shed with plastic floor OK? Price difference for wood/plastic? Need a secure shed at night!

[julie123]

Hi!
We are getting two 10 week goats in a few weeks. We were going to put them in a old shed, but have heard reports of coyotes killing small dogs in our area. Like a pack of coyotes in our neighborhood.

I saw lifetime shed are very durable, lockable at night, has shatterproof windows (opens for increased ventilation), and sky lights and some have sky windows (for extra light). Its got a plastic resign, Polyethylene floor. Its kind of expensive (maybe it would be better to save $ for a nice barn), but we don't have time to have a nice barn built before we get them. And maybe it would be just as nice for the price? $800-$1000.

Would a wooden barn (with dirt floor) be easier to clean and cost less? Does anyone know prices for that? The lady said she could let the goats stay with her until we were ready. And I could try to get a builder really fast to come build a small shed/barn.

Will urine/poop sink into the plastic and make it nasty? I can cover it with bedding and clean it out.
I thought I read that if you "lime" wood floor, you can make it less stinky. Is it the same with plastic?

I saw an older post about someone using "rubber flooring mats" to help animals not slip.
https://humanerubberflooring.com/equine/stall_mats/

I could cover it with that. That might be a easy way to clean it in the summer time and they don't need as much bedding.

thanks so much for your help! I don't want my babies getting attacked at night.

 

[julie123]

I saw this for putting doors on old metal sheds. If its helpful for anyone.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Upgrade-an-OLD-Metal-Shed-Exterior/?ALLSTEPS

 

[Gorman Farm]

I don't think it is a problem if you use the rubber mats so they don't slip if they urinate and make a slick spot. I wonder though it might be messy and stinky if the wet stuff (urine) gets between the mats and plastic floor.
We are re-using a 2 stall horse barn and we have rubber horse mats down, the bottom layer I use fine shavings and then put straw or hay over top of that, the shavings absorb the wet stuff and having the layer of straw on top gives them a dry surface.
We have coyotes and bears here too, but so far we haven't had an issue. I do have an outdoor dog for a deterrent as well.

 

[Latestarter]

First, I somehow missed your first post so welcome to BYH. Congrats on your soon to be new goats! OK... plastic doesn't absorb moisture... that could be or not be a problem depending... If the goats will be in the plastic shed for long periods, they will pee and poop in there and it will have no way to get out, so it's going to just stay there and get nasty. Now eventually the moisture will evaporate but any bedding you have in there will have absorbed some of it and you'll have ammonia in the air they're breathing which is bad for their lungs and health in general.

A dirt floor may be better, but not guaranteed... it depends on the soil. Clay doesn't absorb very well so it will become a wet, slippery, sticky mess. If it's sandy, it will absorb very well. If it's loam, you'll end up with a mud pit. It also depends on location/slope or grade. You don't want the barn/shed/run-in hut sitting in a low area that collects water. It's far better to have it on an elevated area where water will run off.

Predator control and herd safety is a serious concern for anyone. Your best friend and first line of defense is good fencing, electric "hot" wire, and secure night time housing. You might be surprised to hear that most animal deaths are caused by dogs... either yours or your neighbor's, followed by strays. Coyotes are an ever increasing threat as they expand and move into areas they've never occupied before. This is being exacerbated by interbreeding with large dogs & wolves creating coy-dogs/coy-wolves which are substantially larger and more dangerous than your basic 30 pound coyote. Whether you go with the "tuff-shed" approach or a wooden barn is whatever works best for you but you should plan on having its location close to your home where you'll be able to hear if there's a nighttime disturbance or the relative nearness to the house will keep most wild predators at bay.

Hope you'll share some pictures of the goats and whatever you decide on for housing/protection when you get everything. Good luck moving forward!

 

[babsbag]

My biggest concern with the plastic shed is them eating it. Mine chew on wood, plastic feeders, metal gates, and everything else they can get their mouths on. They will gnaw away on a wood shed too, but it will have replaceable parts and the plastic ones won't.

A dirt floor with a thick layer of compacted gravel works well. Also you can make them some raised wooden platforms, like pallets, but with gaps big enough for goat berries to go through but not little feet. I would be tempted to build a wooden shed for them.

Get the good fencing installed, coyotes hunt during the day too. I lost about 25 chickens to one between 9 AM and dusk.

 

[julie123]

thanks so much for your sharing your thoughts! I don't really know many people in our area that have goats and we are such newbies.

We have cecil clay loam--which might not have good drainage, if we have a dirt floor. I read that you could add sand/gravel to help with drainage. But then I read that every few years the dirt/sand will need to be dug out and replaced.

My husband is thinking to use the old metal shed (with wood floor) that we already have until we can build a nicer barn. We will have to attach some better doors to it.

That person recommended putting down Agricultural lime (NOT quick lime--it can burn). They said, "Agricultural lime is harmless to you and your livestock (its full of calcium, and somewhat antacid like baking soda), sweetens the "sour spots" and reduces barn odor and turns waste into better fertilizer/compost. The lime can kill some worms and parasite eggs and bacteria. It is one thing that can break the cycle of Blackhead disease passed between chickens and turkeys by a type of worm and bacteria in the yard."

They said, "In cold places where people use deep-pack bedding, you start with a good sprinkling of agricultural lime on your concrete or wood floor, and several inches of bedding. You remove any big wet spots over time and sprinkle with a bit more lime and fresh shavings as needed. Now and then you might sprinkle the whole bedded floor with lime. While animals live there. In a year or two you shovel or tractor-scoop it out and it is perfect compost. It is safe and effective."

So if the bedding/dirt/sand/gravel needs to be replaced every so often---I guess it just depends on what you want to replace. I don't want to have bacteria growing in the wood or under the wood (anything that falls in the tiny cracks). But maybe the wood would need to be cut out--if it gets rotten (we don't clean it out as much as we should) and now we have a dirt floor. We want to make sure its stays clean for sure cause I don't want them breathing in ammonia. There isn't much air circulation (no windows/vents) in the metal shed. We need to be saving up for a better barn/shed.

 

[babsbag]

I'm not sure where you live but don't forget that it will get warm this summer and any small shed without ventilation can be hot. I use a product called Dry Stall in my kidding pens that have rubber mats. You might look at that instead of the lime, it reduces odor very well. I use it my coop too.

 

[julie123]

thank you! yeah, they might need a fan in the summer time. We are planning on adding a wooden doors with a window for ventilation. They probably are going to chew it! So we better get a good door.

 

[babsbag]

They might not chew too much at night. But make sure the fan cords are up high where they can't reach them. They will stand on their hind legs and reach for it. I lost a few cameras that way. Brats I tell you.

 

[julie123]

gosh!!! i had no idea they would chew on electrical cords! thanks!