Baymule
Herd Master
Milking and grooming in the garage……how will you be cleaning it? They pee and poop everywhere they go. The poop is easy to sweep up, but you will be washing the floor for the urine. Water hose or mop bucket?
Questions about milk & cream
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dairydreams
Overrun with beasties
I’ll try to have a more thoughtful response later to the replies (thank you!) but the garage is open, think more a walled-in car port and it is concrete. There is a hose/water hook up inside the garage so I can very easily spray the area down, sweeping up poop first then hosing down any urine with a pressure nozzle out the door and into the grass.
As an aside… I don’t have the stanchion built yet but have the base for it which is a very impressive salvaged piece free from a neighbor; it’s a heavy coated metal flat “bench”, the kind with holes, about 3x6’—think of a heavy duty table or bench you might see at a public park. I’m not sure what it’s called but it’s in fantastic shape and will also be easy to hose down. Still need a base to elevate it but I feel fortunate to have the stand that was free
As an aside… I don’t have the stanchion built yet but have the base for it which is a very impressive salvaged piece free from a neighbor; it’s a heavy coated metal flat “bench”, the kind with holes, about 3x6’—think of a heavy duty table or bench you might see at a public park. I’m not sure what it’s called but it’s in fantastic shape and will also be easy to hose down. Still need a base to elevate it but I feel fortunate to have the stand that was free
Baymule
Herd Master
Got a picture of the stand?
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- #114
dairydreams
Overrun with beasties
I can take it for you. It's sitting sideways in the shed so you'll have to use your imagination
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dairydreams
Overrun with beasties
Alaskan
Herd Master
I think your stanchion-to-be looks good. You will probably get poo mashed into the holes... but it should power wash just fine. However... if you will be power washing it (a regular hose with one of those spray nosels should work)... maybe you want to be able to roll it out of the garage... wash it, then roll it back in???.
We handmade our milking stanchion. We used pallets for the base, bigger holes for the poo to fall off/out.
As to your barn plan. I think it looks good. I would make the stalls temporary ones. That way, when they are not needed, you have more floor space.
Of course, bigger is always better... but there is the money issue!!!
Often, making the building TALLER, costs way less than making the foundation larger. Because, same floor size, same roof size, just taller walls.
We set up the barn so the truck and/or trailer could be pulled in, so even with a tall first floor (to be safe for horses), you didn't have to lift that high to chunk the square bales up. You would start by standing on the hay stack.. and even at the end, you were on the truck bed, which gave hight.
For round bales we had 2 hefty long boards stored in the loft that acted as a ramp, so, we would slide those into place, hook a huge round bale up to our winch, and the winch would pull the round bale up to the loft.
Even with a huge round bale.. with a long pry bar, you can maneuver it into place, and roll it.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
I think what they are talking about is the square footage per goat in a communal stall. 6 x 4 would be 24 square feet. For a standard size dairy goat, that would be the amount of space she needs to lay down to sleep (goats do sleep laying down). Don't forget that you will need water and feeder space in that area too which will decrease the stall space to 4 x 4 instead of 6 x 4. When kidding she will need a lot more space since she will stretch out full length during kidding, she'll need space to drop the kid safely without it getting squashed against the wall during final contractions, to stand up and clean it off and room for the kid not to have to lay in muddy birth liquid and placenta.. Our sheep jugs are fairly small for lambing, and they are 5' x 7'. Once the lambs are a couple weeks old the jugs are too small. Smal stalls also are much harder to keep clean, stay wet and mucky during the winter, etc. We clean them out, let them dry, and lime them between lambings. During the fall and winter if they don't dry completely we have to use Dri-Stall to remove the excess soil dampness.
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- #118
dairydreams
Overrun with beasties
I'm thinking maybe we bump the sides out to be 6x6 ft for each stall...so if I can't talk the Mr into a larger barn, I could still do 3 stalls at that size with the current plan. But I'll be literally back to the drawing board and maybe looking into some schematics online for plans of some a little bigger. We definitely have the space for it.
and again...is 50 feet by 50 feet large enough for the main attached pasture (where the barn will be)? For the sake of whatever, let's assume I'll have 2-3 goats at a minimum but up to maybe 10 or so at a time. And again we'll be adding paddocks when we can...but to start, we have a 2500sf area that would be relatively easy to fence in where the barn will be.
