# Poop on shoes...



## stevepax (Jul 14, 2012)

We just got two nigerian dwarf goats. The kids (human ones...) absolutely love them, of course, and we've been spending tons of time out with them. We live on a quarter acre lot in a populated suburb, and the city allows goats that are less than 100 pounds full grown, so we built them a pen and a shelter and brought them home. But the problem is, any time we visit the pen, we end up with goat poop stuck to our shoes. I'd sweep it up in the pen, but you can't really see it out there - the pen is under a couple of huge fir trees, so the ground is covered in fir needles, a few fir cones, and other fir tree material droppings. So the goat berries blend right in, frankly. Until they are stuck to our shoes, and in my living room.

I have a boot brush by the back door, but it isn't always enough (especially for my children, who don't quite have the technique down). 

Any advice? How do we keep shoes clean to come inside, or heaven forbid we want to leave the house to go somewhere?

-Steve


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 14, 2012)

I have found to have a pair of "barn shoes" with a smooth sole works best.  I tie the shoe strings so they can slip on and off easily.  I keep the shoes I wear inside just outside the door and interchange.

Just wait until it rains, then you have smeary sticky goat poop on shoes you wear out to the barn/pen and it's really messy!!

I had to laugh when I read your post.  A familar old problem for me too!!

But goat poop makes terrific fertilizer.  It composts so quickly.

DonnaBelle


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## elevan (Jul 14, 2012)

I use the barn shoes too.  They're kept by the backdoor and are never worn through the house only outside.  Mine are rubber type garden clogs and then I have a pair of muck boots.


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## Catahoula (Jul 14, 2012)

I just get a pair of cheapo rain boots and leave them outside too. I am learning to NOT clean so much also. Yeah, wait till it rains or if you have snow...snow.


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## Roll farms (Jul 14, 2012)

Barn shoes.  And muck boots.  And winter muck boots.  I have more 'barn shoes' than I have 'regular shoes'.

The trick is getting them to put them on before they go in the goat area, and then take them off before they come in the house.

Took me 15 yrs to get it through my husband's head....


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## bjjohns (Jul 14, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Barn shoes.  And muck boots.  And winter muck boots.  I have more 'barn shoes' than I have 'regular shoes'.
> 
> The trick is getting them to put them on before they go in the goat area, and then take them off before they come in the house.
> 
> Took me 15 yrs to get it through my husband's head....


I've also got barn sandals, do those count?


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## lilhill (Jul 14, 2012)

I agree ... Muck boots, barn clogs and a taller barn boot, all by the door inside the garage.   Slip them on when going to the barn and slip them off before going into the house.  When it is raining and everything gets real nasty, I can just use the hose to rinse the boots off.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jul 14, 2012)

I just use these:


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## Rose N Lynne Farm (Jul 14, 2012)

I go barefoot....


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## lilhill (Jul 15, 2012)

Straw Hat Kikos said:
			
		

> I just use these:
> 
> http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/uploads/6788_5-15-2012_069.jpg


Oh, my!  Those are my dress boots.


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## Chris (Jul 15, 2012)

Get some good Rubber Boot, Don't wast your money on the cheap ones if your kids are going to use them a lot because you'll be buying new ones within a month.  
We got our kids a good pair of rubber boots at a local harness and boot shop, I think we paid 25.00 a pair for them but there made good and they were made in Canada. 

Chris


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## bjjohns (Jul 15, 2012)

Chris said:
			
		

> Get some good Rubber Boot, Don't wast your money on the cheap ones if your kids are going to use them a lot because you'll be buying new ones within a month.
> We got our kids a good pair of rubber boots at a local harness and boot shop, I think we paid 25.00 a pair for them but there made good and they were made in Canada.
> 
> Chris


I like the "Muck" brand boots. In the summer I just roll-down the neoprene tops to keep cool. I do find myself re-gluing them about every two years.


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## Cricket (Jul 15, 2012)

Summer I'm with Emma--and a garden hose right by the door.  And any shoe/boot that slips on and off with your hands full.  And dogs seems to think poop is an incredible delicacy, no matter how much they have access to.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jul 15, 2012)

lilhill said:
			
		

> Straw Hat Kikos said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hahah Really?


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## marliah (Jul 15, 2012)

I have a no shoes in the house rule, keeps the poop contained to the outdoors or the entryway.


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## Pearce Pastures (Jul 15, 2012)

Yup, everyone here (from the 3 year old to my hubby) have barn sandals, rubber boots from TSC, and a pair of old sneakers (used depending on the time of year and task).  They either stay on the barn porch or in the mudroom but do not enter the house.  From time to time, (like when we went to a fair and wore our barn sneakers to go check out all of the animals there) we will soak them in a lysol solution to clean them up really well but most of the time we just let them be since we are only wearing them in our own animals poo.


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## HankTheTank (Jul 15, 2012)

I have boots like Straw Hat for general everyday use, including barn stuff, and I have an old pair of sneakers I put on if I don't feel like wearing boots. Lately though, I've just been going barefoot 

For our "rainy season" aka Spring, I do have a pair of rubber boots but tend to only use them if it's one of those times my yard turns into a lake.


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## Straw Hat Kikos (Jul 15, 2012)

HankTheTank said:
			
		

> I have boots like Straw Hat for general everyday use, including barn stuff, and I have an old pair of sneakers I put on if I don't feel like wearing boots. Lately though, I've just been going barefoot
> 
> For our "rainy season" aka Spring, I do have a pair of rubber boots but tend to only use them if it's one of those times my yard turns into a lake.


Can we have a picture of your boots please? lol


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## SheepGirl (Jul 15, 2012)

I have flip flops that I wear when I just go out to dump the hay over the fenceline into the feeder, but when I need to go into the pens I put on a pair of boots and my Carhartt coveralls 

My flip flops stay inside the house next to the garage door, but my boots stay in the garage near the door.


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## Stacykins (Jul 15, 2012)

Shoes come off in this household too. Even for guests. It is a habit that stuck very strongly after living in Japan for four years. There, outdoor shoes NEVER go further than the entryway. For good reason, it keeps the dirt and grime from getting dragged into the living area. Kinda odd that more people don't do that here in the States, especially since most houses have a lot of carpet, which is a dirt magnet compared to bamboo floors.


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## ILuvSheep (Jul 15, 2012)

I will sometimes go barefoot in the moring for the chickens, but NEVER in the enclosure  lets leave it at- Turkey poop and chicken waste are MUCH different then pellets 

I have a pair of crocs, wear 'em everywhere. I think since their so small really only crushed peices can get stuck, but thats bout it. That and the heels are SO worn down, LMAO. But they work good but like everyone else- unless in a hurry they NEVER touch the carpet


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