new to livestock! Please tell me how you keep the barn clean

[jessica_1285]

I recently moved to a little farmette! A dream come true so anyway I have a 20 20 pen in the barn with 3 mini myotonic goats, a llama, and a Pb pig.Everything is going great however I cant figure out how others afford to keep the bedding clean lol. We use straw Bc its the cheapest. I have been raking it out down to the dirt floor every other day then add a fresh bale. It seems like a lot of wasted straw but its impossible to separate the clean from the dirty! Am I over cleaning? What do you guys do? I will Greatly appritiate any suggestions. Thanks

 

[20kidsonhill]

"We don't take anything out of the barn until the spring, when we have one day of clean out. we just put fresh bedding on top, every few days.

 

[Hillsvale]

we use shavings (mixed with the hay the sheep and goats refuse to eat) and in the layer hut spagnum (peat moss dried), we clean the various shelters completely at least every 2nd week... sooner if their are young kids or lamb on site.

 

[jodief100]

I am with 20kids. We just layer new over old and clean it all out come spring. I don't even add anything, I just spread around the hay they spill every few days.

 

[hcppam]

Glad you asked that.

 

[currycomb]

personally, for cleaning everyday, shavings is actually cheaper, you can pick up the solid waste with a manure fork, and the wet spots too, then just cover the wet spots with older bedding, adding a bit of new shavings when it gets thin. straw is best to just cover it up and clean-out weekly, or monthly, or whenever you feel up to the job. depends how clean you want things. we are lucky around here. some sawmills close by, can get sawdust stuff for next to nothing. also have a place that brings in semi's full of kiln dried shavings. a little priceier, but drier and more absorbent. then there is the farm stores with their bagged bedding,really costly to start out with. some report good results from the pelleted bedding too.(i've never used it so cannot help out there).

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Cleaning it out every day or every few days gets so expensive and IMO is a waste of time and money. Just lay fresh bedding down when needed, and do a total clean out when it gets too deep or yucky. And I can't imagine trying to clean out little goat berries from bedding!

 

[jessica_1285]

Thanks for the replies everyone! It sounds like as long as the top layer is clean and dry its ok to let it pile up for awhile? Does it smell really bad or will the waste kind of compost under there?

 

[ksalvagno]

I clean out once a month. I put a thin layer of straw down and then the goats are great at spreading (i.e. wasting) hay over top of it. I just can't let it go more than that. I can't stand how thick it gets and I have to be able to clean it out with a pitch fork, shovel and wheelbarrow. So keep that in mind. If you let it go for a year, do you have a way to bring a bobcat or something in to clean it out.

 

[kricklewood]

I empty out the chicken coop hay and put it on the garden once every couple of weeks and take the spilled hay off the floor from the goat stall and give it to the chickens as it's still fairly clean. Will do a major cleanout in Spring.