what material do you use for goat dry lot and how do you convert pasture into dry lot

[ND Goat Lover]

After multiple post on forumns we are going to convert our current pasture 90 X 90 into a dry lot. The reason for this is simple, parasite concerns as the current pasture is to small to effectively do rotational grazing by dividing it into smaller lots. We also live in northwestern washington so it rains alot.

Images included of current pasture. We have 4 12ish week old Nigerian Dwarf goats now that also share the pasture with 7 chickens. I have the following questions for the conversion process:

- should we let the goats just continue eating the grass until they kill it because they continue to eat it to the ground and it's not going to recover
- once the grass is dead or removed what would you use as the basis for the dry lot (sand, pea gravel, compact 3/4 gravel you use for gravel driveways, bark like you would use around tree's. We currently have alot of bark on our property as they cleared the massive forest when they prepared the lot for build.
- if we go with dry lot then how do we have to worry about hoof rot
- how do you manage the manure within a dry lot.

 

[Augie]

Let the goats and chickens eat it down and kill it. Then cover it with woodchips and use a large deep litter method. Just place new wood chips onto of the manure.

 

[ND Goat Lover]

Let the goats and chickens eat it down and kill it. Then cover it with woodchips and use a large deep litter method. Just place new wood chips onto of the manure.

that is what i was thinking is to do that and then use the woodchips we currently have to cover it. Eventually we will run out of wood chips and our chips are somewhere between wood chips and hogfuel. Once we go through our supply is your suggestion to continue using wood chips, hogfuel (depending on availability at local landscape supplies)

You mentioned large deep litter method, so similar to what we use for the chicken coop and goat living area in the winter. keep piling it on and then clean it out once in the spring and once in the fall?

 

[Alaskan]

I would let the goats and chickens eat it down.

I would see where the poo tends to pile up... and I would clean up those areas with high poo concentration, ignore the rest. But, an occasional raking up the poo... if the ground is dirt... works well.

I would wait until I saw mud to decide on substrate.

However, I would make sure ground was sloped so water leaves the area. And if you have a crazy amount of rain, build a roof for part of it.

 

[Augie]

that is what i was thinking is to do that and then use the woodchips we currently have to cover it. Eventually we will run out of wood chips and our chips are somewhere between wood chips and hogfuel. Once we go through our supply is your suggestion to continue using wood chips, hogfuel (depending on availability at local landscape supplies)

You mentioned large deep litter method, so similar to what we use for the chicken coop and goat living area in the winter. keep piling it on and then clean it out once in the spring and once in the fall?

Yeah pretty much. Just keep piling. Some areas offer free wood chip delivery's from arborists. You might be able to just clean it out every 2 years. Dependent of weather and manure load. A lot easier with a tractor. I have never used this method in a wet climate before.

 

[Baymule]

I use deep litter in my sheep barn. There is a round bale in the barn, so lots of waste hay. It gets piled pretty deep sometimes. Last summer, my husband tilled up the deep/hard pack and we shoveled it into the Kawasaki mule. We spread it over pastures and it fertilized the grass.

 

[misfitmorgan]

In long term dry lots parasite management can be a huge problem. Our winter/dry lot is only used for generally 5-6 months of the year during the winter until grass grows and even so we have to keep an eye on our sheep and worm then at least twice in the spring as well as treating with corid at wean time.

Best advice i have there is keep all hay off the ground, keep grain off the ground and try to deter them from eating anything off the ground. Make sure feed/hay bunks can not be climbed on or pee/poo'd on. elevate the water so they can reach it with their heads but hopefully not their butts. They are many options for treating animals and a few for treating the ground i believe. You will have to research it and talk to your vet about a parasite management plan. Overall keep them on the dry lot as little as you can and do not make the mistake of letting the pasture get lush then giving them free rage on it as they can bloat and die. You either have to leave them on pasture or give them limited time on pasture depending on pasture growth/lushness.