Goat Shaman's Goats and other Critters

[Goat Shaman]

For the majority of the time I've had goats, I was struggling with keeping the goats from busting into the house through the flimsy back door. I tried to fix that door, but they still manage to come in. So it's always barricaded. I am planning on building a porch that has gates which will extend around the door and existing porch. I just need to find the wood and perhaps my neighbor can help me build it.

 

[Devonviolet]

Yeah. That could be a bit disconcerting to wake up to goats in the house!

Maybe it would be easier, and cheaper, to put a few cattle panels around the back of the house (alá a fence) with a gate, for easy access, than building a porch.

 

[Goat Shaman]

I wouldn't mind if someone comes over to give suggestions.

 

[Devonviolet]

We are struggling to get multiple projects finished before winter. So, really won't have the time to help you put it together. Sorry.

I said cattle panels, but if your goats have horns, actually sheep/goat panels would be better. Cattle Panels have 6" squares & the goat panels have 4" squares, which would make it harder for goats with horns to get them caught.

We used two of the goat panels to make an 8×8' hoop hut. The above pic is our Falina when we first got her & Ruby. They stayed in the hoop hut until they had their kids.

These panels can be purchased at Tractor Supply. They are 50" (I think)×16'. If you pound T-posts at the corners & attach them (with wire). Three panels would make a box around your back door. Separate the panels, at one corner & put a gate between them.

You can make the gate any size you want. But for uniformity, we make all our gates 3 or 4' wide & 4' high (most fencing is 48" high).

This is what our gate looks like before we put wire fencing. It is actually on its side. For this application, we needed it 30" high & 4' wide.

We put 2 cross braces, but you only really need one. So it could be built with three, 8' 2×4's. We used a battery operated drill & 3-1/2" deck screws, so it went a lot faster than if one were to nail it together.

It's really important to the first four boards as "square" as possible. One way to do that is to put it together loosely & measure corner to corner. Then measure the other corners, getting them to be as close as possible to the same number on the tape. Once you do that screw it together tightly.

We put this gate on the shelter in one of our chicken runs:

I'm sorry we can't help you. But, hopefully what I have here will help you and a neighbor or family member get it done.

 

[Devonviolet]

OR . . . now that I think of it, you could make a wire loop at one corner post & loosely attach a carabeaner to the top corner. Then you could swing the unattached end of the goat panel to the T-post using the carabeaner. That would be easier & cheaper.

 

[Goat Shaman]

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely be looking at that in my next trip to Tractor Supply. I will probably need to fix the skirting on the bottom of my mobile home. It's patched up in a lot of places from where the goats busted under and then out through the front. Fortunately, they haven't done that in a while.

 

[Devonviolet]

Well, those stinkers! Could you attach a 2 or 3 foot strip of welded wire fencing to the skirt area? That might stop them better than thin skirting material.

 

[Baymule]

I cut cow panels in half with bolt cutters to make temporary gates for my temporary pens. LOL I just hog ring them on and use clips to fasten with. It works for me!

You can get the hog ring pliers and hog rings at TSC.

 

[Goat Shaman]

I'll be looking at my budget to see what I can do about repairs in the goat yard. Also, considering chickens to raise for meat. It's a lot better than buying from the store.

 

[Goat Shaman]

My little Nigerian dwarf buck Ronin had been getting out, so I sat and watched to see how he was doing it. But then, I noticed something else. Ronin was very interested in my Nubian/Boer doe Wanda, so I'm assuming she's in heat. My pygmy doe, Periwinkle, was pushing him away as if not allowing him to try to breed Wanda. So, I put Periwinkle inside the house (I don't have a separate pen and don't mind cleaning messes).

Wanda is about 3 times the weight of Ronin, so it looked like he was struggling to reach but I think he got her! They were also doing a lot of playful head butting. Is that a normal part of their mating ritual? I can't wait to see if there will be some cute kids from this pairing! Should be mid-March.

After I think he did the deed, I blocked the area I suspected he was getting out.