# Build your own goat housing?



## MomMommyMamma

We're looking into getting 2 dwarf or pygmy goats. I understand that we could use dog houses but I'm concerned about then needing a separate space to keep their feed dry (we get a lot of rain in WV). We built our own chicken coop. I'm wondering if there are simple plans out there for a small goat barn/shelter. I'd like something large enough that an adult can stand in. We may want to have a milk goat. I'm trying to take all of this into consideration. It may end up being cheaper and wiser to buy a pre-fab wood shed from Lowes or something and then build dividers into the inside. Any thoughts? Pictures would be great too!


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## ksalvagno

I would just build a shed. The largest you can afford. You always need more room.


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## BellLisaMo

Pallets. Use pallets to build a shed. I have done this for my chickens and will do this for my llamas, goats and cow this weekend. Pallets are free most of the time from big businesses ;O)
With a little work, you can make a great big, great looking shed!


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## Livinwright Farm

It will be cheaper all ways around if you build one yourself. you have to have a permit to put up even the prefab sheds... but if you are under a certain $$ amount for building your own, you don't need a permit.

Ours is a 12x13x13 + pitched roof.  It was MUCH cheaper than buying a prefab. 





the base is made of 4 - PT 6x6x12's, walls are made with 2x6x12's, rafters are 2x6x8's, 3 side-by-side double hung window was found in the clearance section of HomeDepot(normally $500+, purchased for $75), side door was found clearanced at Lowes(can't recall price, but was an unbelieveable deal), front door crafted out of spare wood for free.
Stall seperations beams: 4x4x8(cut in half). Long beam along front of stalls: 4x4x12(cut to fit snuggly between the outer 6x6x12's).

Will have to check with my DF as to what size boards were used to form the loft floor framing.


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## chandasue

BellLisaMo said:
			
		

> Pallets. Use pallets to build a shed. I have done this for my chickens and will do this for my llamas, goats and cow this weekend. Pallets are free most of the time from big businesses ;O)
> With a little work, you can make a great big, great looking shed!


There was an article in one of the recent Mary Jane's Farm magazines (it's really a sappy magazine but has good ideas once in a while...) where they used a combo of pallets and those canvas car ports to make livestock housing. They basically reinforced the lower half on the inside of the car port with the pallets and a base, anchored it to the ground and put a real door on the front.


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## BellLisaMo

chandasue said:
			
		

> BellLisaMo said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pallets. Use pallets to build a shed. I have done this for my chickens and will do this for my llamas, goats and cow this weekend. Pallets are free most of the time from big businesses ;O)
> With a little work, you can make a great big, great looking shed!
> 
> 
> 
> There was an article in one of the recent Mary Jane's Farm magazines (it's really a sappy magazine but has good ideas once in a while...) where they used a combo of pallets and those canvas car ports to make livestock housing. They basically reinforced the lower half on the inside of the car port with the pallets and a base, anchored it to the ground and put a real door on the front.
Click to expand...

Very cool! I build alot of pens out of scrap. My horse corral which has my llamas, goats and cow... that i spent a bit of money on... but it was a necessity. Thier shed will be built this weekend and will have a door and windows ;O) 

I'll be sure to take pictures!


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## Weedchick

Craigs List and Habitat for Humanity ReStores are great for getting inexpensive building materials also.


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## MomMommyMamma

We used pallets for both of sour chicken coops. It was cheap, but then hubby bought pricey roofing and that's why I am thinking if we're going to spend that much money on roofing, why not just buy a shed lol! The pallets were a lot of work and are often different sizes. We used plexiglass for the window. It's nice for light but it would have been nicer if we could have found a window that opens for cheap. 
On the ventilation...
With chickens, you want loads of ventilation (high & low but not on the birds), is it the same for goats? From the books I've been going through it sounds like goats need more of a sealed shelter. Not airtight, but not as ventilated as a coop - yes?


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## ksalvagno

They definitely need ventilation but probably not quite as much as chickens. I guess it depends on how much ventilation you gave your chickens. We used a shed for our chickens and we had a roof vent installed along with the usual vents on both peak sides and we also have 4 windows that we can open in the summer. That would also work out great for the goats.


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## Our7Wonders

My girls seem to have plenty of ventilation.  We have a shed - 3 sides enclosed - south side closed on only half.  It's an 8x8 bulding.  The roof was framed with 2x6 material.  Then sheeted with inexpensive plywood.  Tarp paper over that and then metal roofing.  The 2x6s are on end, so it creates vents where the wall and roof meet.  Ours was spendier than it had to be because it's a main focal point when we look off our front deck -so it's sheeted with T1-11 siding.  We could have sided it for half the cost if we had used plywood instead.


