in shed will likely be apprcieated on those cold rainy days for a couple cattle and a few goats i'm thinking 20 x 12 will be ample space . they will likely use it in the summer as well for shade and to excape flys if you don't have a shady / wooded area for them to lay and ruminate . the goats would need shelter more hateing getting rained on and being more vunarable to preators like to come in at night . concerns are to keep the building high n dry located in a well drained spot, cows tend to get every area they frequent muddy with their great weight to churn the soil , and large amount of wet manure + urine, drainage is important . think also of ease in cleaning which you may want to do now n then having it in a convient spot helps , a small sturdy handleing pen with a narrow shoot for easy loading ,doctoring is a great idea keep an eye open for a head gate or make one to make these rare but unavoidable chores easyer . feeding them a treat in it now and then so they egerly walk right in when you want is great to avoid the stress of trying to wrangle up a big stubborn animal into a trailer truck ,or held tight for an AI tec
. try to notice which way the wind usally comes from and the sun shines from in the winter so you can face it to you best advantage if you hae a choice . enjoy your great home raised beef


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## brumer0 (Jan 21, 2015)

That’s fantastic! The spot I have in mind faces south east; the storms here come from the south west. Last year everything around us flooded during a 500yr flood or something, including half the property. The house, barn, and this spot where I plan on putting this shelter were dry. 

That seems like a big shelter. How tall should it be? I assume 6’ at the lowest, which at a 3/12 pitch means 9’ in the front and slanting back to 6’. Is that about right?

I was reading that it’s a good idea to fence off the shelter so the cows don’t just hang out inside. I think that’s a good idea and something that I’ll do. Goats would probably be locked up at night until I get a LGD. I don’t think a LGD is necessary, really, but I’m going to confirm w neighboring farms first


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We have done OK with a 10x8 single sloped roof from 8'-6'. Have it up on skids so I can drag it around to clean out inside it or put it in the garden area for a while... Used to have a smaller door on it when we ran goats but now it is just 3 sided with 2 holstein steers using it.
Just a basic structure, plywood siding, studs on 2' centers and a tin roof. Been using it for quite a few years.
We just leave it in the pasture, cows don't seem to hang out in it unless it's pretty nasty out. Don't think I'd worry about fencing it off from anything.


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

brumer0 said:


> That’s fantastic! The spot I have in mind faces south east; the storms here come from the south west. Last year everything around us flooded during a 500yr flood or something, including half the property. The house, barn, and this spot where I plan on putting this shelter were dry.
> 
> That seems like a big shelter. How tall should it be? I assume 6’ at the lowest, which at a 3/12 pitch means 9’ in the front and slanting back to 6’. Is that about right?
> 
> I was reading that it’s a good idea to fence off the shelter so the cows don’t just hang out inside. I think that’s a good idea and something that I’ll do. Goats would probably be locked up at night until I get a LGD. I don’t think a LGD is necessary, really, but I’m going to confirm w neighboring farms first


yes you may get buy with a smaller shed, but a lil extra space under roof doesn't add much expence ,and it opens you up to the option of adding a small stall to separate or for storage


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

You want it plenty big or the cows will hog it and leave the goats out in the rain. Dominant animals demand their space. Cold rain is hard on stock.

The open side lets wind in and lifts the roof in strong winds. We rebuilt our shed 3 times before it was strong enough. Screws, no nails. Hurricane straps where roof structure attaches.


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## brumer0 (Jan 21, 2015)

Agreed on the size. 

What kind of siding for cattle?

Thank you!!


Oh, and in a previous post I said something wrong: the storms actually come from the NORTH west, the run-in will face the south east.


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## dyrne (Feb 22, 2015)

I tend to throw them up like this... others may disagree. Treated 4x4 or 6x6 posts in the ground spaced usually 8' apart -concrete around them if 4x4s. So I'd end up with something like an 8x8 or 8x16 for a small shed then tie the posts together with say 3 horizontal runner boards then rough-cut 1x boards vertically for siding. After done I've found it helpful to run some horizontal boards _inside _since the animals tend to lean on the walls at times and can push the siding loose otherwise.

I'm not much of a carpenter. Like I said I tend to throw them up but none have fallen down yet  here's an example (I had the 2x8 boards laying around so used em here) from a month or two back:


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## Gravytrain (Mar 2, 2013)

I mount them on 4x6 skids and make them portable. Usually 8'x16' or so.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

I found some photos from when our shed 2.0 bit the dust. 

Here is why you set posts in concrete. There was a row of 3, 4 X 4's across the front of the shed, 3 feet in the ground, and the wind came hard enough and the roof stayed together for long enough, to pull them clear up out of the ground.








And another post at the back snapped off at the ground.








One piece hit the farm truck with some serious force after coming detached, bent the bed. 









Debris field. And this was just straight winds, not tornado. 








