When we took over the farm the only livestock outbuilding was a 12 x 12’ run-in shed surrounded by an electric fence that was in disrepair. Last year we (actually Scott and Mike) repaired the fence in time to accept our 2 llamas and then 4 ewe sheep. The shed is located on the far side of the property away from Scoot’s abode and therefore out of sight and hearing range for Scott and Charlie, the Border Collie.
In anticipation of expanding our livestock numbers, we decided to build a new barn, so we called in the expert from UNH Extension service – John Porter. John walked the property with us and gave us his thoughts on location as well as details we should consider when designing the barn. We sited the barn within eyeshot and ear shot of Scott ad Charlie, so if there was any commotion amongst the animals, they would hear immediately.
We contracted with Bruce Sanborn of Burpee Hill Construction (New London), who had completed a beautiful equipment/ hay storage barn for us in 2020 (more on that later in the Hay section). The excavation started and we had to make a few positioning changes due to the ledge we found on the site (surprise!). The barn is still a work in progress but the end is in sight and it is looking amazing! When it’s finished it will house all of our animals (4 footed, that is) and have lots of room for hay storage above (and some barn cats!). I’m sure that we’ll schedule a visit with John Porter again soon, so he can see the results of his good advice. We’ll keep you posted with pictures of the progress on the barn.