Barn Squad

Weekly Barn Cleaning Duties

Families and students of Taylor FFA working with animals at Katy ISD barns will unite to maintain cleanliness. By signing up for cleanup rotations and fulfilling assigned duties, and accepting weeks where we need additional support, we prioritize keeping the barn spotless.

Together, let's work towards maintaining the cleanest barn consistently with zero red or yellow tags from Katy ISD.

Stay tuned for a checklist of tasks & the upcoming website portal for photo uploads of the barn after your team cleaned it.

Sign up form and checklist will be posted once all animal raisers are finalized.

For now the information below may be helpful:

Barn Cleaning: duties includer

• Trash must be taken out daily

• Floors should be swept daily

• Equipment should be put away and cleaned after use.

• Feed rooms and pens should be tidy at all times.

• You must clean up any poop of your animal especially in common areas or walkways.

There are random checks by Katy ISD and we never want to get a cleanliness issue tag on your pen or the Taylor barn. Cleanliness also keeps our animals healthy and safe from disease so please be sure to keep this in mind.

Barn Rules:

Barn rules are currently being updated with the district. We will make sure to post them as soon as they are approved and ready to share with students and families.

Some rules for now, subject to change include:

Barn Gates: The main barn gates should always be secured at all times. You should also triple check your pen gates as well before you leave.

Water Hose: Your water house should be wrapped and secure when not in use and the water should be 100% turned off with no drip, to prevent harm to your animal as well as a flooded pen.

Barn Guests: It's a Taylor FFA rule that only animal raisers, their immediate family and anyone who is coming to feed on your behalf are allowed in the barn, for more information reach out to the Taylor FFA Ag teachers.

Assigned Barn: You are only permitted to be in the barn that you are assigned for your animal. There are occasions where we may have to share a barn with another school but for the most part each school has their own barn and are not permitted to go into a barn that they are not assigned to.

Feed & Supplements: Only use your feed and/or supplements. You are permitted to have a locked pen box or locked feed storage container. Sharing of feed/supplements and supplies is permitted only with permission of the owner. For more information on what type of feed or supplements is best reach out to your Ag teacher.

Animal Care: Animals should be fed, groomed, walked, have clean water and treated humanly at all times. Your Ag teacher has more information regarding each animal species specific needs and recommendations on frequency.

Animals Leaving the Barn: You are permitted to leave the barn with your animal and transport your animal to jackpots, other competitions and even to your home. Trailers and cages are available for rental from the FFA Booster Club or you can bring your own. You are not required to use the barns and are permitted to raise your animal at home exclusively. For additional information and rules around this please reach out to your Ag teacher.

Barn FAQ's

Stay tuned for upcoming resources and valuable insights tailored to assist students and parents in fostering student achievement through animal care and barn utilization.

Barn Card: Each Animal Raiser will be given a free barn card from their teachers as they get closer to getting their animal. This barn card grants the student access to the barns and barn parking areas. They are returned back to the teachers when our pens have been cleaned and animals auctioned.

If you loose a barn card you can be a fee $10 first replacement and $20 for the second replacement via the Katy ISD Pay N' Go application.

Barn Facility Usage Fee: also known as a student facility usage fee ranging from $40-$200 depending if you are sharing a pen or have a full pen or doing a major or only the Katy ISD rodeo. Paid via the Katy ISD Pay N' Go application you can select the plan that works best for you. Questions reach out to your Ag teacher.

Barn Hours: Updates coming soon! In 2024-2025 the barn opened at 6am and closed at 10pm and no one could enter the area or be there past 9pm. Awaiting confirmation on this years hours.

Barn Entrance: There is a separate card entry gate for the barn area and a secondary card entry gate for parking for barn use. This is a separate but right next to the Katy I.S.D. Gerald D. Young Agriculture Science Center located at 5801 Katy Hockley Cut Off Rd., Katy, TX 77494.

Restroom: There is a student restroom that is shared between the two horizontal rows of barns.

Sick Animal: If your animal is sick please reach out to your Ag teacher, they are well trained to give you support and connect you to a vet if needed.

Competitions: All animals are registered to participate in the Katy ISD Livestock Show and Rodeo, for more information on that event and the rules see their page under the events tab. You are also able to show in jackpots and other competitions, but there are rules for that, and it is not school sponsored so you have to manage all the details and transport. You can also participate in Majors but would require a second animal to show in Majors with additional rules that are managed by the student with some Ag teacher support. Connect with your Ag teacher for more information. FFA Booster Club trailers and cages are available for rent to help.

Teacher Support: Ag teachers are at the barn regularly and post office hours weekly. You student can always reach out to them directly as well for any questions or concerns about the barn.