# Heated goat shelter?



## Iwantgoats (Feb 9, 2010)

do goats need heat for their shelter in the winter?  We would have a completely closed in shed for them.  I live in western NY so the winters can get very cold.


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## lilhill (Feb 9, 2010)

Just a good, thick bedding, plenty of hay to munch on and a place to get out of the elements.  I wouldn't completely close them in though ... give them the option of going in and out when they choose.


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## ksalvagno (Feb 9, 2010)

Like Lilhill, plenty of good bedding and lots of hay to eat. I do have to close the barn doors when we get bad wind and snow. Their doors face south and east but we get a lot of south winds so I have to close the south door every night. Lately the wind has been coming out of the east too so I close the east door at night too. During the day, I open them. I don't like to leave them closed in 24x7.


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## freemotion (Feb 9, 2010)

I am in MA, so similar to NY, and I don't close the door (south-facing.)  I close it partially when it is very windy and cold or the rain/snow is blowing in, but the girls can still get in and out.  

I do have a couple of snug stalls that I can put someone in if they need to be warmer, like babies.  But I can't remember the last time I closed the door up tight.  Maybe tomorrow with the N'oreaster coming!  I have a very deep bed of straw that I keep putting more straw on top of, and will have a huge job cleaning it out in the spring.  I have to clean by the door now and then, as the weather comes in a bit there and when it is bad out, the does go near the door to pee so it gets a bit ripe.  Otherwise, my deep bedding method is working out great.


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## cmjust0 (Feb 10, 2010)

So long as they have free choice hay and can bed down in a dry spot that's out of the wind and precipitation, goats generally sail right on along through bone chilling cold.  

We down down last night, for instance, to bring our goats warm water..  The ambient temp was 13F, with winds gusting 30mph+..  Wind chills were -3, -4...it was miserable.  

Walked into the barn and there they all were, huddled up together in one of the stalls out of the wind.  I lit the lantern and they all started to get up and strrrrrrrrretch and yawn and shake the hay off their backs like there wasn't a thing in the world to be worried about..  Kinda like "Oh hey, humans...what are you doing here on a night like this?  Aren't you _cold_?"


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