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Show When You Build That New Barn ... Here Are Some Ideas for Your Future for trench silo ondi Utter Fiedroom- . S-t latc') KVVE Milk houi Maternity pn Sy '&SSv Coif ptn TjsS oll,y i - : . i Ever wonder about the Department of Agriculture's conception of i stall barn? Well, here it is. It may not look like your barn does now. lut it may be what yon will want when and if you get around to -uilding a new one. By IRA MILLER Farm Electrification Bureau Stall barns still are popular among dairymen, particularly those in northern north-ern areas. Usually cows are kept in this type of barn throughout the winter except for 6hort periods of mild weather when they can be exercised out of doors. The Department says that careful planning of a barn and all other related re-lated structures on the farm will be repaid in labor savings andadditional production. The matter of stall sizes is especially important Stalls that are too short result In unclean udders. Those that are too narrow can lead to udder Injuries and contribute to mastitis. Face-in barns, of the design illustrated, illus-trated, have feed alleys 4 to 5 feet wide. When cows face out, feed alleys should be 3 to 4 feet wide. This is exclusive of the width of mangers. Cross alleys need to be at least 4 feet wide in either type so feed trucks can be turned easily. Litter alleys should be built to permit easy cleaning. When a barn cleaner is used, such alleys should be a minimum of 6 feet wide. If this labor saving device is not installed, litter alleys in face-in barns should be a minimum of 8 feet wide, end in face-out barns, from 7 to to 8 feet wide. A sweep-in manger, built like ' a trough slightly below floor level, is easy to keep clean. Also it permits use of open front stalls where cows can be kept comfortably in check with tie chains rather than stanchions. stan-chions. Adequate wiring and lighting are essential to any farm building. Dairy barns, for example, should have 120-240 volt service and wires should be a minimum of 12. The dairy barn illustrated probably will need three 15-ampere branch circuits for lights, three 20-ampere branch circuits for ventilating system and convenience outlets for heat lamps, clippers and other plug-in equipment; a 30-ampere branch circuit for water heater and space heater, and enough individual 230-volt branch circuits for such equipment as milk cooler, milking machine, silo unloader, barn cleaner, clean-er, hay dryer, etc. Incidentally, a feed grinder and barn cleaner will take at least 10 wire, and a hay dryer will require a minimum of 8 wire. When it comes to lighting, present recommendations call for locating a light every 12 feet on the center line of the litter alley and one every 20 feet 6n a center line in the feed alley. If more light is desired, farmers may consider locating a second line of lights in the litter alley over the hind quarters of each row of cows. i |