Hello From Beautiful Western North Carolina

[capeme]

HI:
I am new to the forum and new to goats. In fact we have not actually gotten them yet and I am in the process of figuring out the pen for them. I was thinking of purchasing one of those wood shed kits and I know it would work but trying to figure out what to do with the floor. All those kits use wood floors and I know that will be terrible after a short while form the urine.
I have to use a wood structure; HOA requirements, so any ideas?
I am sure this is only the first of many threads I will start looking for advice since we are new to this...but super excited.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@capeme - A big welcome to BYH! So glad to have you, and it's good to know you are doing your homework.

I hope some of our wonderful goat-raising community will chime in and give some suggestions.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Can you build a wooden shelter with a dirt / sand floor ?

 

[capeme]

I am not a builder myself which is why i was thinking getting one of the pre-built sheds to use? So dirt/sand floor is better huh?

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I am not a builder myself which is why i was thinking getting one of the pre-built sheds to use? So dirt/sand floor is better huh?

I have had a wood floor in the past and much prefer a sand floor for cleaning and drainage of urine....it certainly can be done with a. Wood floor, you just want some absorbent bedding material..........
Depending on how large of a shed your are getting...you may want to consider using a moisture barrier such a liquid flex seal or a marine grade sealant .....another consideration is ventilation, you want air comming in at both high and low levels of their shelter, both for the goats breathing and to help with condensation.
How many goats are you planning on getting ?
Welcome to BYH

 

[capeme]

I think we will start with 4, maybe 6. You know there is so much info out there it becomes overwhelming. Some people say put shelter on concrete, others dirt and certainly some have wood. I have at this point watched dozens of YouTube videos. What I do know is I am not a builder and trying to watch my cost. So at this point I am considering a prebuilt shed or perhaps a shed kit that would allow me to build it on the ground.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

You will go crazy trying to figure out what is best, wood, concrete, sand....do what you can afford for a shelter and you can certainly change things as you go along. You may find that what you started with works great for you , if not then make the needed changes....
Everyone does things differently according to their budget or climate, pleases don't get overwhelmed with everything your reading or watching on YouTube....I once took in a bunch of rescue goats and had to make them a "refugee camp" with t post and tarps lol, they had their kids born under those tarps and were quite content to have a home and food to eat...As long as they can get out of the rain and harsh elements they will do just fine.
Enjoy your goat journey, they are wonderful animals

 

[ChickenMomma]

Welcome and you will LOVE goats. They are such fun and so loveable. We have a wood floor in our goat house and we put a piece of vinyl flooring in it to protect it. With a layer of sweetpdz(litter) and hay or wood chips to absorb, its so easy to sweep out. So there’s another idea to throw in the hat! lol

 

[capeme]

Chicken momma. Sounds promising. How long have you had your shed?

 

[ChickenMomma]

We built it in Feb of this year and the vinyl is still holding up well. We paid $20 for a remnant at home depot.