Extent of Handling Facilities for Goats

[Mike CHS]

We are going to start laying out our main pen and shelter area in the next few weeks and was wondering how extensive I need to plan for handling areas other than some small pens for taking care of meds birthing etc. I have had cows and had to be fairly innovative loading/unloading since I didn't have chutes or .... is it not a big deal due to the smaller size of the goats?

 

[Southern by choice]

I think much depends on the kinds of livestock.
Dairy goats?
Meat Goats?
Sheep?
Breeding Stock?
Breeding for market?

The number of livestock is also another matter.
Our meat goats are breeding stock... not for market/slaughter so no chutes.
All our livestock is easily handled and come when we are their are easy to lead around.
Kiddding for the Kiko's and our arrangements are differents than those of our dairy goats.

We only have 2 sheep so a little different there and they are for wool only, we don't breed them.

 

[Mike CHS]

We are going to be breeding meat goats for the 1st couple of seasons at least. We are going to be keeping a small dairy herd so they will have their own space. Sheep are still on the want to list but will probably not happen for awhile but if we do they will be hair sheep which we have been around before and know how to handle.

We are doing the perimeter fence now but are doing it in stages because we will be closing off some wooded areas. They have been 4 wheeler playgrounds for several years and I want to see how good of an impression I've made on my neighbors or will I wind of repairing cut fence. The pasture/browse layout we will have will be built on the fly in 5 acre paddocks plus temp electric fencing on the interior.

 

[Southern by choice]

Depending on the meat goats and again if you will be raising for slaughter where you will need to be loading a trailer up to go to market, then a chute would be good. We have breeder stock and no need for chutes here.

Because you are in a mild climate you really won't need a lot of stalls and pens for kidding etc. but there are other factors to consider...
Our Kikos kid out anywhere they want.... I think the type of meat goat you end up with will make a difference as far as stalls/pens.

I will say that no matter how great a set up you start with you will want to change things and will wish you did things differently within the first 3 years. Some things you learn and figure those individual things out as you go and with a few years of experience.
I'd be cautious of how much you build and how you build until you have worked with it for awhile.

I can honestly say what I did years ago to what I'd do now is completely different.

Don't know how much of an opportunity you have had but I would visit as many farms both large and small and see what and how they are doing things. You will get great ideas as well as the people being able to share what they like and don't like about what they've done. You will glean a great deal.

 

[Mike CHS]

Thanks Southern. We have visited quite a few farms in our part of Tennessee. The only with that is that with Tennesseans, there is no such thing as a short visit. LOL

We have visited a farm that has Boer/Kiko cross that we are going to get for our own use and we visited a farm in Tuscaloosa that has a nice strain of purebreed Kiko that will give us our herd sire. We plan to start with some Kiko percentage stock from another farm in Tennessee at least for our first year.

It's going to be an intentionally slow start mostly because my two years worth of planning changed in the last 3 months.

 

[Southern by choice]

It's going to be an intentionally slow start mostly because my two years worth of planning changed in the last 3 months.

Uh oh!

Fencing would be the biggest change I would make if I could do it over... well actually I will be doing it over just DH doesn't know it yet.
I would do the 2 x 4 no climb black horse fencing 5 ft tall for my dairy goats. They don't really climb but I like the 2 x4 better far less issues all the way around... and kids and pups can get through a 4x4 or any field fencing when young... the black because it is aesthetically pleasing
5 ft tall because 2 of my LGD's are not fond of people coming strait up to the fencing.... in some areas I have 6 ft high (where the people are likely to walk up) and the male's head is over the top. The 4 ft, and well ,not a good idea for here. Badger and Amy are not really people friendly like D and Callie.... Badger on 2 occasions was extremely unhappy with the people...usually he is there and if all is ok he will go lay down... these 2 times he refused and continued jumping up where his head was over the top of the 6 ft... that is always my clue to get the people off my property and no sales of anything. It also helps keep the chickens were I want them.
The rest of the fencing I still would like to do in the 2 x 4 no climb 4ft.... the kiko horns can and do get stuck in our field fencing.

