Dairy Barn or Calving Barn: Can a Fabric Building Do the Job?

A fabric building can work as a dairy barn or calving barn when it has good ventilation, a well-drained pad and dry bedding; it is not the right fit for a fully insulated, climate-controlled milking parlor. Covermore Buildings, a family business in Chouteau, Oklahoma, sells tension fabric buildings and ships them nationwide. A barn for cattle has a hard job: animals need clean air, dry bedding, light and room to move, and people need to work in it at all hours.

Why use a fabric building for a dairy barn?

A fabric dairy barn gives you an open interior, daylight and a faster build. With no posts down the middle, you can lay out pens, alleys and feed lanes the way you want, not the way the frame allows. You can also change that layout later.

Light is the second reason. A fabric cover lets daylight in, so the barn feels bright without a row of electric fixtures burning all day. Good light helps you see an animal that is off, and it helps crews work safely.

Speed is the third reason, because calving season does not wait. Fabric shelters generally go up faster than a conventional build, so the barn can be ready when you need it.

How should you ventilate a fabric dairy barn?

Ventilation is the make-or-break item in any fabric barn: air should move in from the sides or ends and out through the peak. Cattle give off heat, moisture and ammonia, and a closed, stuffy barn breeds respiratory trouble, especially with young calves.

Curtain sidewalls, open ends and adjustable vents all help. You need more airflow in summer and less draft on the animals in winter, so choose an approach that lets you adjust. Tell your building seller what you plan to house before you pick a design.

What floor and bedding does a fabric barn need?

A fabric barn needs a floor with drainage, a surface that is not slick and bedding that stays dry, because the floor is where a barn succeeds or fails. The cover is only half the building. Think about how you will scrape or clean, how manure moves out, and where water runs during a heavy rain. Build the pad high enough that runoff goes away from the barn, not into it.

Will a fabric building work as a calving barn?

Yes, a fabric building works well as a seasonal or expandable calving barn, because you can size it to the herd and grow it later. A calving setup is smaller and more hands-on than a full dairy barn. You want pens that can be split and rejoined, a spot for a cow that needs help, clean bedding, and light you can rely on at 3 a.m.

You also want a calving barn you can reach quickly. Put it near the house or the calving area, with power and water close.

How should animals and people move through the barn?

How animals and people move through a dairy or calving barn matters as much as its size. Give every pen a way out that does not run through another pen. Keep alleys wide enough for a skid steer or a feed cart, and put gates where you can reach them with one hand while holding a bottle or a tool. A barn that is easy to work in gets used properly, and a barn that is a chore gets neglected. Sketch the flow of a normal chore round and a night emergency before you settle on the footprint.

When is a fabric building the wrong choice for a barn?

A fabric building is the wrong choice if you need a fully insulated, climate-controlled milking parlor or a barn with heavy equipment hanging from the structure; look at a conventional build instead. Fabric is a covered, open-span shelter. It is not a heated, sealed room.

What should you plan before buying a fabric barn?

Before you buy a fabric barn, work through this list:

• Decide the number of animals and the stage of life you are housing.
• Plan airflow before you pick the building width.
• Grade the pad so water leaves the site.
• Bring power and water close.
• Leave room to add pens or extend the building later.

Get those pieces right and a fabric barn can serve a dairy or calving operation well for years.