Hay

[Baymule]

Picture of the shed please. Need height dimensions too. My feverish little brain is turning it's gears......

 

[Baymule]

I have a bad habit of getting animals before having the set-up ready...

Whattt??? What is this having the set up ready, of which you speak???

 

[Genipher]

yes it is cheaper in the spring/summer. if you can get it out of the field and store it, you can get it even cheaper. Hauling hay is a special kind of treat, got a truck? You can stack it over your head in a building like a garage (park your vehicle outside-welcome to animals). You make hay bale steps. You climb the hay bale mountain, lugging a bale either behind you (going backwards dragging it) or pushing/tossing it in front of you. I've stacked bales up in the rafters before.

We are such city slickers! No truck. We have a passenger van, since we have an army of offspring, and remove most of the seats when we need to load furniture or firewood. My husband says we could do the same to get hay, though I don't think it would hold as much as a truck.

 

[Genipher]

Whattt??? What is this having the set up ready, of which you speak???

 

[Baymule]

We are such city slickers! No truck. We have a passenger van, since we have an army of offspring, and remove most of the seats when we need to load furniture or firewood. My husband says we could do the same to get hay, though I don't think it would hold as much as a truck.

Got a trailer hitch? Can you borrow a trailer? Have a contest to see how many square bales you can stuff in a van. Roll windows down a little so you can pass a rope through and lash bales down on top. I am famous for treating my vehicles badly. I had a 2003 Ford Focus wagon. I could pack 750 pounds of horse feed in it (15 bags) and could tie 4 square bales on top. People at the feed store thought I was nuts.....they were right....

 

[Genipher]

Picture of the shed please. Need height dimensions too. My feverish little brain is turning it's gears......

Okay, but I'm warning you. It looks a bit, um, crappy. The plastic has recently been pulled off (thanks to one of our dogs) and we have plans to eventually put up siding. Those 2 big doors on the front of the picture? I'm going to remove the one on the left so the goats can come in and out as they please. Their are actually 2 rooms inside the shed.

This second picture is the inside, where the goats would be kept. Haven't measured the height but I think it's 10' ?

This is the smaller "room" in the shed. If you look at the first picture, this part would be to the left. There's a doorway that separates the two rooms. I was thinking I could use this part for hay storage (taking out the shelves) or a chicken coop (or I could get a separate coop and make this shed 100% Goat Land). We have electric in this shed, there's an electric control panel in this little room.

Also, all the floors are cement. I was thinking of putting down sand. Still researching that part, though.

 

[Genipher]

Got a trailer hitch? Can you borrow a trailer? Have a contest to see how many square bales you can stuff in a van. Roll windows down a little so you can pass a rope through and lash bales down on top. I am famous for treating my vehicles badly. I had a 2003 Ford Focus wagon. I could pack 750 pounds of horse feed in it (15 bags) and could tie 4 square bales on top. People at the feed store thought I was nuts.....they were right....

We're actually planning on getting a second vehicle soon but my husband wants a gas efficient car to drive to work. Tried to talk him into a truck but it was a no-go. On the flip side, my 14-year-old is already dreaming of her first rig and wants a truck. So maybe in a couple more years we'll have one.

In the past I've gotten hay bales for rabbits (used to raise meat rabbits) and I always felt like the feed store guys were laughing at me when they loaded up the back of our van.

I should keep an eye out for a trailer. Our van is totally able to pull one!

 

[farmerjan]

How many goats? They might be better off in the "smaller side" with the window, take the shelves out, except the top one for misc equipment? Overhead light for night time feeding/milking/kidding. Sand would be okay for a base, but will not absorb anything. So you will need sawdust/shavings/straw/ something absorbable. Lime down first to help with the odors.
Some siding for climate control, and protection to keep the particle board from falling apart from moisture... all set to go. Not bad.
Think you have a good start there.
DO NOT let anyone talk you into "GOAT MATH" you do not need to expand to side stretching proportions!!!!! I see what everyone here does....

 

[farmerjan]

Rent a trailer for a trip and make it count. Don't need to lay out money for it right off the bat. Usually can rent over the weekend....or make a full day's use of it. Pick up in the evening, use all the next day, take back early the next morning.

 

[Baymule]

No sand. It will absorb pee and stink to Kingdom come. I would put a sealer on the concrete or it will become a stink bomb. Paint and seal all wood, inside and out. Can you get pine shavings or straw? They are absorbent and make soft bedding. Start a compost pile with it for the garden that you will plant. (can't waste that valuable stuff)

Use half for stacking hay and keeping feed. Keep feed in metal trash cans with lid to keep rats and mice out.
You can stack a lot of hay in there, I think you will be happy with it. Put a GOOD DOOR on it with a GOOD LATCH that those devious goats cannot get open!

Definitely build a separate chicken coop with a run, dirt floor. Do deep litter, clean out a few times a year. I just keep throwing more stuff in there, leaves, pine shavings, wood chips. fall is a great time to collect leaves, people rake their leaves and politely leave them on the curb for you to pick up. Clean it out, sprinkle lime on the bottom, toss in more litter. Pile up that rich chicken litter/poop for that garden...…. LOL

You mentioned dogs be aware that most goat attacks are from dogs...….