Loafing Shed Sizing Guide For MO, AR, OK and KS

Whether you have a hobby farm or a full farm operation, being able to shelter your animals is important to their health, survival, and general protection. Loafing sheds allow you to do just that all over your pasture area without the commitment of needing multiple barns. In this blog, we have compiled a robust list to compile a loafing shed sizing guide.

What Is The Purpose Of A Loafing Shed?

Loafing sheds offer shelter to your animals when they are away from the main barn. Loafing sheds provide shelter from the rain and wind while offering a place for your animals to be fed away from the barn. In addition to all of this, they are much more cost-effective than constructing an additional barn. 

What Kind Of Animals Need A Loafing Shed?

All animals that live outside continually need some kind of loafing shed. This means that your cows, alpacas, horses, goats, and pigs all need some kind of shelter in addition to the barn. Additionally, your loafing shed may be a great area for your livestock or guardian dog to enjoy during the day while protecting your other animals. 

What Sizes Of Loafing Sheds Are Available?

Loafing sheds are available from 10×12 all the way up to 14×32. We also are willing to do custom sizing orders, just be sure to fill out a quote request and we will be in touch.

We are proud to accommodate almost any sizes so that your animals can be protected no matter the size of your farm. If you are concerned that the loafing shed may still leave your animals a bit too vulnerable, we would recommend that you take a look at our sheds, these can offer additional safety for your animals. 

How Big Is A Loafing Shed Tackroom?

A loafing shed tack room is 6’ wide and as deep as the building. So if you have a 10×16 loafing shed, the dimensions will be a bit more like 10×10 of loafing space. So if you decide to opt into a loafing shed that has a tack room, you may need to upgrade to the next size to have enough space for your animals. However, you could consider purchasing an additional shed for your belongings.  Optiong for this choice will allow you to have a large loafing shed and shed giving you great options for storage and loading space for you animals.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For 2 Goats?

If you are going to have 2-4 goats, you should consider a 10×12 Loafing Shed.  According to the University of Florida, a single goat will need 16 sq ft of space. That means you could go as small as a 5×3 stall. However, we think that is a little too small, and your goat would get a bit too lonely. To help you figure out the right size loafing shed for your goats, check out the table below

If you have more than 20 goats, we would recommend that you purchase multiple buildings, as this will allow your goats to be more comfortable. Keep in mind that if you choose a loafing shed that has a tackroom, you will need a slightly larger build size, as the tack room will remove some of the square footage of the overall building.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Pigs?

For your pigs to be housed comfortably, you will need a minimum of 50 square feet per pig. This means the smallest stall size that you could have for a pig is 5×10. However, every animal should have a buddy, so we recommend that you have at least 2 pigs, making our 10×12 loafing shed size perfect.

Keep in mind that a 14×32 loafing shed will be a little shot of space for 9 pigs if you are not letting them out to roam. As we have said with some of the other structures, if you decide to have a  tack room on this loafing shed, you will need to figure out how to have a larger loafing shed.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Emus?

If you’ve never heard of an Emu, that’s okay. They are a bit of an odd bird, pun intended. Emus are large birds that are about 5’6” tall and about 3’ wide and should have a minimum of 15 square feet per bird. Emus are best off when in pairs; we recommend that you start out looking at our loafing sheds that start off in 10×12 for a single pair.

While emus do fine in a loafing shed to get out of the elements, you should never keep an emus in a loafing shed for a long period of time.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Chickens?

Loafing sheds are a great way to house your free-range chickens, and each chicken only requires 8-10 square feet. This means that our smallest loafing shed would be able to comfortably fit 12-15 chickens (without a tack room). In our experience, we highly recommend that you have a tack room for your chickens so that you are able to have feed and bedding close by.

If you have a full-fledged farm and want to do a larger number of free-range chickens than what we have listed above, we would recommend doing several buildings. On the other hand, we would be happy to create a bigger loafing shed if you want. Yet, being able to have your chickens spread out among several buildings will be healthier for your flock overall and the ground that they traverse.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Horses?

