Is it more efficient to have two barns with two workers in each, than one barn with four workers ?
Don’t know about the relationship between cheese/milk output from barns with smaller numbers of cows/workers and larger, but two barns allows you to have the cows grazing in two different areas, each smaller than one big pasture for a full-sized, fully-stocked barn, which may be much more efficient for your town/village.
Several times I’ve kept smaller, non-upgraded Barns because there just wasn’t any pasture area close to the Barn sites until I moved them and having the cows spend half their time traveling a long distance to graze is definitely less efficient.
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I have one worker per three cows, with herd size set at 7.
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I think the optimal number is depending on many cows you slaughter per year +1.
So when at the start of the year they slaugther the cows, at least 1 worker can herd the rest and not let them run away.
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Ah, good points. I have noticed that some cows run away from time to time, that would indicate to few hearders then 
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The optimal number of workers in a barn will depend on several factors
- How close is a supply of root vegetables and grain for winter food and food while milking. How far is the grazing pastures from the barn. If workers need to travel a long way to supply the barn then they aren’t doing other tasks like herding, milking, and butchering meat.
- Fodder Quality - The lower the fodder quality the more time workers need to spend stocking the barn.
I’ve managed to get away with as little as 3 workers in a barn with 20 cattle if I’ve optimized the things mentioned above. My strategy is to always start with at least 2 workers in a barn then add one more if the herd becomes unhealthy.
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Barn pasture can be cultivated by overlaying farm fields (zero farmers assigned) and running two crops of clover for a few years.
The 15 x 15 pasture works well with four 8 x 7 clover fields that I set up with two early, and two late crop groupings, and an empty space in the center for a beehive if you have a mind to.
Keeps half the pasture in clover for the entire grazing season and greatly improves the fodder quality.
After a few years and once Fodder is at 100% during summer grazing, you can delete the farm fields, the quality stays and your Professions table doesn’t show a shortage of farmers.
No need to make your cows hike to BFE, regardless of local fodder quality.
But, you knew all this, Boris.
I’m afraid my towns aren’t as neatly organized as most that are shown here - I tend to go more for the ‘Organic Medieval Town Look’ (by default if not on purpose!) This was my last build, on my favorite Lowland Lakes Map, three Barns spread out with their clovered pastures right next to each of them, cheesemakers on the other side of the town wall and a pack of granaries and root cellars just beyond to feed all the critters. The Compost right next to the barns was pure chance - it was meant to service the residences just to the north, ended up keeping tghe barns clean as well.
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yeah you are like me. I do not build grids and in fact your roads are straight. mine
are made like real life where as the people go often is where a road is put down on
top of their footpath. So mine tend to be VERY Organic Medieval Town Look.
That being said after I am at tier 4 for awhile that is when I start to reorganize.
I just started a vanquisher large map alpine and the raiders attack every 2 years
and it was all about just getting every down ASAP lol Frustrating map
with no clay and no hollow and totally mountains. I ended up having to fatten
a huge mountain just to built a town. NO flat land anywhere. When I get back
in the game I’ll take a pic and post. I just hit 400 peeps so it is now getting stable
but it is beyond Organic as it is just a flat out mess lol
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