ALSO...is there a reason I should be thinking now about how to divide this space into two? Like is there a reason I might be needing two pastures and divide the barn in half so two groups of goats can't access each other? All I can think of is maybe if larger goats are bullying the youngin's.
I don't intend to keep any intact bucks at this time but if it comes to that in the future, they'll be across the property in a different spot. I know everyone's got their opinions on this but I don't want them near the milking does.
and again...is 50 feet by 50 feet large enough for the main attached pasture (where the barn will be)? For the sake of whatever, let's assume I'll have 2-3 goats at a minimum but up to maybe 10 or so at a time. And again we'll be adding paddocks when we can...but to start, we have a 2500sf area that would be relatively easy to fence in where the barn will be.
ALSO...is there a reason I should be thinking now about how to divide this space into two? Like is there a reason I might be needing two pastures and divide the barn in half so two groups of goats can't access each other? All I can think of is maybe if larger goats are bullying the youngin's.
I don't intend to keep any intact bucks at this time but if it comes to that in the future, they'll be across the property in a different spot. I know everyone's got their opinions on this but I don't want them near the milking does.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
For now, that should be adequate for 2 dairy goats. Eventually you will want to enclose more area and yes, you will probably want another enclosure. Instead of dividing the 50 x 50 in half, I would add another pen to one side of it. For reference, a double car garage or carport is 20 x 20 or 400 square feet.
You are better off not to have the bucks near the miking does. When the does come in season the bucks will scream and the does will answer. During rut the bucks will have a strong odor. During rut, do not pet them since they pee n themselves and rub it all over their bodies - this is the equivalent of a love potion to the cycling does. Bucks only smell bad during rut, so after rut you can bathe them with pig shampoo (Jeffers sells some) and shave (clip) the backs of their forelegs, their bellies, and their beards - these are the hairy parts where they like to pee on themselves. Once they have been shampooed and shaved they will not have a buck smell until the beginning of rut the following season.
You are better off not to have the bucks near the miking does. When the does come in season the bucks will scream and the does will answer. During rut the bucks will have a strong odor. During rut, do not pet them since they pee n themselves and rub it all over their bodies - this is the equivalent of a love potion to the cycling does. Bucks only smell bad during rut, so after rut you can bathe them with pig shampoo (Jeffers sells some) and shave (clip) the backs of their forelegs, their bellies, and their beards - these are the hairy parts where they like to pee on themselves. Once they have been shampooed and shaved they will not have a buck smell until the beginning of rut the following season.
Baymule
Herd Master
You are wise to be having this discussion. Yes, you will have a buck. Yes, you will have more goats.
You will need a pen and shelter to wean the kids. Enter the lean to shed off one side of the barn! You will need a pen and shelter for doelings and one for bucklings. Enter a lean to shed off the other side of the barn! This is when you are glad that you allowed head space 20 feet out from the side of the barn! Trying to cram this population explosion into that little barn you are planning on, Just. Won’t. Happen.
In all honesty we are all snickering at your plans of only 2-3 goats. We know better.
On the bucklings, do you plan on wethers or leaving them intact? Castrating with knife or banding? If you take them to auction, leaving them intact is easier. If you plan on slaughtering for meat, bucks are a PITA, wethers can be ran with the herd until slaughter.
I don’t know about goats, but my Katahdin hair sheep rams must be weaned and separated between 2-3 months old. At 4 months or before, the ram lambs Mount and breed the ewes.
You will need a pen and shelter to wean the kids. Enter the lean to shed off one side of the barn! You will need a pen and shelter for doelings and one for bucklings. Enter a lean to shed off the other side of the barn! This is when you are glad that you allowed head space 20 feet out from the side of the barn! Trying to cram this population explosion into that little barn you are planning on, Just. Won’t. Happen.
In all honesty we are all snickering at your plans of only 2-3 goats. We know better.
On the bucklings, do you plan on wethers or leaving them intact? Castrating with knife or banding? If you take them to auction, leaving them intact is easier. If you plan on slaughtering for meat, bucks are a PITA, wethers can be ran with the herd until slaughter.
I don’t know about goats, but my Katahdin hair sheep rams must be weaned and separated between 2-3 months old. At 4 months or before, the ram lambs Mount and breed the ewes.
