My plans for goat house, feeding station, and goat cares

[Carla D]

We have three really large pallet bases that we planned on using to build our “goat sheds”. Two pallets are 9’4” x 7’. The third pallet is 6’ x 8’. I had planned on the structures having 8’ walls to simplify the building time and control costs due to less cut-off scraps. If that makes sense. These structures are created with my 8 Alpine and Saanen kids in mind. If I add to the herd, we would be building more housing structures. These are in Top is North, and Right is East orientation. The feeding station will be our north most building. It is also a wind breaker for thegoat house which will beset back to the west some. Along the east side of these structures is our barn. That too would be a second wind breaker and one side of our enclosed area.

The feeding shed will be part of the north side fence line. To the west of the building we will have a large access point to drive a 4- wheeler and trailer through to do maintenance and housekeeping duties. That will likely need to be a double gated access point to prevent escapes if I’m working alone.

The bottom picture shows my goat house and a smaller structure that would hold health related and probably rake, shovel, fork along with a goat stand. That may serve as my milking station down the road as well. These two buildings are not illustrated with the position of the goat care building in relation to the goat house. It’s just so I can fit two building on that end of my page. Each square=6”.

With the goat house I’m planning on having a bunk arrangement. Bottom bunk being 18” of the floor. The top bunk will be two feet above the bottom bunk. I plan on having transparent corrugated sheets for my roof to allow for light. I’m also thinking of putting a working window on the west wall of thegoat house to allow for better circulation on the really hot days and for more light as well. The bottom bunk I was thinking should be at least six inches deeper than the top bunk, for some reason. I haven’t put a door on the goat care building yet. I not quite happy with that building yet.

Am I picturing things in adequate size and space for 8 large goats? Any input would be appreciated as well. Thank you.

 

[Rammy]

Looks good.

 

[Bayleaf Meadows]

I used some pallets to keep hay that I stored under a shed roof up off the ground and they rotted away in less than a year. I would use something more durable if I were putting effort into a project. Our sheds have dirt floors.

 

[Carla D]

I used some pallets to keep hay that I stored under a shed roof up off the ground and they rotted away in less than a year. I would used something more durable if I were putting effort into a project. Our sheds have dirt floors.

Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[Georgia Girl]

I used some pallets to keep hay that I stored under a shed roof up off the ground and they rotted away in less than a year. I would use something more durable if I were putting effort into a project. Our sheds have dirt floors.

I am building a new goat barn and plan to have dirt floors, what do you use as bedding??hay,straw or other and are you have to clean daily or do you just add new material for awhile. thanks

 

[Bayleaf Meadows]

On my floors, I sprinkle some barn lime and diatomaceous earth first. This helps disinfect and prevent insects. Then I put a 3 " layer of pine shavings. I use a low dust product available here in North Carolina called the Beaver Bag. You can get other brands at Tractor Supply etc., but I prefer this one. Then I put a layer of straw. I actually have been using waste hay and just hay because for some reason straw has been hard to find. My cleaning schedule varies. When it rains a lot like it has been, the sheds can get more use and need cleaning more frequently. In the winter, I often end up adding fresh straw for deep bedding and doing a spring clean. If it's kidding season, I make sure everything is clean and fresh for any new arrivals.

 

[Georgia Girl]

On my floors, I sprinkle some barn lime and diatomaceous earth first. This helps disinfect and prevent insects. Then I put a 3 " layer of pine shavings. I use a low dust product available here in North Carolina called the Beaver Bag. You can get other brands at Tractor Supply etc., but I prefer this one. Then I put a layer of straw. I actually have been using waste hay and just hay because for some reason straw has been hard to find. My cleaning schedule varies. When it rains a lot like it has been, the sheds can get more use and need cleaning more frequently. In the winter, I often end up adding fresh straw for deep bedding and doing a spring clean. If it's kidding season, I make sure everything is clean and fresh for any new arrivals.

 

[Georgia Girl]

Thanks for the reply, I'm new and really appreciate your detail. The lime is this the same lime farmers use? thanks

 

[Bayleaf Meadows]

Thanks for the reply, I'm new and really appreciate your detail. The lime is this the same lime farmers use? thanks

I've always called it barn lime. But the store clerks don't always know what I want. It's also known as agricultural lime, ag lime or dairy lime. Here's a description- https://www.farmandfleet.com/blog/what-is-barn-lime-why-do-i-need-it/

 

[Bayleaf Meadows]

Also, I have been following this facebook page of a goat farmer in Florida. They have a really great set up. In this tour of his place, he shows how he has a creep feeder set up for the little ones to access grain without the adults eating it all. He uses a gate installed upside down with an added screen covering the top opening (now on the bottom) and some slots cut out.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=379426769550455

He's got a quite large operation, but I learn a lot from looking around his videos and photos.