# to clean a goat stall



## Tapsmom (Sep 13, 2012)

:/ Hi everyone.  My barn is filling with critters  My goats are in a horse stall..next to my horse in his stall. I am a horse person so am use to cleaning a stall daily..which I know is not the way to care for a goat stall.  How often and how do you properly clean a goat stall?  The little berries don't work with a pitchfork.  I have been putting a small amount of shavings down and then using uneaten hay as a cover so they have a fairly hayey stall.   If anyone has pictures that would be helpful.  I have 3 ND's and they are in a 10x10 stall.  Obviously we have allowed for herd expansion


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## redtailgal (Sep 13, 2012)

In the summer months, I just use sawdust or shavings.  I take a leaf rake and rake it over once a week, using a scoop to get up most of the berries and the waste hay.  I may add a wheelbarrow or two occasionally to keep them properly bedded.  I dont like to leave hay down for long in the summer, because its humid here and the hay (or even straw when I use it) gets moldy easy.  I also think that leaving hay or straw down draws more bugs and lice.

Once the weather starts turning chilly, I'll stop raking it over weekly and let the waste hay build up.  I'll go out weekly and place the cleaner hay in their sleeping area, so that by the time it gets cold, they will have a nice deep "nest" which I fluff daily (mostly so I'll have something to do while they eat).

Each spring and fall, I scoop out ALL the bedding and replace with fresh sawdust, after sprinkling some sevendust on the bare dirt.


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## Tapsmom (Sep 13, 2012)

Thank you!! That really clears it up for me.  Now I feel more confident.  I felt kind of silly asking the question, but I haven't been able to determine the best way to do it properly:/


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## redtailgal (Sep 13, 2012)

There's nothing to feel silly about, lol.

I am a horse person too, so I was used to being able to pick out horse apples daily.  It took me a couple months to adjust to not getting all the goat berries.

(SERIOUSLY, why do we give all this poop FOOD names........horse apple, goat berry, cow pie.....)


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## Tapsmom (Sep 13, 2012)

Maybe we're always hungry from ncaring for all these critters!


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