barnyard

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Gathering Hay for Hayloft

Farmers took great pride in their barns and their barnyards, as shown by this kitchen wall needlepoint.

A barnyard (American English) or farmyard (British English) is a yard adjoined to a barn . As a combination of architecture and landscape design, the barnyard is less common now than in former times, especially since the tractor and truck have replaced the horse and wagon.

A barnyard of the 1800s was fenced-in an area of an acre or more; the area is less in modern times. The barnyard is the domain of the mules, horses, and other working animals, as well as fowl and working pets, such as barn cats. Animals often rest in barnyards after days of work on the farm. On small farms, pasture animals such milk goats or a dairy cow may stay in the barnyard when not in the fields.

The barnyard is also a good place for an apple or pear tree, which can provide shade. The watering trough (in past times supplied by water from a hand driven well) occupy a prominent place in the barnyard, with the water kept in wooden or metal troughs. The water trough must be filled daily, perhaps by a pitcher pump, or by windmill power. Pumping the trough full, by hand, might be the chore of the farm boys. It takes a long time of continuous pumping with a pitcher pump to fill a large trough.

A large barn is often central to the barnyard, storing wagons and a hay rake, and providing stalls for the farm animals. A hayloft occupies the second floor, the barn cupola capped off the hayloft. The loft has a series of openings in the floor just above the stalls. These openings are used to fork hay into the cribs below. The hayloft is a pleasant place to play on rainy days, and children tunnel through the hay and build mounds to jump into. Frequently, the barn houses the corn crib and a corn sheller. The corn is used to supplement the hay diet and is relished both by horses and mules, as well as by foraging chickens and guinea fowl. It is also a boon to mice and rats, so farmers often keep barn cats to control vermin.