I lock mine up at night. I used to leave it open but finding large canine prints in the first snow last fall circling their pen scared the doodoo out of me. If we had electric fencing I might chance it but we don't. We have had coyotes and stray dogs in the past and lost a lot of our freerange chickens to fox. When we move to a bigger place I will be looking into getting a herd guardian of some sort but that's a few years off.
Do you close your goats in the barn at night?
- Thread starter ChksontheRun
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Hollywood Goats
Ridin' The Range
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I lock mine up, we have large night hawk and raccoons, idk if either can hurt them but it is easier to just lock them in the barn.
mossyStone
Overrun with beasties
My Girls are out with their LGD and can go in or out..How ever the birds are in lock down after dark to sunup..... My Pup is just now starting to protect the birds and ducks this week 2 racoons lost in their bid to dine at our place 
WAY TO GO ARCHIE ( 11 Mos GP) AND JAZZ ( Blk Lab)
Mossy Stone Farm
WAY TO GO ARCHIE ( 11 Mos GP) AND JAZZ ( Blk Lab)
Mossy Stone Farm
Mea
Overrun with beasties
We do.
There has been quite a problem here with coydogs. Brazen critters they are ! And a certain "farmer" would leave his animal carcasses laying where they dropped. Shark bait in my opinion. Anyway... that helped encourage the varmints on our hill.
So... our goats are closed in the barn... with sections of stock panels across the doors, so the air can circulate easily. The babies are fenced in a chain link dog run ( 6' high) within the main fencing.
The sheep are closed in a "night pasture" close to the barn... with the wool coats they need to be outside when it is hot at night. ( even in the winter, we will see them laying down outside...in the sn*w )
The big bucks have more access to an outside pen at night... but they are pretty big and not terribly "nice".
And i agree that closing them in.. can help with noise controll ! Does in heat do not care What time it is when they proclaim undieing luv for the buck !!!
There has been quite a problem here with coydogs. Brazen critters they are ! And a certain "farmer" would leave his animal carcasses laying where they dropped. Shark bait in my opinion. Anyway... that helped encourage the varmints on our hill.
So... our goats are closed in the barn... with sections of stock panels across the doors, so the air can circulate easily. The babies are fenced in a chain link dog run ( 6' high) within the main fencing.
The sheep are closed in a "night pasture" close to the barn... with the wool coats they need to be outside when it is hot at night. ( even in the winter, we will see them laying down outside...in the sn*w )
The big bucks have more access to an outside pen at night... but they are pretty big and not terribly "nice".
And i agree that closing them in.. can help with noise controll ! Does in heat do not care What time it is when they proclaim undieing luv for the buck !!!
warthog
Overrun with beasties
When I first got my goats, not knowing any different on the first night I closed the shed door.
I thought they were going to knock the shed down, headbutting (they have horns) kicking and screaming. I let this go on for a little while, thinking they would settle, but no. I opened the door and out they came, been out ever since.
Now when I say out, that means in their pen with access to their shed if they need/wish it. Most nights you can see them sleeping on the tables we have in their pen.
Their browsing area is fenced off with a gate from their pen to this area, that is closed at night.
We do have preadotrs here and lots of stray dogs, but we have had no problems our dogs keep them away, just ordinary dogs not LGD's. these dogs do not go in with the goats. But will bark and chase away, tear to shreds if needed anything that comes close by.
Just my story.
I thought they were going to knock the shed down, headbutting (they have horns) kicking and screaming. I let this go on for a little while, thinking they would settle, but no. I opened the door and out they came, been out ever since.
Now when I say out, that means in their pen with access to their shed if they need/wish it. Most nights you can see them sleeping on the tables we have in their pen.
Their browsing area is fenced off with a gate from their pen to this area, that is closed at night.
We do have preadotrs here and lots of stray dogs, but we have had no problems our dogs keep them away, just ordinary dogs not LGD's. these dogs do not go in with the goats. But will bark and chase away, tear to shreds if needed anything that comes close by.
Just my story.
DonnaBelle
True BYH Addict
We do lock up the goats in the barn at night. It makes for me sleeping much better.
I also lock up the chickens at night.
We are big on electric fences. We have a electric fencing around the chicken run, and around the goat lpasture area.
The only critter I can't keeped locked up and corraled at night is DH, he has a thing about going outside at 1:00 am for a wee and to survey his holdings. It's a man thing I think.
DonnaBelle
I also lock up the chickens at night.
We are big on electric fences. We have a electric fencing around the chicken run, and around the goat lpasture area.
The only critter I can't keeped locked up and corraled at night is DH, he has a thing about going outside at 1:00 am for a wee and to survey his holdings. It's a man thing I think.
DonnaBelle
jodief100
True BYH Addict
Just marking his territory, mine does it too.DonnaBelle said:
I have three sided stalls on the lee side of the barn and a pen immediatly around it. They are shut out of the field at night but can still go out. Most nights they are all out under the stars.
I also have LGD's.
Egg_Newton
Loving the herd life
I have to or they sleep on the deck and my boyfriend isn't happy with all the little chocolate chips they leave up there.
BetterHensandGardens
Ridin' The Range
We hear the coyotes many nights, so lock our ND's and chickens in at night. It seems to me they're both small enough a coyote, fox, or raccoon would try for a meal, and I'd never sleep at night if we didn't. We have woven wire fencing with electric at the top and bottom, but no LGD or donkey though. I might consider it if we had a dependable LGD.