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## Goatherd

Building is certainly one way to go, but if you have the ability to have a shed brought to you, Craigslist is the place to find really good deals on sheds, much cheaper than you could build or buy yourself.

Even if you don't have a truck to transport it in it's assembled state, you might be able to disassemble it and bring it home in another way.

I recently purchased a "storage unit crate" on CL to use in my pasture for the girls to have shelter from the elements when they are not in the barn.  It's 8ft long, 5ft wide and 6ft tall.  I bought it unassembled and it was easy to bring home on my trailer.  It is unfinished and I will paint the pieces before assembling it and hopefully it will serve my needs.  It cost me $200, which is less than if I went and purchased the wood myself.

Sorry, I don't have a picture of it yet.


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## peachick

i use the old canvas carport that hubby had his boat in....  then I reinforced the bottom with heavy wire.  I also have a bunch of dog x-pens from my dog show days and they are perfect for making individual stalls....  and fencing off the corner where the stack of hay is kept.  I just use those green stick in the ground posts to keep them in place...


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## ohiogoatgirl

build bigger then you think you will need. goats multiply like rabbits and once you get addicted you will be drooling over all the classifieds!  and if your barn is waaaayyyy bigger then you need you have an excuse to get more goats... or not having enough space wont be an excuse not to get them 
good luck!


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## peachick

ohiogoatgirl said:
			
		

> ... or not having enough space wont be an excuse not to get them
> good luck!


ahahaha  so true!


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## MomMommyMamma

Just found this and I love it!! http://www.oklahomahistory.net/palletshed.html
What type of floor is best for a goat barn/shed? It looks like we'll be using pallets. My husband asked if they even need flooring? I'm guessing it's healthier to have a floor other than dirt?


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## phoenixmama

We (okay fine, my wonderful husband did the vast majority of the work) built one of those 8X14 metal sheds made by Arrow.  We purchased it for a couple hundred bucks at Home Depot.  The doors open really wide, and we keep them open all the time making it basically a three-sided barn.  We are really happy with it, and it looks really nice.  We never would have been able to build one that cheaply using wood, and other conventional building materials.  It is definitely mostly a 2 person job though.  

He then built a hay loft inside the little barn that can store 3-4 100 lb. bales of hay.  He placed the loft supports in a way to provide a place for the hay feeder.  It works great for a few Nubians.  

Many have suggested using Craigslist to find sheds.  Let me respectfully offer a dissenting opinion.  Around here, you can find the same sheds for a *little* less money.  However, most people have them already put together at their place so you would have to go take it apart and then put it back together at your place.  Not to mention, they have already been used and are perhaps beat up a bit.  My husband and I decided it wasn't worth a $50 savings to have to spend an entire day to disassemble a shed at someone's place.  You really need to decide how much your time is worth to you.  Just my $0.02.


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## phoenixmama

MomMommyMamma said:
			
		

> Just found this and I love it!! http://www.oklahomahistory.net/palletshed.html
> What type of floor is best for a goat barn/shed? It looks like we'll be using pallets. My husband asked if they even need flooring? I'm guessing it's healthier to have a floor other than dirt?


We didn't build a floor, as we heard from many people that a dirt floor really is the best.  Granted, we live in the low Sonoran desert of Arizona so perhaps someone in a different climate would feel differently.


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## MomMommyMamma

phoenixmama said:
			
		

> MomMommyMamma said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just found this and I love it!! http://www.oklahomahistory.net/palletshed.html
> What type of floor is best for a goat barn/shed? It looks like we'll be using pallets. My husband asked if they even need flooring? I'm guessing it's healthier to have a floor other than dirt?
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't build a floor, as we heard from many people that a dirt floor really is the best.  Granted, we live in the low Sonoran desert of Arizona so perhaps someone in a different climate would feel differently.
Click to expand...

Good to know. We live in WV and it is rainy, snowy, wet here often. The soil is clay and we are on a hill though - so we have relatively good drainage. I guess now that I think about it, under our deck stays pretty darn dry even though it's all open underneath it and there are slats that allow rain water to drain down.


