Building First Goat Pen need suggestions please
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freemotion
Self Sufficient Queen
Do you mean an outdoor pen or indoors? In my stalls, most floors are dirt and this works out ok, but have to be filled now and then. I have a couple of rubber mats (the type sold for horse stalls) in the communal stall because some of my does will dig holes to lie down in when it is very hot out.
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I have a wonderful nubian and she has been in a large dog pen since giving birth. I let her free range as much as possible, but when I am at work she is stuck in her "cage". We covered the bottom with limestone and then thick layer of sand. We are designing a permanant shelter for her and want to to make it big enough for three goats. I want to learn from others. Should we do the same thing in the goat barn? Cover the ground with limestone and sand? Should I cover the ground with gravel? Should we make a wooden floor in the barn? What is the best way and easiest to clean and keep clean?
I might have posted this in the wrong category.
I might have posted this in the wrong category.
fortheloveofgoats
Overrun with beasties
You posted this in the right one. We have a dirt floor in our shelter. My goats love it, and it's easy to clean. During the cold nights I put straw and shavings down for them. I like to use the cedar shaving's because fleas hate them, plus they smell so good.
Hard packed dirt floors and go to shavings or straw in colder weather is what we do also. Gravel and sand is far to hard to keep clean. Goat feces get down into it and then you end up digging it all out.
Gravel, rock or concrete has the potential to frost in the winter in an unheated shelter. Imagine a moist udder sticking to it. OUCH! Had this happen to a friends Jersey.
Gravel, rock or concrete has the potential to frost in the winter in an unheated shelter. Imagine a moist udder sticking to it. OUCH! Had this happen to a friends Jersey.
sawfish99
Loving the herd life
I used a lot of old pallets covered with plywood to make a solid floor in our shelter, then added a thick layer of sawdust. That way, as rain and snow run off, I don't have to worry about the bedding in the shelter getting wet. The goats use the shelter more now that it has a floor.
Jeanne Sheridan
Overrun with beasties
I'm late to this conversation you have probably long since made your choice. We have concrete floors in our main stalls. Winters here are fairly mild and we change the hay bedding out every 2 weeks so our Nubians aren't laying on cold surfaces. The hard surface makes cleaning really easy, just rakes and pitch forks. Twice this summer we hosed them off we before relaying the bedding but even with that it's just a mornings work for three people.