I really like the tape as opposed to wire or rope... highly visible, and for training purposes it makes things easier for me with both kids and pups/dogs. People tend to be more aware also.

 

[Mike CHS]

We already plan on doing the horse fence with 1X frame around the house but much of that is also going to be part of the dairy goat area. We like the look and want to have more of a "finished" look. Our place is in a very rural area but all of the farms there have a fairly stylish look.

A lot of my "planning" may be moot once I get the pasture all cut down in the next few weeks since I haven't had a chance to take a good look at the terrain since buying the place. Our home is a nice rolling hill but there is a small mountain that is a 30 degree grade adjoining our place so I still have to see how much blade work I need to do for water issues.

Thanks for the fence suggestion but now I have a few other things to CHANGE on my tod-do list. But better to change it on paper than try and change 5000 feet of wire later.

 

[slikchik]

We just did our perimeter fencing at the new place last spring - I feel your pain. It was a solid week of fighting woods, briars and poison ivy but so worth it. If I could do it over? We'd use 2x4 no climb instead of 4x4. My half grown dis budded Nubian doelings would stick their heads through the fencing to steal milk from the mommas, then get stuck. Several times a day. We also ran a strand of barb wire on the bottom and will top it with a hot wire this spring. As for the internal subdivisions? We started with cattle panels and t-posts and kept things flexible until we got a feel for where we wanted permanent subdivisions to go. We also have a small pen immediately surrounding the shed made from cattle panels that we can shut off from the main pastures to keep the herd contained when we need to work them. you should have absolutely no problem getting them into it if they associate you and the pen with food. Even my formerly half wild katahdins are smart enough to come running into their "feeding pen" as soon as I step out the back door. Having collars on the goats is also extremely useful. Cattle panels, carabiner clips and t-posts are your friends when handling goats and sheep. We cut them in half since 8' sections are much easier to heft, bolt cutters work but a cut off grinder is way faster. Good luck, it's a dirty but satisfying job.

 

[Southern by choice]

We just did our perimeter fencing at the new place last spring - I feel your pain. It was a solid week of fighting woods, briars and poison ivy but so worth it. If I could do it over? We'd use 2x4 no climb instead of 4x4. My half grown dis budded Nubian doelings would stick their heads through the fencing to steal milk from the mommas, then get stuck. Several times a day. We also ran a strand of barb wire on the bottom and will top it with a hot wire this spring. As for the internal subdivisions? We started with cattle panels and t-posts and kept things flexible until we got a feel for where we wanted permanent subdivisions to go. We also have a small pen immediately surrounding the shed made from cattle panels that we can shut off from the main pastures to keep the herd contained when we need to work them. you should have absolutely no problem getting them into it if they associate you and the pen with food. Even my formerly half wild katahdins are smart enough to come running into their "feeding pen" as soon as I step out the back door. Having collars on the goats is also extremely useful. Cattle panels, carabiner clips and t-posts are your friends when handling goats and sheep. We cut them in half since 8' sections are much easier to heft, bolt cutters work but a cut off grinder is way faster. Good luck, it's a dirty but satisfying job.

Sounds great! I like the wire too but I am not a fan of any kind of barbed wire especially with goats though, and we have LGD's. To many issue with possible injuries... and with the dogs, well that is serious injury waiting to happen.

 

[GrimshelsGrazingGoats]

Thanks Southern. We have visited quite a few farms in our part of Tennessee. The only with that is that with Tennesseans, there is no such thing as a short visit. LOL

We have visited a farm that has Boer/Kiko cross that we are going to get for our own use and we visited a farm in Tuscaloosa that has a nice strain of purebreed Kiko that will give us our herd sire. We plan to start with some Kiko percentage stock from another farm in Tennessee at least for our first year.

It's going to be an intentionally slow start mostly because my two years worth of planning changed in the last 3 months.

Do you possibly still have the location of the place in Tuscaloosa. I'm looking for places to find my kikos