For a horse to be comfortable in a loafing shed, they will need a minimum of a 12×12 Loafing shed. While this figure is from the basic idea of a horse stall size, it is best to ensure that your horse is comfortable, no matter if this is a temporary housing area or a more permanent solution. To figure out how big the loafing shed you need will be for the amount of horses you have, take a look at the table below. 

If you have more than 3 horses, we can accommodate larger buildings, but it may be better to have several Loafing sheds spread throughout the pasture area. This way, if you need to quarantine one horse from another, it can be easily done. 

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Alpacas?

You will need at least 150-160 square feet to have a minimum of 3 alpacas; this makes the 10×16 an excellent option for your alpacas. However, if you are not using this as your main housing area, you could use smaller Loafing Shed Sizes so that one or two animals could have enough space to be sheltered from the wind.

Once you are at the point where you have a need for something over 500 square feet, it may be time to consider having multiple loafing sheds. Something that we are not accounting for in these size recommendations is the amount of Alpacas and their sex. Odds are that if you have 6 alpacas, you have some males and females. This means you could choose to go for 2 10×12 shelters instead of 12×24.

If you’ve never heard of Alpacas they have become increasing popular due to their light weight fiber that can be created into Alpaca Throws, Alpaca Pillows, as well as other many other knitting and crocheting goods. If you are looking for some beautiful handspun alpaca products we recommend checking out Tahda Textiles. They have and assortment of all of the mentioned products plus many more.

What Size Loafing Shed Do I Need For Cattle?

A loafing shed for 2 cows should be a minimum of 10×12.  A single cow needs to have a minimum stall space of 4 feet wide and 9 feet long to ensure that they are comfortable and not feel overly crowded.

We are happy to accommodate your needs if you want a larger space for your cattle. SImply request a free quote and we will be in touch with you!

Do I Need To Anchor A Loafing Shed?

Yes. Anchoring your loafing shed will do two things for you. First, it will make sure that in the event of high winds. Second, it helps to prevent your animals from moving the building in the event that the animals become scared and try to run from something while inside the building.

How Did I Anchor A Loafing Shed?

To anchor a loafing shed, you will need to purchase a shed anchor kit. We recommend a kit like the arrowhead kit in the video above. To place your anchors into the ground, you will need to do the following things. 

1. Determine where you want to place your shed anchors.
2. Place your d-ring on the runner of the building using several screws to affix it. 
3. Clip your Carabiner onto the D-ring of the shed. 
4. Take the Arrowhead, which is attached to the D-ring via a cable and carabiner, and use the driving rod and a hammer to pound the arrowing into the ground at an angle.
5. Once the arrowhead is pounded into the ground to the proper depth, you will remove the rod. And your anchoring system is in place.

We recommend that you do this for at least every corner of the building, but some people may prefer to have an extra one in the middle of each wall for added security. 

Do I Need A Tack Room For My Loafing Shed?

Probably. It depends on how close your loafing shed is to your main barn. If this loafing shed is relatively close, you may not need a tack room. However, if you plan to keep this building far from the main bain, having a tack room is a great way to keep a few essentials further away from the barn. 

Should I Have a Fan In My Loafing Shed?

Yes. Just like us, our animals get hot. To make the best solution for the comfort of your animals, you can place a ceiling-mounted fan or a small fan to make sure that your animals can cool off and enjoy the outdoors without overheating.

Should I Have A Window In My Loafing Shed?

You can, but you do not need to. Having a window or opening on the backside of the building is a great way to provide additional airflow for your animals. However, we would advise against just placing a hole in the back wall of your buildings for airflow. This is because a loafing shed acts as a windbreak in colder weather conditions, and having a constant breeze may not be ideal for all of your animals.

Your Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas Loafing Shed Specialist

At Ozark Premier buildings, we think that your animals deserve to have the best loafing shed possible. We are happy to serve you in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas. All of our buildings are built a cut above the rest, with 40 years of warrantied metal and a 7-year builder’s warranty.

Whether you need a small 10×12 loafing shed for a few goats or want several large ones for your horse ranch, we are here to help you. So get in touch with us, and we will start getting to work as soon as the papers are signed!