Planning for Goats....am I being realistic?

[yourbadd]

I have set a goal for myself to have the funds and materials saved up by spring to get moving on my goat barn and enclosure. I have read book after book and know that everyone has their own set rules for how much space is needed. I wanted to get a realistic picture from folks who may have the obstacles we do.

My plan is to build a 10x30 shed/barn to house 2 mini dairy goats. I don't have plans to keep a buck or any offspring until I need to replace a current milker. I'm already the crazy chicken lady, I don't need the crazy goat lady title too!! I was thinking of using a non-climbing horse fencing 48 inches high and giving them 625sq ft of running room. We live close to 20 acres of wooded property and have seen a few coyotes off in the distance...will price electric fencing to step up security. We have a large shepherd but he's my baby and I won't lose him to the goats!!

Questions:
1. How much space will I need to store hay and grains? Will there realistically be enough room in the barn for a storage area, milking area and 3 stalls? (1 stall for each goat and 1 to keep kids separate)

2. We won't have water or electric in the barn for a while....it is only 50 yards or so from the house to the proposed barn location, will I go mad hauling water?

3. With no water and electricity do I dare milk in the barn? Will we lose kids to cold and illness without access to heat lamps?

4. What is the most important feature/item/etc.. you have or wish you had on/in your barn?

Any other suggestions or advise is most welcome!!

 

[lilcritters]

I have a drop cord and light in my barn and milk by it. Hard to milk in the dark.... water hoses... EVERYWHERE around here. I soak corn for the pigs and keep it in the barn. I do well with no electric and water in my barn... always ways to get it there. I try not to have babies in the winter so heat lamps not needed. This year I had some in November so had to use the light. They ended up jumping up on it and busting the light soooo no light for them and they are doing fine in the barn. Don't really have an answer to the other questions...

April

 

[Mamaboid]

I have set a goal for myself to have the funds and materials saved up by spring to get moving on my goat barn and enclosure. I have read book after book and know that everyone has their own set rules for how much space is needed. I wanted to get a realistic picture from folks who may have the obstacles we do.

My plan is to build a 10x30 shed/barn to house 2 mini dairy goats. I don't have plans to keep a buck or any offspring until I need to replace a current milker. I'm already the crazy chicken lady, I don't need the crazy goat lady title too!! I was thinking of using a non-climbing horse fencing 48 inches high and giving them 625sq ft of running room. We live close to 20 acres of wooded property and have seen a few coyotes off in the distance...will price electric fencing to step up security. We have a large shepherd but he's my baby and I won't lose him to the goats!!

Questions:
1. How much space will I need to store hay and grains? Will there realistically be enough room in the barn for a storage area, milking area and 3 stalls? (1 stall for each goat and 1 to keep kids separate)

2. We won't have water or electric in the barn for a while....it is only 50 yards or so from the house to the proposed barn location, will I go mad hauling water?

3. With no water and electricity do I dare milk in the barn? Will we lose kids to cold and illness without access to heat lamps?

4. What is the most important feature/item/etc.. you have or wish you had on/in your barn?

Any other suggestions or advise is most welcome!!

1. How much space you will need depends on how you buy your feed and hay. We have the luxury of being able to purchase only a few bales of hay at a time, so we don't need a lot of storage room. Our feed we buy 100 pounds at a time and have a pick-up truck tool box that we use to store our grain in.

2. Short answer is yes. Hauling water is the biggest pain in the lower region I have in regards to my goats and chickens. We have a barrel system set up to catch rain water in the summer, but during the winter months, these have to be dumped in order to keep them from freezing. Unfortunately, for most small operations who cannot afford water systems in their barns or chicken coops, carrying water is a necessary part of the equation. You just get used to it.

3. The single most important improvement we have made in our chicken and goat houses is the addition of electricity. The huts the goats are locked in at night do not have it, but we have it in our chicken house, and the kidding pen is in 1/2 of that building. This pen is used for any ill, cold, just born, or in general any animal that needs special attention. Most of the time we have no conflicts.

4. As I said, Electrical access. Oh, and ALWAYS build bigger than you think you will need, cause you will fill it. You will be surprised how much you can do with an extra few feet.

Just my opinion, I am sure some of the folks with larger operations can tell you a few things that will help a lot more. Good luck with your goats, we love ours.

 

[20kidsonhill]

we have had goats for 15 years kid out 15 to 25 does each winter, have No running water in barn, and NO electricity. We do run a couple electrical chords for heat lamps from the house in winter time, and we bucket water, or run hoses from the spicket when we can.

In virginia we an have tempuratures in the teens in january and february, which is when we normally have our babies. So I think you will be just fine.

Know we don't milk, so can't help you there.

You can figure around 5 lbs of hay per day per goat for the winter months. your average bale is 45 to 50lbs, so a doe will go through around a bale every 10 days., so 3 bales a month per doe. ofcourse you wouldn't have to store your hay all winter, you could arrange to get 4 or 5 bales at a time from a near by farmer that stores it for you.


I wish we had ventilation and fans in our barn, ofcourse that would reguire electricity. Good air circulation is important for a healthy barn. We just never close ours up. Even when we are having babies.

