Ideas for remodeling the barn to make feeding easier?

[mousebandit]

I'm not happy with the way the barn is set up for feeding the goats. I've got a big barn, divided into 3 areas - all sections run the length of the barn from from to back. There is a middle and 2 side sections - the middle being twice as wide as each side. The sides have concrete floors. The middle has the big double sliding doors that close it in the front, and the sides have gates (more or less, ha ha!) that close them off. There is one small door that opens from each side section into the middle at the front of the barn. Each side section has two dutch doors that lead to the outside. I'm also putting a large door at the center back of the barn leading from the middle section out to a covered area behind the barns for the goats to hang out when it rains.

The barn is totally structural, but has been largely in a state of disrepair. The interior doors were missing, the gates on the side sections were missing, the dutch doors are all missing or generally not working. I've been doing a little here and there, but not making tons of progress.

There's built-in hayracks on the outside walls of one side section. That is where I'm currently housing my goats. The dutch doors are located between the hayracks. For now, I have to go to the middle of the barn, where I keep the hay and feed, and grab the flakes and take them outside, around the side of the barn, and try to throw them through the top of one dutch door into the hay racks on each side. Needless to say, this is a big fat pain!

There's like a center run area between that side section and the middle, and I'm not sure what it was built for, but I'm envisioning setting it up like a big long hayrack / feeder. It's about 18"-24" wide (I haven't measured it), and, for the most part, has diagonal 2x4's spaced out and running along the side section side of it. The side that faces the middle of the barn has a slightly raised floor, and is mostly closed off with sheets of plywood. The goats have already busted through in a couple of places and gotten themselves stuck in there, but we keep trying to stay on top of it!

I want to set it up so that I have the plastic feed buckets permanently affixed inside that area at intervals, and hay rack areas in between. I think there is basically the same setup along the other side, and I might want to set that up the same way, or save that for a cow area (still not sure).

I'm thinking that for the remodel, I will need to remove the diagonal 2x4's and the plywood sheets and put the 2x4's vertically at a spacing that my goats (some horned, most not, and varying heights) can get their heads inside to eat. I think maybe I should cut the plywood sheets in half lengthwise so I can reach down into the "feed" area and put hay / grain inside. I'm can figure out how to set up homemade hay racks inside, but what to do about all the hay that would fall down underneath? Maybe I shouldn't have the plywood on the inside-side at all, so I can retrieve fallen hay from the middle section of the barn?

What would be a good spacing for the vertical 2x4's or is this not a good idea at all? How do you all accomodate goats of different heights? Between the kikos, the nubians, the pygora, and the kids, we have 3 or 4 different heights. It makes feeding grain a big pain!

Any other ideas that would make life easier and better for all of us? I don't have tons of cash to invest, but I do have lots of lumber around here, and I can buy as many nails or screws as I need!

I can attempt to take photos tomorrow when it's sunny if that would help with picturing things.

THANK YOU!!!

Tracey Mouse

[toomb68]

i have a similar dilema. i can't wait to see some suggestions!

[Bearfootfarm]

Photos would be a big help. When I made combination grain and hay feeders, I found the hay would fall down and fill up the grain trough and basically just be in the way, so now I keep them seperate. Having them so they can only get their heads is is a good idea though, since it will keep the feed troughs cleaner

As for different heights, Id make them all the same. The taller ones can reach down, but the small ones can only go so high

[Vicki McGaugh TX Nubians]

My barn is not just about the comfort of the goats but mine. My half of the barn is concrete. The goat stalls are walled with corral boards. The goats put their heads through these corral boards in their stalls, into my side of the barn. Wooden feeders, which are nothing but large trays made with 1 by 6's, run the length of the 20 foot and 10 foot stalls. The corral boards are screwed into the posts so I can lower or raise the corral boards and feeders (this way a pen can feed infants and later milkers). I can feed all the stalls (older milkers, infant babies, older babies and bred does) without having to go into their pens. The milkers also have one door that comes into the milking area, and another that goes out, so no jams at the in door...I also can eaisly lock them out of their stall by closing one door, so raking their pen is easy after milking chores in the am. Vicki