# What do you have for housing?



## Egg_Newton (May 20, 2010)

I am on a tight budget and need to build a shelter for 3-4 dwarf nigerians. What would you suggest?


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## MrsCountryChick (May 20, 2010)

I'd say a shelter big enough for them all to lay down in comfortably & move about in... you know in case there's a long rain or snow storm when they'll be inside for long periods of time. Or when it's hot & they want shade.  I have full size dairy goats so I'm not sure of a length by width answer. I know of someone that has mini goats (a mini herd it seems) & they have a decent sized square room for them with a doorway that suits 2 goats to enter side by side, and when they needed more room they opened the back of that shelter & added on another 3 sided shelter to it, (with the open 4th side using the existing shelter's back wall). They just winged it judging on what size herd they had, nothing specific they went by. But if you'll have kids in the spring you may want to make it a little larger than you need to fit the kids in come spring. Oh to save money on wood they used a sloped roof like a right angle. That way the back is slightly lower to drain off water, also that's most likely where the goats will be laying is in the back. Some people I've read have used "dog eared" privacy fencing for siding due to it being cheaper than 2x4s & also sturdier than thin wood sheeting. Good Luck!  Hopefully someone here can help better than I can.  Welcome to BYHerds!!! BackYardChickens has a posting forum that you may find helpful to search back archives onto too.


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## Lil-patch-of-heaven (May 23, 2010)

Just finished a nice and very large coop and paid for only the 2x4s to frame it. We check Craigslist and got an old wood privacy fence made of panels for free. The wood in contact with the ground had rotted but  we just cut that off and the rest was almost good as new inside. Little weathered outside but it fits into the wooded chicken yard. Maybe free materials like that would help?  We also got a couple dozen wooden pallets for free and have used them for milking stand, goat toys, rabbit cage frame and roof, gate frame, etc. The ones we got had very good wood for the frame. 

As far as goat shelter, we are blessed with an old barn on the property, so just converted part of that. Hope some part of this is helpful.


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## chandasue (May 24, 2010)

There's a few people here in MN that use those large white plastic domed calf pens for their Nigerians. I have no idea what they cost but maybe you can find one used from someone that raises cattle.

Edit: These things- http://www.polydome.com/calf_nursery.html


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## freemotion (May 24, 2010)

My dad and dh and I built a pig ark for less than $150, including stain.  It would make a great goat shelter.  It is surprisingly roomy, and takes the least amount of wood of any small shelter plan I could find.  It is probably not what you were looking for, but the idea would allow you to build a smaller shed if you could expand later with something like this.  Or start with something like this and build a bigger shed later.

Once everyone recovers (we are not carpenters and small projects are big projects!) I want another one or two (or three!) for goat shelters.  They will make great buck houses and weaning houses and even kidding shelters.  You can add more ventilation in hot climates and a door for cold weather.  I will add a baffle or windbreak a few feet away from the door for winter so I can leave it open, as I like to do.....something like a solid fence panel set up maybe three feet from the door to block winter winds, something that can be taken down in the summer.

Going to get the link with pictures.....be right back!

ETA:  Here is where the idea came from:  http://www.pigparadise.com/arks.html  If you click on the "photos" button, you will see some good pictures of the inside and can see how it is constructed.

We built the second one down, but made it a bit bigger.  We used two 4'x8' T111 sheets for each side, and the floor is 8'x6'.  The peak is thus higher than in the photo.  I will post pictures of the final project in my pig thread by the weekend, hopefully:  http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4831


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## Lil-patch-of-heaven (May 24, 2010)

Those pig arks remind me of a coop I built. I was looking for cheap and easily built by a non-carpenter (me lol). 

I did a floor frame of 2x4s that was 8x8. It took 4 sheets of plywood for the walls. Mine was about 7 feet tall but you could cut the sheets in half for mini goats and it would be almost 4 feet tall. I used a metal pole for the top center and drilled holes in 1x6s for the pole to feed through to make the supporting frame to nail the plywood to. They sat inside the bottom frame. I used a few more 1x6s across for extra support. The ends were open and covered with hardware cloth, and I used a tarp for nighttime or cold or rains. The whole thing including hardware, tarps, paint, hardware cloth, hole saw bit, and all was less than $150 for an 8x8 coop. Prices are higher now but your plywood sheets would go twice as far if you made it half the height. 

I'll have to look at that site more -- thanks Roll! I will need a buck house SOON. Now I'm debating if I have to lock them up at night. Fences will be secure and tall anyway and once they are grown I'm thinking they are not exactly easy targets so I was thinking of building them a more open shelter -- heat is more an issue here than cold. 

Thanks and hope the OP finds something that works well. I may be building on for my does/doelings if the alpha doesn't quit bullying everyone!


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## mully (May 24, 2010)

Egg_Newton said:
			
		

> I am on a tight budget and need to build a shelter for 3-4 dwarf nigerians. What would you suggest?


For a real quick shelter you can put 2 pcs of 4x8 plywood to form an "A" frame ...stake the ground edges and it will keep them dry, straw for floor. You can use this until you get a better shelter made.


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## freemotion (May 24, 2010)

I saw a cool temporary shelter built from two cattle (or other) panels bent into an arch and held in place with t-posts set in the ground along the edges.  Another panel was cut to make a back wall, and the rest was used to make a partial wall in the front with an open space for freely coming and going.  The entire thing was covered with a sturdy tarp.  Not the prettiest thing in the world, but it worked, and the photo showed contented goats loafing in it.


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## savingdogs (May 25, 2010)

Our structure was existing, but our goats are housed in a lean-to attached to a large shed, with a dirt floor and three sides, a slanted roof to keep off the rain/snow. We slide a wood door shut at night to complete the fourth side. Fallen hay makes their bedding and it does not even need to be cleaned often because the moisture drains away.


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## Aped (May 25, 2010)

I have nigerian dwarfs and I  built my shelter out of 2x4s and plywood. It's 8' x 20 feet. It's partitioned in the middle so there is an 8' x 8' side and an 8' x 12' side. The outside is fenced and I have no idea how big that is but it's not that big. I've split my herd up a number of ways depending on breeding and who was butting who but I've had 3 does and 1 kid in the 8 x 8 side and it was plenty for them considering they can get outside. I've wince switched sides though.


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## Egg_Newton (May 26, 2010)

I made a deal with a guy on craigslist. I have a wii that I bought myself for Christmas ans never play it. He has two 6x8 sheds he was going to demo to put in a bigger one. We are going to swap. He is going to put both of the sheds together for a 12x8 goat shed for me and I'm giving him my wii. Man, I love bartering!


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## freemotion (May 26, 2010)

Great deal!!!!!


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