Pre-planning questions about housing/fencing

[sahmoffour]

Hubby and I are moving to an acreage next year, and I've been dreaming of the day when we can get some goats and chickens! We will most likely be setting up out own barn and fencing, so I've been researching like mad for months now trying to figure out what the best setup would be, while still being economical. We have four children, and I'm planning on starting with two dairy does at first, with the possibility of keeping a doe kid down the line once we get the hang of things. We're also leaning towards getting a buck and a wether or two bucks, as I feel it's going to be a PITA to find stud service around here. I've looked and can find bucks for sale, but not stud service. Not to mention then I have to worry about transporting the goats with just me and my four kids while hubby is working away lol. Hubby thinks it would be cheaper to put the chickens in the same building as well, and I'm also hoping to get ducks and/or geese and turkeys eventually.

SO, knowing all that, what type of setup would you recommend? All animals together in a big barn? Wood barn? Steel barn? Insulated? Not heated though, right? I'm thinking plumbing and electricity would be very helpful, but at the same time I'm trying to keep things affordable and am worried at what the total cost will be! Should I have a walkway down the middle with pens on both sides and doors leading outside into fenced in areas for each pen? I think I'd rather keep the chickens penned in rather than free range, but then will they just destroy and pack down their outside run right away? Should the barn be on a concrete slab or dirt? Concrete walkway down middle with concrete milk parlour and dirt pens??

Sorry for all the questions but I'm a major type A planner and am just wanting to get it right. So, if you were planning your perfect barn, what would you have?

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

Congratulations on your move, we moved to acreage 5 years ago and also gradually added a barn, chickens, goats, gardens, etc. I started with one barn thinking I would put both the chickens and goats in the barn together (and also store tractor, equipment, etc. there) but changed my mind after one winter with chickens in the barn. Chickens are majorly dusty, so we quickly changed to a separate chicken coop (if you look, you'll notice most family farms with chickens had/have a separate coop). As far as having water and electricity in the barn, yes you certainly want both. Electricity at the coop is also good for keeping the water unfrozen in winter months and extending the light if you want the chickens to continue to lay thru the winter. We went with a metal structure for the barn, and yes uninsulated/unheated. And I would advise planning the barn and coop bigger than you ever think you will need it - somehow with critters/feed/hay/equipment/critters the room just seems to disappear. Concrete floors with dirt pens are very nice if you can afford it, also if you are planning on having both bucks and does, remember that they will need separate pens/pastures, and you will need kidding pens. It's great that you're planning - it smooths the transition for everyone

 

[freemotion]

Mine share a building, but their spaces are separate. The coop is on one side with a door leading into the shared pasture. The goats are on the other side, with their doors also leading into the pasture. There have been times when the chickens needed convincing to go into their coop at night, and I had to make some changes to their pop door to keep out one boneless goat in particular. Last winter, a new batch of chickens got the bright idea to roost in the rafters above the goats rather than join the rest of the flock in the coop at night. You don't want chicken poop on everything....goats, water buckets, feed, minerals....nasty! We ended up going up on ladders to staple chicken wire on all the places that they wanted to roost. Problem solved, except for one guinea who, if I could catch him, would become stew. He pooped on Ginger yet again, and let me tell you, guinea poo is N A S T Y !!!

In bad weather, everyone hangs out in a communal stall, and at night, the hens go back into their coop. Usually. Sometimes I have to help a straggler. But it works for us.

The big concern, though, is the goats getting into the chicken feed. One big pig-out can kill a goat. I am a rebel and feed my poultry by scattering whole grains twice a day, so there is no hanging feeder to be raided by goats. I was concerned about babies going into the coop, but there is nothing interesting in there. Something to consider.