Temporary Straw Bale Horse Run-in's

[patandchickens]

As far as the stability of a bale building - people use straw bale construction for permanent houses for themselves!

Of course, but that's not what's being proposed here. Most strawbale houses are timber framed, for starters (with the strawbale being infill) although some are wholly strawbale.

Honestly I would have real reservations about putting horses against strawbale-construction house walls, timber-framed or not. Horses can exert a LOT of pressure when they bounce off something. For the same reason that 2x4 stud-construction buildings are not especially safe to put horses in. Things can fall down BOOM real fast when a 1000-1500 lb animal sits back against 'em

FWIW the large square bale windbreak/bunker things are not especially uncommon up here. They would be pointless in warmer areas where rain and wet snow, rather than wind, are the primary reasons a horse would seek shelter; but up here you see 'em around fairly regularly, usually for cattle but also as temporary (or very cheap, for those who can't really afford horses in the first place) pasture shelter for horses.

I could imagine doing it as an emergency measure. I can't imagine doing it on PURPOSE, unless it was YOUR straw and YOUR tractor already


Pat

 

[Beekissed]

I've always wanted to build my own straw bale house and cover it with cob!

I agree with the gals about the whole temporary thingy...if you were going to build just a run in, you can get some cheaper(seconds) lumber from the sawmills and build it once, and strong, and that would be one expense checked off the list for awhile.

If you want a straw bale construction run in for the warmth and insulation factor....you could pour a footer of cement, insert rebar, and impale your bales, like they do in hay bale home construction, but you would still have to have a covering for the bales to prevent the aforementioned problems...mold, nibbling, etc. , and a wood frame construction for stability.

So, best just to use cheaper lumber and save yourself the work. Our local sawmill offers a huge bundle of second's lumber for $20!! Some of them ask less! Don't hurt to ask....

 

[Farmfresh]

Well if I only wanted a windbreak I would probably build it with round bales of HAY.

Then they could just eat their way out!

 

[lupinfarm]

It's just for this year, because its so frozen out we can't put up a run-in. It'd just be a windbreak bunker And yes out of those epicly huge square bales.

 

[patandchickens]

It's just for this year, because its so frozen out we can't put up a run-in. It'd just be a windbreak bunker And yes out of those epicly huge square bales.

You've got a source of large squares of straw for just $2.50 each??? (as per your first post in this thread)

Wowie.


Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

It's just for this year, because its so frozen out we can't put up a run-in. It'd just be a windbreak bunker And yes out of those epicly huge square bales.

You've got a source of large squares of straw for just $2.50 each??? (as per your first post in this thread)

Wowie.


Pat

LOL I can get last years for that low, new is like $25.

Doesn't matter now though, well pump crapped out today for some reason so we can't have anyone here anyway.