# is this too small of a shelter?



## daisycullen2003 (Oct 24, 2009)

hi all, 

i have 2 nigerian dwarf goats and have been experimenting w/ how to keep them best. i would like to keep them in moveable electric netting so i can get them to different areas of the property and protect them from predators. i want to have a shelter for them. right now we are taking them into the barn at night, but it's more work than i would like although i will do it. i tried a dog igloo for them but they wouldn't go into it and one day i got home and they had broken it to pieces! i guess they really didn't like it! i just bought another dog house for them but now i am wondering if it's too small. where they lived last, they had a dog house for shelter and seemed to love it.also, a dog house would be easier for me to move when i move their grazing area.  here is the link to the dog house i bought: www.doghouses.com/dog-houses/wood-dog-houses/extremeoutbacklogcabin1.cfm#tabs. maybe i should just have my husband build a hoop house?

thanks!
lisa


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## kimmyh (Oct 24, 2009)

That's a nice dog house, but you will probably need two of them in the winter, and that's a lot to haul around from place to place. I think since you are moving your pen, I would use a hoop house. Once it is constructed, one person should be able to move it without too much trouble.


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## Queen Mum (Nov 1, 2009)

You know, as a portable shelter, I use a cattle panel (small mesh) cut in three equal pieces. Two of equal size and the third a bit smaller. 

Buzz off the sharp parts with an angle grinder, then  hook two pieces together with the large hog rings.   

Put the third smaller piece on the bottom.  Leave one side unhooked and use snap rings to hold the third side so you can fold it up to move it.  

Use a heavy tarp to cover it.  (Painters tarp with grommets.) or a Tent tarp.  BUT, 

You have to make sure that the tarp is sturdy and tied down well and that it wraps around the back.  

If you want it to curve in to a quonset hut, put a ratcheting tie down around it (down the sides, back up and over the top) an ratchet it in to a roundish shape. 

_*The last step is important!*_  Put some kind of board inside on the bottom.  Don't want those little feeties going through the mesh and getting caught.  Then, put in a bunch of straw.  

If your goats decide to climb it, put some kind of plastic over it.  I use an old green plastic compost bin.  It keeps them from falling through and breaking a leg.

My girls prefer a wide opening.  They can go out the back if they panic.  AND you can use the three parts standing up as a temporary pen.  

I also use mine on the back of my pickup (I have a ranger) and ratchet it down to a rounded shape hooked to the tie down rings in the bed.  I made a 'gate' with a small piece of  cow panel which I hook in with snap rings.  It's a great way to pen the goats in to the back.  

Remember, though, a portable shelter is NOT a solution for very cold weather.  It is really a rain and sun shelter.  You can hook in a feed or water pan on the mesh.

Sara *")*


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## Sweet Cheeks (Nov 1, 2009)

I'm in the Pacific NW with lots of drizzle and occasional down poors.

My daughter and I whipped up a cattle panel hoop shelter in two hours one night.

I had read up on them on BYC's and had bought 3 cattle panels with plans to make a chicken tractor so my hens could safely free range but never got around to it.

For the goats we used two of the panels ziptied together and then attached to 2" x 4"s.  The hard part was then pulling it up and having the daughter hold it in place while I added the cross pieces.

We had to push it up against the shop so she could hold it on the other side.

Moved it to the pasture area, ziptied a heavyduty tarp, made a platform for them to stand on, and put a chair for me to sit in while visiting them and they love it.

Eventually, I'll make a plywood back so its more stable and get a trap that goes all the way to the ground.  

You can make it wider if you want.  I'm 5'8" and wanted to be able to walk under it.

You could add more cross pieces and add wheels for easy moving.


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## Queen Mum (Nov 2, 2009)

Nice Job on the shelter.  I like the size of it.  You could put a piece of cattle panel across the back to attach a tarp to it.  Other than that, it's great.

Sara


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## freemotion (Nov 2, 2009)

Love it!  What happens when the wind is blowing hard?


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## kimmyh (Nov 2, 2009)

Yep, that's hoop house. Great pictures.


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