What Temperature Should You Keep Livestock in The Barn?

Cash receipts for crops and livestock products are projected at $267 billion and $247 billion in 2023, respectively. The dairy farm alone employs 161,890 people as of 2023. With such high numbers being dependent on farm animals, their proper sheltering & care becomes a necessity.

And that’s where a livestock metal barn comes into the picture. With numerous benefits such as structural integrity, durability, resistance to pests, molds, fire, etc., steel barns stand apart from the rest of the raw materials. Let’s see ‘how’ in much detail.

Why Metal Barn Is Preferred Over Other Options.

1. Easy To Regular Temperature In Metal Buildings

Almost all farm animals are warm-blooded creatures. They need a certain degree of temperature to survive. If you do not maintain your barn’s environment, they may suffer, get sick, or even worse, die.

Affordable insulator options like fiberglass, when appropriately installed, lock in the process of conduction. Metals are good conductors of heat. So, it makes your building get heated up and cool down at a faster rate. To avoid this, insulators are used. The metal panel acts as a barrier between indoor and outdoor temperatures when equipped with an insulator.

Additionally, you can install windows, vents, and skylights. This will bring in natural light and provide adequate air circulation inside the barn. It will help control the humidity level. In this way, you can regulate your livestock barn temperature easily. 

2. Energy Saving Livestock Steel Barn

When you install an insulator, heat tends to move slowly, which helps regulate the indoor temperature. This aids your HAVC system to work efficiently, thereby reducing your energy bills.

Since livestock metal barns are sturdy structures, you can also install solar roofs. Do talk about it with your metal supplier. In case you are wondering about the weight of solar panels or that they will look odd on your roof, you would be relieved to know that many solar panels these days come in lightweight & flexible form.

Altogether, it will save you on energy bills.

3. Metal Buildings = Green Buildings

Why does a livestock steel barn qualify as a green building? Steel is 100% recyclable. It does not lose strength or durability even after being reused a million times. And that’s not all; it has a higher strength-to-weight ratio, so less raw material is needed for construction. The installation part is speedy and takes only a few weeks to build. 

After construction, little to no waste remains. If there exists any, it can be collected and sold to any scrapyard. As if that is not enough, metals are also non-combustible. They do not catch fire very quickly.

4. Pest Free Livestock Metal Barn

Most pests and rodents may bring in pathogens along with them. They may start drooling more or become sick and weak after being infected. That is not good news, as your livestock is your asset. So, to keep a check on pests, mildew, termites, etc., you can install a steel barn. Steel does not attract pests, insects, or other small animals for housing and feed.

Over time, wood starts to rot and decay as a natural process. Some animals may find a way to enter into your wooden barn and eat your animal. That is no good. Carnivores are less likely to steal your animals by breaking into your secured metal barn.

5. Animals Are Sensitive To Heat

Regulating temperature is essential as animals, especially young ones, are extremely sensitive to heat. Some animal’s young ones, like those of Pigs and chickens, need different temperatures from adults. So, do thorough research on the species & breed of animal that you are nurturing as a livestock.

Plan your livestock steel barn accordingly. The safety of your animal and the security of your revenue are of prime importance.

6. Keep Pipes And Water Lines From Freezing

If you live in a colder region, keeping your water lines from freezing is vital. For this, you can add an insulator to the pipes. When you are installing waterlines, ensure that they run below the frost line. The depth of the frost line will again depend upon the region and local weather.

7. Design Flexibility

Not all farm animals are the same, and neither are all metal barns. You see…catering to small sized animals like chickens requires you to set up an entirely different steel barn, whereas sheltering horses needs big, open, and airy barns with a good water supply for drinking and washing.

With metal buildings, you can customize easily, be it roof size, raised center roof, the pitch of the roof, metal panels wall types (vertical or horizontal), width, length, color, etc. And all this is available on the majority of certified metal supplier’s websites.

What Is The Right Temperature For Livestock Anyway?

The ideal temperature to shelter any animal varies with species, breed, age, locality you live, and the weather conditions. Some animals are comfortable at higher temperatures, while some are warmer. 

Here, we will discuss the most common livestock in the United States. So, let’s begin…

Animal	Ideal Temperature (in ℉)	Remarks
Cattle (for colder areas)	32 to 50	For warm weather – Vents, shades etc., may be necessary.
Dairy Cows	40 to 60	For warmer areas – vents, cooling system may be required.
Poultry (Chicken, Turkey, etc.)	70 to 75	Young chicks needs 95 to 100 ℉.
Swine (Pigs)	60 to 70	Piglets needs 85 to 90 ℉.
Sheep & Goats	45 to 70	They can withstand wide range of temperature.

Get Livestock Metal Barn On Your Farm

It becomes essential to monitor your livestock steel barn for any temperature irregularities. This is especially true for the autumn season. You must install adequate insulators, heating equipment for winter, and cooling equipment for summer. Livestock health can directly impact your revenue.

A weak and unhealthy animal will not work efficiently. They may also end up with a shorter lifespan. Hence, regular monitoring is essential, whether it is for your barns or farm animals. Steel barns are excellent as they need less monitoring and aftercare. So, you can choose a steel structure and reduce your operational cost.