Misfitmorgan's Journal - That Summer Dust

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The bldg design you showed is what I'm building in 24' wide x 16' depth for my does. I built a 3 sided raised shelter for my buck with floor size of one sheet of plywood; 4'x8'. My buck shares his containment area (with the shelter enclosed within it), with 2 wethers that are still under a year old. When the weather is bad, he doesn't let them inside the shelter with him and they're stuck standing outside under the eaves or with their heads and upper body stuck inside the hay feeder (it has a roof). When it was the only shelter for a spell, and all the goats were together, they ALL fit inside it standing when the weather was really bad. The lowest on the head butting order would sometimes get kicked out and stand under the eaves (or out in the rain) :hide

The ground area I have enclosed for the three boys is 2 cattle panels long by 2 cattle panels wide (32' x 32') and one end of 2 cattle panels, where they meet at an outside corner, were cut with bolt cutters at ~ 4' so the cut section could be used as gates. One to the outside, the other to the doe pen adjacent. The gates "latch" to each other as well as the (end of the) cattle panel fencing that continues down the way to form the doe pen. I use carabiner clips high and low to hold the gates closed, and they do a fine job. The boys DO climb up the gates and place their weight on them, but though they bend out a little, it's not enough to allow them to escape, and I can grab the panels and bend them back straight easily enough.

Once breeding season is over, I'll open the inside gate and let all of them use both sides once more. Just can't do that now with yearling does too small to have bred. The size area I have for the 3 boys is about the minimum I'd want to give them if they'll be in there for any period of time. The buck, RJ, does get to chasing the wethers around at times and they need enough room to be able to escape getting "beat up" on. Especially when a doe is in heat and RJ knows and gets all sexcited... He can't get to the does, so gets a little "worked up"... I'm not sure I'd want to keep one buck or ram in an area the size you're offering for any prolonged period of time. I'm sure it would be quite sufficient for a couple of months during breeding season, to keep him away from the girls till you want them bred. I would definitely not have more than one animal in that space though.
 

misfitmorgan

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Thanks for the info LS!

There shouldnt be a fighting/bullying issue as they would be separated by a cattle panel fence outside and a wood wall inside. Each Buck/ram would have a 4'x8' shelter and a 16'x8' run all to themselves.

I can do 16'x16' it just seems kind of large for one animal for breeding/weaning/quarantine. I'm thinking back to our barn stalls that were 12'x10' and everyone said...why are your stalls so huge :lol:

About $38 difference in cost....for that i think i can give them a bigger pen.

The entire project is about $110 plus nails and some snaps for latches and that is to build both pens. I need to figure out wood and see if we have enough to actually build 4 shelters/pens......:hide
 

misfitmorgan

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Our hereford gilt had a litter of piglets last night, while we were gone trick or treating. She is a first time mother and we thought had a couple more days as her milk line didnt look fully in. Turns out she has a small milk line, she over nested, and laid on two. She ended up having 11 piglets which is a lot for a first timer but only 7 were still with us when we got home. It was our mistakes and not being ready, DH did just move her pens last night as well so she was very stressed from being moved. We planned on moving her sooner but we had to build a new stall first which was completed Tuesday night.

On the bright side this will be our first litter of papered and registered herefords! :woot
 

misfitmorgan

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PICTURES!!!!!!!

congrats on the litter!!!

Sadly when we got home we had lost the other 6 piglets. Perfect example of why you dont stress a first time mother, or move them, or give to much bedding, etc. A lot of mistakes on our part added up to the loss. We really did think we had about another week before she would deliver but we were wrong it was less then 24hrs after we moved her.:hit
 

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Sara is bred and should be having piglets soon.
The other hereford girl should also be bred.
Laverne has a date with a freezer soon.
3 of Sara's gilts and 1 barrow from her last litter will be going to our friends house. Gilts to be breeders, barrow to be raised for butcher for us. We also get pick of litter on the 3 gilts when they farrow.
Spots piglets are being weaned now, 3 of those will go to our friends house the other 3 we will be keeping to sell or use for meat.

Our new boer girls are doing well. We plan to build the buck/ram house this weekend if the weather plays nice. The ram lamb we have is scheduled to be going in to the freezer in about a month.

The tiger dapple buck i was hoping to get sold on Wednesday, so i will be breeding phoebe to big boy. I think the new boer girls will also be bred they are decent size i believe and were born in febuary so would be 13+months old by kidding time.
 
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