We are lucky that none of our animals was hurt by stakes of broken lumber and metal flying around. So the moral of the story is, build as stout as possible because the open-sided shed is the most vulnerable to wind damage. Wind gets inside but has no way to get out.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

Wow, MO_cows, unbelievable! Your horse looks to be in shock. Hope you had some insurance on this.


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## brumer0 (Jan 21, 2015)

Wow. That’s crazy.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

G. Seddon said:


> Wow, MO_cows, unbelievable! Your horse looks to be in shock. Hope you had some insurance on this.


The horse was just old. He was pushing 30 and died not long after this. He had Cushing's plus he was always lonesome after the other horse his lifelong companion preceded him in death. He had cows to hang out with but never bonded to them. RIP Sham.

At that time, DH was able to get corrugated steel at a deep discount through his job manufacturing it, it wasn't worth the hassle and deductible to file a claim.


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## bja105 (Aug 25, 2009)

We built a 20x12 run in. The open end is faces south. The siding and cross pieces are on the outside.
20x12 is big enough for 5 horses, or 5 cows, or one pony.
It was a mistake. Facing south lets the sun in, which is not needed, even in Pennsylvania. That gives no benefit in winter, and hurts things in Summer. The cows never use the shed in Winter. They don't need it. The cows lie in the open, even when they have the shed or woods available. They try to use it in summer for shade, but the horses chase them out. 
I spend too much time nailing siding back on. The horses rub and kick the sides off. I added boards on the inside to keep them from pushing off the siding.
My new shed, first of many to come, is much smaller and opens East. I put the cross pieces and siding on the inside, and ran the gutter to a water trough. Nobody uses it, either, but I wasted less money and time on it!
The most popular shed is a hoop house made from T-posts, pallets, cattle panels, pvc, and a tarp. It doesn't block the wind much. It is in a low spot, so it gets very mucky. It contributes a nice third world look to the farm. Every animal in that pen fights to use it, ignoring the new, dry run in that blocks the wind on higher ground.

I don't think cows need a building at all. Even our milk cows prefer to be outside. We are in a much colder area, on a very windy hill top. Three weeks ago, we had 50 degrees and 3 inches of rain on Friday. Saturday morning we had 4 inches of snow and 9 degrees. The horses had stayed out in the rain, and were icy, all shivering (except the fat pony.) The cows were.happily cudding in the open, not icy. Even the 3 week old calf was happy, running around playing. We spent all morning blow drying, blanketing, and graining the horses. The cows needed no attention at all.

The only attention my cows seem to need is unlimited hay. A full rumen makes plenty of heat to keep the cow warm and dry. I don't even think 'good' hay is needed for dry cows. I don't know anything about hay in the south, so maybe our bad hay is better than yours. Keep them fed, give them a solid place to lie down. Cattle are tough.


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## brumer0 (Jan 21, 2015)

That’s great advice! Thank you! 

I drew out plans and priced out materials for a 12x20 shed and I’m looking at $2k minimum. Really not a bad price but with the cost of livestock and other things I need to support cattle, we really were questioning the need for a shelter at all.

I’m going to hit up some folks in the local area to confirm the shelter’s need here.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

I am a total no-nothing about cattle but am curious. 
We know a “rancher” who puts all of his pregnant cows in a big field by the road when calving season is imminent , which for him is usually in February which is pretty harsh weather wise in the far northern Idaho mountains. No shelters or trees at all to break the wind.
Is this common with most cattle operations?


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## Pyrpup2016 (Sep 11, 2016)

Lisa in WA said:


> I am a total no-nothing about cattle but am curious.
> We know a “rancher” who puts all of his pregnant cows in a big field by the road when calving season is imminent , which for him is usually in February which is pretty harsh weather wise in the far northern Idaho mountains. No shelters or trees at all to break the wind.
> Is this common with most cattle operations?[/QUOT
> 
> Yes, it's the common practice - put them in a pasture where they all can be found/looked at each day for problems. Calves are up and licked off in a very short time, got their first colostrum and are bucking around. The cold weather keeps many disease organisms at bay, and the calves grow better than ones born later in warmer weather.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

On the organic dairy farm I was on the cows were kept outside year round. We pushed the snow up in piles in their winter pasture to provide some windbreak. We did have a small coverall type building they could be run into if it was really bad like icy wet snow, but we never used it while I was there. Most of the time the calves were pulled off the dams and raised in hutches but sometimes in warmer weather we would let them run with the herd.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

brumer0 said:


> That’s great advice! Thank you!
> 
> I drew out plans and priced out materials for a 12x20 shed and I’m looking at $2k minimum. Really not a bad price but with the cost of livestock and other things I need to support cattle, we really were questioning the need for a shelter at all.
> 
> I’m going to hit up some folks in the local area to confirm the shelter’s need here.


You don't need a shelter in Hope Mills, NC for cattle or goats. They would probably like one. But, you don't need one for their health or safety.


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