How it works
This is the barn in the picture books: a two-story dairy barn with hay above and cows below. Tap a part to see its name, or press Quiz me.
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Outside
The gambrel roof has two slopes on each side, which leaves more room for hay under it. A cupola on the ridge lets stale air out, and a weathervane often stands on top. The hay hood at the peak shelters the loft door. A sliding door opens at ground level, a lean-to adds a low shed along one wall, and the silo stores silage.
Inside
Hay is kept in the hayloft, also called the haymow. A hay carrier on a track under the ridge lifts it in. Below, each cow stands in a stall with her neck in a stanchion and eats from the manger. Feed comes down the feed alley, and a gutter runs behind the stalls.
- Hayloft, haymow and mow all name the same space. Mow rhymes with cow.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a barn called?
Outside: the gambrel roof, cupola, weathervane, hay hood, sliding door, lean-to and silo. Inside: the hayloft above, with its hay carrier, and the stable below, with stalls, stanchions, mangers, a feed alley and gutters.
What is the top of a barn called?
The roof that has two slopes a side is a gambrel roof. The small slatted structure on its ridge is a cupola, and the space under the roof, where hay is stored, is the hayloft or haymow.
What is the point on the front of a barn roof called?
A hay hood. The ridge is carried out past the gable wall to shelter the loft door and the pulley or track used to lift hay. It is also called a hay bonnet, crow's beak or widow's peak.
What is a stanchion in a barn?
An upright frame at the front of a stall that closes loosely round a cow's neck. It keeps her in place while she eats from the manger or is milked, and she can still stand up and lie down.