The heat lamp barrels for babies kidding in the winter are fantastic, but I have seen other people using other designs with plastic tubs and small dog kennels.

Invest in the black soft rubber plastic tubs for water, they don't freeze as easy and don't break if the water does freeze.

A good hay feeder, to keep hay from being wasted and is safe for your goats, is important. And worth the effort of researching and building one.

 

[yourbadd]

My biggest hurdle is our limited space. We only have 2 acres. That's why I am leaning towards pygmy goats and am looking for the smallest barn setup possible. We already have a chicken coop on the opposite side of the property from where the goats will be placed so this structure will be only for the goats. If, in the future I decide to add additional animals they'll get their own living space.

Running electricity will be easy once we have the money to invest. Last year the owners of the oil well that's at the back of our property switched over to an electric pump motor and had lines run back to it so there is a transformer over there that could easily be tapped into.
Water is another story. Former owners switched over to county supplied water about 5 years ago. There had been a well dug prior to that and we have a shallow well out front with a cast iron pump. DH has a childhood friend who's in the well business, we may have to invite him up to investigate!!

20kids...the 5lbs of hay...is that for full sized or pygmy goats? Do to feed grain as well?


I've also read about people feeding their goats pine boughs and garden veggies? Thoughts, suggestions??

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

If you're interested in mini dairy goats, then you should look at Nigerian Dwarves - not Pygmies. Pygmies are not mini- dairy goats while Nigerians are. There's a little write up on the benefits of the Nigerian Dwarf here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/09/15/nigerian-dwarf-goats/ Also, I'm not sure why you would want to keep them in separate stalls - goats are very social creatures. We currently have 3 Nigerian Dwarves that we keep in a 10 x 10 stall, and they have free access to a large outside pasture in the day. They have plenty of room and I think your size setup would work, I just wouldn't house them separately. I use three roll around plastic Rubbermaid trash barrels to hold grain, minerals, BOSS, etc. and that seems to work. For fencing, we used four foot high woven fencing, you can see the description here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/10/24/farm-fencing/ Hauling water for three mini dairy goats shouldn't be a problem, and I don't think electricity is absolutely necessary - although I'd add it ASAP if you can. A 10 x 30 enclosure can certainly work for 2 mini dairy goats - but be warned, you'll want more!

 

[yourbadd]

If you're interested in mini dairy goats, then you should look at Nigerian Dwarves - not Pygmies. Pygmies are not mini- dairy goats while Nigerians are. There's a little write up on the benefits of the Nigerian Dwarf here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/09/15/nigerian-dwarf-goats/ Also, I'm not sure why you would want to keep them in separate stalls - goats are very social creatures. We currently have 3 Nigerian Dwarves that we keep in a 10 x 10 stall, and they have free access to a large outside pasture in the day. They have plenty of room and I think your size setup would work, I just wouldn't house them separately. I use three roll around plastic Rubbermaid trash barrels to hold grain, minerals, BOSS, etc. and that seems to work. For fencing, we used four foot high woven fencing, you can see the description here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/10/24/farm-fencing/ Hauling water for three mini dairy goats shouldn't be a problem, and I don't think electricity is absolutely necessary - although I'd add it ASAP if you can. A 10 x 30 enclosure can certainly work for 2 mini dairy goats - but be warned, you'll want more!

The fencing I was looking at is very similar. I will most definitely look at the spacing...wouldn't want little heads to get caught up in it!! Thanks for the info on Nigerian Dwarves....I like that they can be bred year round. I have a little more research to do before I settle on a breed and go searching for a breeder.

As far as wanting 3 stalls, it is more to be able to isolate quickly should the need arise. Maybe 2 smaller stalls for illness or kidding with one large communal stall for overnight lockup is better? After much reading and perusing folks farm websites and blogs it looks like creating moveable walls that setup and tear down easily might be the way to go. Being locked into a particular configuration might pose problems down the line. You'd think I would have learned that lesson early on after reconfiguring my chicken coop several times!!!

Now I need to come up with an economical building method for the barn and get to working!!

 

[SheepGirl]

If you want movable pens (much more convenient than permanent pens in some cases), I would look at farm stores. For example, http://dslivestock.biz/openpanels.html or any other place that sells handling equipment. (Sydell is another good place to check out.)

 

[20kidsonhill]

the 5 lbs a day of hay is a rough general estimate, to give you some idea how much hay you would need to store. IF you are feeding grain/ other feeds/ pasture this amount would go down.

a full sized nubian would easily eat the 5 lbs of hay a day, you would probably be looking at a little less.

I feed grain to:
Growing kids
does in their last month of gestation
does that are nursing
a goat that needs to put on weight


yOu would probably only need to store a 50lb bag or 2 of goat grain, maybe a bag of alfalfa pellets. So 2 or 3 trash cans that can hold feed would be all you probably need for couple of goats in storage, Feed wont keep forever in the summer, so it is important to not get more than a 30 day supply in warmer weather, I would say above 75 degrees. when it is cooler you can store more grain.

 

[sunne73]

Wonderful thread...thanks for asking and answering all the wonderful questions. I have chickens too and am expanding to goats...heaven help me.