Kidding stall size?

[shannonk03]

I have 4 boer does and am in the process of renovating an old barn. We have the one side cleaned out and are ready to build some kidding stalls, what size would you recommend? There are so many different opinions online, I was going to go with 4x6 but want to see what everyone else thinks. Would 4x5 give them enough room? Thank you!

 

[DonnaBelle]

I would think 4' x 5' would be plenty of room. Remember, you also have to have a place for a water bucket. My husband built bucket holders out of plywood and mounted them to the stall walls. This also provides an excellent place for baby goats to curl up under and "hide'. Also you'll need a small hay holder for Mom, you can attach plastic feeders to the side wall. If you have the space, I'd go with 4' x 6'. Sometimes all you have is an area for 4 x 5's.

Also, what breed of goat are you having? A small breed will require less room. My big Nubians have 5' x 8' stalls.

If you have multiples, you need more room. Mom can and will step on a newborn and do a lot of harm. Or lay down on one. Our big Felicia lay on one of her babies and knocked the breath out of it. My husband did mouth to mouth and massaged her lungs and saved her. MY HERO!!

Good luck with your goats.

DonnaBelle

 

[shannonk03]

I have boers, I am also of the opinion that the more room, the better. My husband is trying to talk me into smaller stalls so I have more room in that area of the barn for feed, etc.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Oh yes, I have a DH to contend with also. Sometimes he's right, sometimes I'm right. After I posted, I read that you had Boer's. I guess that to keep peace in the family you should defer to the superior male intellect.

I think 4' x 5' should work OK. We don't keep our feed in the barn because we don't have a closed area with a door that the goats can't open. I worry that they'll get into the feed and overeat and kill themselves. If you are going to have sacks of feed sitting around and the possiblility of the goats getting to them somehow, I'd rethink feed storage.

We have our feed in big plastic trash cans with lids lined up along the garage wall in the house. We simply use a bucket and put the morning or evening feed in it and carry it out to the barn at chore time.

However, DH has put in electric and water lines to the goat barn. He is a retired contractor and knows how to do all that stuff, plumbing, electrical, etc.

So when I said I have him to "contend" with I really meant that I am soooo lucky.

DonnaBelle.

 

[20kidsonhill]

We use 4x6 or 4 x8 for the bigger does. But we don't keep them in there for more than 2 or 3 days. Personally, if you are keeping them in the kidding pen for several days I would go for a 6x8 or 8x8. We also use barrels for the kids to lay in, so they don't get laid on by mom or stepped on.

 

[shannonk03]

Thanks, I just posted another thread about those barrels, how do you make them? Do you just have a standard heat lamp inside the barrel? What wattage bulb do you use?

 

[20kidsonhill]

Drill a hole dead center in the top of the barrel big enough to insert the male end of the heat lamp fixture. Screw the female end onto the male end from the outside. We are using 250 watt heat lamp bulbs in our barrels. I know some people just use 100 watt light bulbs, but we didn't feel that was warm enough. Plus with the new energy efficient light bulbs, they don't throw off any heat. We only use them for a day or two when it is 20 or colder, or just for a few hours to dry the newborns off and warm them up if it is above 20. That is just a rough estimate. Cold newborns do not have a sucking reflux, so warming them up for an hour really helps a lot. We kid in January and February and although we don't get below zero in our area, it does get to single digits every know and then. That is normally about when we are kidding. THe cold is good for the growing kids, the trick is keeping the alive the first few hours and getting to them before they get too cold. As long as they have nursed they are able to regulate their body temp. It is the onse that can't get up right away and nurse that are the problem.

 

[shannonk03]

We only use them for a day or two when it is 20 or colder, or just for a few hours to dry the newborns off and warm them up if it is above 20. That is just a rough estimate. Cold newborns do not have a sucking reflux, so warming them up for an hour really helps a lot. We kid in January and February and although we don't get below zero in our area, it does get to single digits every know and then. That is normally about when we are kidding. THe cold is good for the growing kids, the trick is keeping the alive the first few hours and getting to them before they get too cold. As long as they have nursed they are able to regulate their body temp. It is the onse that can't get up right away and nurse that are the problem.

So when you move them back out with the herd after a few days you don't have any kind of heat lamp for them? Just the straw in the shelter?

 

[Stacykins]

So is a 4' x 8' kidding stall OK for a Nigerian Dwarf for a few days? Those are the size stalls I have built, for eventual kidding.

 

[20kidsonhill]

We only use them for a day or two when it is 20 or colder, or just for a few hours to dry the newborns off and warm them up if it is above 20. That is just a rough estimate. Cold newborns do not have a sucking reflux, so warming them up for an hour really helps a lot. We kid in January and February and although we don't get below zero in our area, it does get to single digits every know and then. That is normally about when we are kidding. THe cold is good for the growing kids, the trick is keeping the alive the first few hours and getting to them before they get too cold. As long as they have nursed they are able to regulate their body temp. It is the onse that can't get up right away and nurse that are the problem.

So when you move them back out with the herd after a few days you don't have any kind of heat lamp for them? Just the straw in the shelter?

That is correct, and sometimes we move that at just 24 to 48 hours old.

EDited to add: I do have Boer goats, so perhaps consideration should be made if you have a thinner dairy breed. If the kids are not getting around well on strong legs, I give them a couple more days.