Red Barns

Why are barns red?


Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a blue one, a yellow one, an orange one, or a green one.  The new metal-sided ones don't count - only the ones that a cow or a pig would be proud to call home.


They're just so... jolly!


Then... Why, oh why did I decide to Google that question to learn the "real" reason? 

One source said that farmers mixed rust with an oil mixture because rust is a poison to moss and mold. Ok... it's certainly not a romanitic or fanciful reason, but it makes sense.
Another source said that farmers mixed blood from their slaughters with the oil. Oh, no... can we just agree to forget that we read that?

I'd like to think that maybe farmers discovered that cows are soothed by the color red... oh, wait... Doesn't red make bulls mad?
Maybe farmers want to make their workplace beautiful... No... Every farmer I know is much too practical for that...


Whatever the reason, I love coming across a red barn, especially when it's obvious that it's had a life filled with animals, equipment, hay, and farmers.


 Hooray for the red barn!