Floor for my goat shed, dirt or wood?

[mamaluv321]

So we are in the planning stages of building housing for the goats we plan on getting next spring. We're planning on getting 2 nigi does, possibly 3. The structure is going to be 8' by about 15' and I'm trying to figure out if I should have a dirt floor or a plywood floor. For my chicken coop I covered the floor with a linolium remnant, anyone know if this would be a workable option for goats? I plan on having 2 small stall and room for a milking area, does this sound right? I wanna work out all the kinks before startng to build...

 

[glenolam]

I have a dirt floor in the goat barn and I love it. It makes cleaning very easy, plus the dirt absorbs all the pee.

The downside - I just had to put about 2" of crushed rock in their pen and cover it back up with dirt because there was poor irregation and the inside of their pen was completely saturated with "stuff".

But since putting the rock everything is dry and easy again.

 

[DonnaBelle]

We have a dirt floor in our barn. The dirt drains and/or absorbs the pee and you can lime it once a year when you completely clean out the barn.

We have used very old give away hay for bedding. It is dry and clean, just too old for the owner to sell. We keep it about 8 inches deep in the barn and pick up poop with a pitch fork every morning, then put that on the garden for mulch.

I sprinkle a little stall dry on really wet areas and just add some old hay on top.

Our first barn/stall was about 5 x 8. We had a wooden floor in it and had to take it out. The wood soaked up the pee and what a smell.

DonnaBelle

 

[goatlady81]

I have a dirt floor and find it very easy to clean out. I couldnt imagine a wood floor with the pee soaking in. I sprinkle a little DE on the floor and cover with bedding/hay and it keeps it odor free.

 

[ducks4you]

I sprinkle a little stall dry on really wet areas and just add some old hay on top.

I lOVE Stall-Dry, aka Equi-Fresh (and some other product names.) I had my chickens inside the barn this winter in a stall, next to my big (16'2hh now four year old) gelding. I used DE with shavings for the birds, but it still smelled stinky in the barn. One of the local farm supply stores had a special on Equi-Fresh, so I tried it in my horse stall. It was the HORSE'S urine that was smelling bad, not the birds. I don't use it like the package suggests--8 packages to line a 12 x 12 stall, then dampen it, than add pine shavings. I just used 2 packages where he would swamp the stall, then cleaned up the wasted stuff and sprinkled new. In the dead of the winter, even with the barn closed up, it was smelling great.

 

[mamaluv321]

So no linolium then? The thing is, I found this guy that lives near a shipping company and the company gives him all of the old "crates". They are 8' long by 5' wide and 8' tall. I was thinking I could use three and attach them together and cut holes thru to have a 8x15 shelter. They are made of 1/2 in ply with 1x4 strapping and the floor is 2 layers of 1/2 in ply with 1x4 sandwiched in the middle and they have 4x4 skids on the bottom. He sells the whole box for....$12!! So, I'm really hoping I could use those with lino down to help keep the pee of the wood. The thing is, the peices all kinda lock together on the floor in grooves and they go together with lag bolts.

 

[mamaluv321]

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[Bossroo]

The price is right... what I would do is first seal the plywood loor and sides (so urine splashes don't soak into wood) so it is waterproof, then install rubber stall mats on the floor, then put woodshavings, stall-dry, etc. for bedding.

 

[jodief100]

I get large crates from work for free and haul them home on my trailer. I knock one side off and tip it with open side down and use them as field shelters. I move them pretty regularly (2-4 weeks) and it seems to work fine. The first one I didn't knock a side off and within two days it STUNK! Of course, since mine are free I don't mind replacing them regularly.

These crates are either 2"x 6" boards on all sides or 2"x 4" frame with 1/2" plywood sides and bottoms.

 

[ducks4you]

So no linoleum then?

(Read that: vinyl floor covering--linoleum is beautiful and pricy.) Livestock will slip on it--have you never slipped on a wet kitchen floor?
If you don't want them on the dirt, buy rubber cattle mats with buttons. They come in 1/4 inch thick, 4 x 6 ft, (and other sizes) and when you roll them, you can easily grab the ends and move them.
see this:
http://www.humanemfg.com/animal.html#cow
I have been using these for my horses for years, both in their stalls and to line my trailer floor with. The buttons really help hoofed mammels grip the mats so they don't slip and pull muscles, important when you trailer and important in a stall when you livestock rises up (they brace their front legs and need secure footing.) There are other non-slip rubber mats, but these are the ones I prefer.
The BEST thing to do is to look where they sell farm supplies, and test them yourself. If you don't slide, your animals won't either.