I cried when I heard this....

[A'sta at Hofstead]

http://www.wmur.com/news/14568060/detail.html

So sad, the poor animals the owners must be devastated.

Fire in New Boston ripped through a barn killing 125 animals inside.

Crews responded to the fire late Saturday night and were able to save a nearby home.

Officials say most of the animals were goats, half of them pregnant and ready to deliver within days.

[HazyDay]

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW! She said they have no clue how it got started and bahbahbah! So I thought the hay cought fire??? doesn't that happen if it gets wet then gets very hot???

[reese]

That is heart wrenching. As someone that has experienced a house going down with animal inside ( we couldn't find our cat) and then hearing it's screams as it burned, I can only imagine how awful it was for these goats. I can only hope that smoke got to them before the heat.

UGh.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

I would be so sad if I lost my two goats, never mind 100+

[white eagle]

I just now slowed down long enough to look at the slideshow of the fire of the barn. OH my goodness that is so awful on them people loseing their barn an goats. It made me cry seeing that HOT of a fire. More likely it was cause by either hay or something to do with the wiring. That was one h*** of a hot fire.

[RichieC]

I was there.

10 fire departments, more than 75 firefighters. They called us in from 15 miles away for the resulting brush fires, which turned out to be small. They even had companies there from Bedford and Manchester, career departments who probably never had to deal with a burning goat barn before.

Only one goat made it out, and he needed to be put down.

I have advised people on this site before not to store hay in the same barn as their animals. I understand that it is more convenient, but the dnager is high.

This was a three story barn. Goats on one floor, hay on the next two. All under a metal roof.

We heard there was also a brand-new truck parked in the barn, but you couldn't prove it by me. Nothing left at all.

[Linebacker]

My cousin's hay barn burned down this summer. Thankfully it was seperate from his livestock barn. Apparently when wet hay heats up to the point of catching fire it is almost impossible to put it out. He lost a tractor and hay bailer parked next to the barn because even though is was in the livestock barn in just a matter of minutes the hay fire was so hot he couldnt get close enough to save his tractor. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost the animals. I also sent a thank you to you RichieC and all your firefighter brothern for what you do everyday.

[steff bugielski]

When I was a teen I worked at a horse farm. We had a fire that took the lives of some 15 show horses. The screaming was enough to make me sick then and still to this day I can hear them. And the smell was horrid. I was about 15 and the firemen had all they could do to keep myself and friend from running inside to get the horses out.

[ozark_jewels]

And this is why I try to NEVER lock goats inside with no way to get out. How horrible.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

And this is why I try to NEVER lock goats inside with no way to get out. How horrible.

How do they get out then? You have them locked up against predators I would assume?

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by A'sta at Hofstead

How do they get out then? You have them locked up against predators I would assume?

They freely roam in and out of an open barn. I have livestock guardian dogs, thus predators aren't a problem.

[BethW]

Oh, the very thought makes me ill. Poor babies.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

They freely roam in and out of an open barn. I have livestock guardian dogs, thus predators aren't a problem.

So your property must be fenced? Or do the dogs keep them close?

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by A'sta at Hofstead

So your property must be fenced? Or do the dogs keep them close?

Yes, the goats are fenced in a large area of browse/graze. The dogs go with the goats everywhere, herding is not their job.
I wasn't pointing fingers by my original statement. I realize that some people feel they must keep their goats locked in at night. But I have never been comfortable with the thought of them not being able to get out if something happened. So I never lock mine in if I can help it, though occaisionally I have to lock a new mother or young kids inside.

[joysmom]

I'm gonna have nightmares just from the thought of it, let alone if I had actually been there. Rosie's house burned down last month and there was a lady in our community whose house burned down two days till Christmas last year, but everyone got out. It was just a house. It was just "stuff". No lives lost. It breaks my heart......not only the physical lives of the livestock, but the YEARS of sacrifice top build a herd. To have "something". To have "a living". All gone. These poor folks have to start over from scratch. I think THAT would near kill me. Those poor folks!!!!

[susanne]

my goats also have always open doors. oh what a nightmare to hear and see your animals burn to death and not be able to do anything.

[Freeholder]

Shortly after we moved to New Hampshire, neighbors had a barn fire which killed almost all of their sheep, and one of their Maremmas (LGD). One pregnant ewe and one Maremma got out, and they had a few ewes and most of their rams out in paddocks with separate sheds. They lost about eighty head of sheep in that fire. Sadly, it seems to have started at the back, next to the big sliding door (electrical -- old wiring), otherwise more of them might have gotten out, as they could push out the door if they wanted to. They also lost their house, as it was an old New Englander with 'Big house, little house, back house, barn' arrangement, and were blessed not to lose any human lives as it happened at night.

The reason the sheep were shut inside is because it was winter, had been very cold, and the ewes were lambing; quite a few of the lost animals were new lambs.

Kathleen

[RichieC]

Originally Posted by BlueJuniperFarm

Shortly after we moved to New Hampshire, neighbors had a barn fire which killed almost all of their sheep, and one of their Maremmas (LGD). One pregnant ewe and one Maremma got out, and they had a few ewes and most of their rams out in paddocks with separate sheds. They lost about eighty head of sheep in that fire. Sadly, it seems to have started at the back, next to the big sliding door (electrical -- old wiring), otherwise more of them might have gotten out, as they could push out the door if they wanted to. They also lost their house, as it was an old New Englander with 'Big house, little house, back house, barn' arrangement, and were blessed not to lose any human lives as it happened at night.

The reason the sheep were shut inside is because it was winter, had been very cold, and the ewes were lambing; quite a few of the lost animals were new lambs.

Kathleen

This house was actually a cape, and not attached, but was very close (across a narrow drive). It had the extended wing leading to a shed that is common here. Shed and wing are gone; gable of house itself damaged.

That's how they built in the old days, but please, anyone building now leave some space between you home and any potentially dangerous exposures.

[goatsareus]

I simply can not imagine going through this tragedy.

We do try to keep the goats' barn door open to the pasture at all times. But we do close it during deer gun season and during some weird weather patterns when snow is blowing too fiercely. I always feel really bad when the door is closed. But I also could not forgive myself if a goat was shot during deer gun season. By deer season, we are down to our most valuable animals and I am very protective of them. Every year I wrestle with the notion of not closing the door during deer season, but every year I end up closing it. I do not so much have a fear of the barn burning, more a fear of a hunter killing a goat, or a goat not being able to escape an abusive herd leader. We carefully monitor the condition of our hay for the first week after loading it into the barn. After the first week with no problems, we feel we have no danger of spontaneous combustion of the hay.

[A'sta at Hofstead]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Yes, the goats are fenced in a large area of browse/graze. The dogs go with the goats everywhere, herding is not their job.
I wasn't pointing fingers by my original statement. I realize that some people feel they must keep their goats locked in at night. But I have never been comfortable with the thought of them not being able to get out if something happened. So I never lock mine in if I can help it, though occaisionally I have to lock a new mother or young kids inside.

Sounds ideal. I ask because I really want a large herd of goats and would like to keep them as safe as possible, now if I could trade in my beagle and lab for a LGD I would be all set....