Fencing, Housing, Paddocks

[Baymule]

Plant willow trees for browse. You can pollard them or coppice them.

https://midwestpermaculture.com/2012/11/coppicingpollarding/

What size is your barn? It looks huge!

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Our land actually isn’t that wet. It’s rolling so it dries out quickly. The abundance of rain with the over-saturated ground made for the muddy mess. That being said, would willows still grow well? The goat paddocks won’t be near the creek for some time.

Also, I believe the main barn is 120x45 with a 20ft lean-to. I tried to ask DH last night and he never answered me. I think he was too focused on the new calf. I did get a few more pics yesterday.

This is the area that is our front yard. Due to the roll of the land you can’t see how much area it truly is but I’m thinking this area for the quarantine pen. (I’m standing on the driveway. That tree is where the baby squirrels came from. There’s a garden on the other side of the house, then the hay field. This stretch is just as deep.)

This is a cutout where trailers can be backed in. There’s still a dead-space behind it that requires mowing. I may put an orachard here instead of the bucks but it definitely needs used for something! (I’m standing on the driveway here also. The pasture is the other side of the fence line.There is a short false fence line and that failed to grow blackberries planted by the previous owner.)

 

[Wehner Homestead]

Up with a sick kid so I played with a couple aerial shots...

The blue outlines the perimeter. It’s three parcels. There are county roads on the north and west borders.

I zoomed to get the above image and added colors to show y’all existing areas and plans.
Blue-fence lines. Driveway runs between fences on western side.
Green- garden. (Had round bales in it one winter, hence the pic of them there. Lol)
Yellow- general location of current chicken housing/runs.
Orange- plan of where to move the chickens to with their new building. Electric access from the shop to the east. Water spigot at shop also.
Hot pink- planned goat dry lot and first paddock. There’s room to the east of the first paddock to do another with one south of it, making three. The two not shown will both be larger than what is shown.
Purple- shows area being considered for bucks or an orchard...
Light pink-potential quarantine area but may put bucks there instead.

 

[promiseacres]

Don't know a ton about goats....but not sure I would personally want the bucks anywhere NEAR my house....

Jealous of that big barn...

 

[Baymule]

Why not incorporate the chicken coop into one of the goat pastures? When you build a goat shelter, add a coop to it, have them both under the same roof. Then it will be easier to have the dog guard both. It may make feeding easier, only having to walk to one shelter/coop to feed/water. Why not make a buck/chicken shelter in one?

Or add a coop in the big barn, with a run attached outside, cut a small chicken sized door from the barn coop to the run. Skirt the run with 2' of 1x2 welded wire laid flat on the ground, throw dirt on top of it to discourage predators from digging in. Be sure to put a human door in the end of the run. That will give you the option of opening the door and letting the chickens out on that end, plus access for you.

This is my coop and run from my old house, to give you the idea of what I'm talking about.

 

[Wehner Homestead]

@promiseacres No one uses the front door. There’s not even a sidewalk. We only use the porch when DH is wrapping bales in that front pasture so the kids can watch from a safe distance. Like I said, I’m sick of mowing so much area! Lol

I will see if I can get a better pic that shows just how large of a front yard we have.

@Baymule We are getting a very large yard barn from DH’s best friend that buys hay from us for next to nothing. We are converting it into several indoor areas with outdoor access. We are going for separate from the other animals because of making use of space since we don’t freerange. We have farm dogs (the two Aussies) that will still keep vermin at bay. We have discussed attaching the buck pen to the chicken barn but haven’t fully decided yet if we want to put the bucks right next to the concrete portion of the driveway. Another option we are considering would be piggybacking a turkey area on the chicken area... Each of the 3-4 runs will have a full-size access door from the outside. I do plan on making it much more predator proof than their current accommodations.