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## phoenixmama

MomMommyMamma said:
			
		

> phoenixmama said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> MomMommyMamma said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Just found this and I love it!! http://www.oklahomahistory.net/palletshed.html
> What type of floor is best for a goat barn/shed? It looks like we'll be using pallets. My husband asked if they even need flooring? I'm guessing it's healthier to have a floor other than dirt?
> 
> 
> 
> We didn't build a floor, as we heard from many people that a dirt floor really is the best.  Granted, we live in the low Sonoran desert of Arizona so perhaps someone in a different climate would feel differently.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Good to know. We live in WV and it is rainy, snowy, wet here often. The soil is clay and we are on a hill though - so we have relatively good drainage. I guess now that I think about it, under our deck stays pretty darn dry even though it's all open underneath it and there are slats that allow rain water to drain down.
Click to expand...

If there's good drainage where you are, then I would still suggest a dirt floor since the urine just drains away.


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## MomMommyMamma

Do you put straw down or any type of litter in a goat barn?


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## phoenixmama

MomMommyMamma said:
			
		

> Do you put straw down or any type of litter in a goat barn?


Here's some quick info on how we are doing things now.  Keep in mind we just got our girls June of 2010, so I'm sure I'll tweak things as I go.  My backyard is 1/2 acre surrounded by concrete block wall...but the goat barn is in an area approximately 20x30 fenced with chain link fencing.  The girls are locked up in this area at night.  Inside the barn I started out bedding it with some super cheap dry/mold-free cow hay I found for $3/bale.  I'm currently doing a deep litter type thing in there so I throw down the wasted hay they don't eat on top of what's already there.  I also sprinkle down some Sweet PDZ granules in the areas that they pee in the barn.  Within the 20x30 area, there is one spot that they use mainly to pee when they are locked up...in that spot I put lots of Sweet PDZ then the whole area is covered with a layer of rice hull bedding.  When the corner that they primarily use to pee starts to smell a bit I rake up that section, put down a few more cups of Sweet PDZ and some fresh rice hulls.  

The reason I use rice hulls in the outside area of their pen is because when it does rain, the top layer of the rice hulls feel dry as the water soaks through. 

I hope that long answer to your simple question was helpful.  

Edited to add:  I try to be hyper-aware about the cleanliness and how their area smells because I live in a suburban area with close neighbors.  I try to be as neighborly as I can, and want to keep everyone happy.  If you have a larger piece of land, then you might not need to go to the same lengths I do to keep a clean-smelling goat area.  I'm also planning on giving my new buckling a bath every week while he's in rut...gotta keep the neighbors happy.


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## MomMommyMamma

phoenixmama said:
			
		

> MomMommyMamma said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Do you put straw down or any type of litter in a goat barn?
> 
> 
> 
> Here's some quick info on how we are doing things now.  Keep in mind we just got our girls June of 2010, so I'm sure I'll tweak things as I go.  My backyard is 1/2 acre surrounded by concrete block wall...but the goat barn is in an area approximately 20x30 fenced with chain link fencing.  The girls are locked up in this area at night.  Inside the barn I started out bedding it with some super cheap dry/mold-free cow hay I found for $3/bale.  I'm currently doing a deep litter type thing in there so I throw down the wasted hay they don't eat on top of what's already there.  I also sprinkle down some Sweet PDZ granules in the areas that they pee in the barn.  Within the 20x30 area, there is one spot that they use mainly to pee when they are locked up...in that spot I put lots of Sweet PDZ then the whole area is covered with a layer of rice hull bedding.  When the corner that they primarily use to pee starts to smell a bit I rake up that section, put down a few more cups of Sweet PDZ and some fresh rice hulls.
> 
> The reason I use rice hulls in the outside area of their pen is because when it does rain, the top layer of the rice hulls feel dry as the water soaks through.
> 
> I hope that long answer to your simple question was helpful.
> 
> Edited to add:  I try to be hyper-aware about the cleanliness and how their area smells because I live in a suburban area with close neighbors.  I try to be as neighborly as I can, and want to keep everyone happy.  If you have a larger piece of land, then you might not need to go to the same lengths I do to keep a clean-smelling goat area.  I'm also planning on giving my new buckling a bath every week while he's in rut...gotta keep the neighbors happy.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the info! The rice hulls - where do you get those and are they expensive? I'm wondering if those are appropriate for our chicken pen too when it gets really muddy when have lots of rain.


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## phoenixmama

The feed stores around me carry rice hull bedding.  I believe the brand is Permastall?  It's $9-10 for a compressed bale of it.  I think the website is permastallplus.com and on their site there are pictures showing the size of the bales.


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