In planning your structure, thought should be given to the storage of hay, straw, grain, farm supplies and farm equipment. Obviously the more animals and equipment that you have the more space you will need for these things. Think of convenience also. Do you want to have to climb into a loft every time to get a bale of hay or would it be easier getting hay that was stored on the ground level? Hay lofts have their advantages, one being that they make use of space that doesn't have much other use or purpose, but if you don't need to buy all of your hay for a season or year at one time, you may manage just fine storing several hundred bales at a time on the ground level. Do you need room between certain areas of your barn to maneuver farm equipment? If you do, make sure you plan your aisles wide enough to accommodate your needs. Do you anticipate babies being born in cold weather? If so, you may want to insulate an area of the barn that can be heated and where females can be kept for short periods of time near their due dates to ensure that babies will survive when born in winter weather. Also you may need this type of area if a llama becomes sick and needs to be separated from the herd for treatment.
Does your region have long, hot summers? Some llamas don't handle heat as well as others and an insulated, air conditioned room can come in handy if a llama overheats. Do you have areas where fans can be kept or sprinklers can run so that llamas can cool off in hot weather? While shearing llamas does help them to manage hot weather, you may still need some fans and running water to help them through these times. Where are you going to put their hay when you feed your llamas? Hay stays fresher if kept away from the outdoor elements, so make sure you plan where you want your hay racks to be placed in the barn and allow enough room for these. Where are your water tanks going to be if you will keep them inside at least part of the year and are they conveniently located to your water supply? Do you want underground lines supplying your water or will you be content to carry buckets of water or use hoses for this? Can you set up your water tanks so that llamas in different but adjacent areas can use the same tank? This will save you some money in the winter when you run tank heaters. Also if you are going to be using electrical equipment like fans, water heaters, tools, motors, and the like, make sure you have enough electrical service and the proper service to handle this.
Often you will have to improvise with existing structures and fencing if you purchase a place that already has them. With regards to fencing, you will want to ensure that existing fencing is in good repair and adequate for your needs. There are a lot of fencing options on the market and cost may determine which one you choose. In most cases all that is needed is four foot high stock woven wire fence attached either to metal or wood posts. The stock wire fencing is recommended as it keeps dogs and some other wild animals out and therefore protects your llamas. If you already have wooden fencing in place, all that may be needed is to stretch this wire fencing to the existing posts around the outside perimeter. Make sure you also plan where you want your gates to be located, taking into consideration such factors as appropriate size to allow equipment or vehicles to enter, convenience to other areas, and creation of areas to easily catch your llamas when this is needed. You will want to lay out your pastures so that adequate space is available for the amount of llamas that you will be keeping there, paying particular attention to creating this space to take the best advantage of the shelter that is available to them. If you have an existing barn, you may have to rearrange or repartition the space to suit your needs or make upgrades in the electrical service or water supply.
What type of barn or structure you create or build to house your llamas will depend not only on the size of your herd and the amount of equipment and other supplies you want to store within it, but your wallet as well. Most lumber stores and book stores have plans for constructing barns, pole barns and other out buildings utilizing a wide range of products. Pole barn construction is one of the more affordable options and can be built with either wood or metal siding. If you don't like having to paint and maintain wood, then metal or some other man-made siding should be chosen. Make sure you build your structure considering as many factors as you can and allow additional space for unanticipated needs.
If you think you will be breeding a lot of outside llamas, you may want to consider having a separate area to keep those llamas coming onto your place apart from your herd. Many large breeding facilities have such an arrangement. This not only can prevent parasites and other communicable diseases from entering your herd but may make breeding these llamas easier and less time consuming.
If you are building a barn or other structure for your llamas from scratch, some other things you may want to consider are these: How accessible is this structure to your home? Can you easily get to it even in bad weather? How important is it to your operation to be able to easily see your llamas from your home when they are outside? When babies are due, can you easily watch the mothers from your home or do you have to go outside and find them in the pasture? Can the barn be located in an area on the property that stays cooler in the summers or receives more shade? Can the pastures be located in areas that are not seasonally wet and away from marshland or swampy areas? Can you make use of woods nearby as shady areas for the llamas? Is there a pond on the property that can be used by the llamas to cool off in the summer?
It would be impossible to design a structure that would meet the needs of every llama owner. Therefore when deciding how to go about doing this, you have to look very carefully at your needs, what you like and what you can afford. If you think your needs may change, design your structure so that it can be easily and cheaply modified in the future.
