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06/29/10, 12:07 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 190
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Critique my goat housing?
I thought I would ask some of you experienced goat folks to critique my goat housing. It is nothing fancy for sure! First, my current goat stall which is a lean-to that is adjacent to my RV carport (more on that RV carport later). I use it like a loafing shed, they have free access to come in and out by ducking under the lowest rung. Works well because the horses cannot get in.
The 2 back pans are for feed and the yellow/orange buckets are water (although they usually drink out of the horse buckets). The PVC thingey is a mineral feeder I made (closeup to follow). The dog feeder is my LGD Dalton's food, which he happily shares with the squirrels as you can see in the 2nd pic. The stall is open for summer to maximize airflow, but in the winter I board it up on the sides and most of the front to keep em warm. The whole thing is about 10x24
Now for the stall I just finished for the new bottle baby I am getting. Will also be used to wean my 4 month old in another month or so. I converted the RV carport to make the stall. It is 10x24 and I have horse panels separating it from the other half of the carport with wire attached to keep the goats from getting under. Straw is down, the black feed bucket on the left is water, the green pan will be for feed (will get a 2nd one when the other baby moves in), the black fence feeder at the top right is for me to keep things out of baby reach, like my own drinks, bottle when finished feeding, etc. Easiest hay rack ever is on the left (more to come on that), and another homemade mineral feeder on the right. In the middle is an overturned galvanized bucket for a plaything, it will be either removed when I am not around or staked so that it can't be used for an escape device!
You can see my wheelbarrow in the opposite side of the RV carport...I am cleaning it out to house the other goats so they can be close to one another and get used to the baby. Also so Dalton can easier keep an eye on everyone. He is a great LGD.
Here is a closeup of my easiest hayrack ever. I had an old panel from a dog kennel sitting around, and I used heavy duty plastic zip ties to attach it to the fence only at the bottom. I then put a couple flakes of hay between it and the fence and used a bungee cord to secure it at the top. My barn kittens think it is the best climbing wall ever! I like that when there are goats on both sides, they can both eat from it (although it does not hold a lot so I will have to replenish daily.
Here is a closeup of the mineral feeder which I made out of leftover PVC and a few connectors I purchased. I was tired of them standing in the fence feeder I was using for minerals.
The babies will have a turnout pasture when I am around to supervise, at least until they get a little bigger. I am working on getting it fenced in, right now it is the 1/2 acre or so that is in front of my house. It is fenced on the perimeter of my property, but I have to cross fence it to separate it from my driveway. Unfortunately it does not connect to the RV carport, so they will have to be lead to pasture.
So, any thoughts? What did I do right, wrong, or can I improve on? Any input is appreciated! Thanks!
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06/29/10, 12:25 PM
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More dharma, less drama.
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Texas Coastal Bend/S. Missouri
Posts: 30,482
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Very nice! I love the openness and space.
The only negative I saw was the black feed pans on the floor. Goats step in that and the worm eggs are in the fecal matter on their hooves.
Get feeders that keep the feed up out of the way.
This is the one I like:
http://www.tractorsupply.com/livesto...-9-qt--2221814
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Alice
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"No great thing is created suddenly." ~Epictitus
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06/29/10, 12:50 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 24,108
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I love it! And the goats look happy with it too  The only thing I see missing is baking soda...I put that out for them because they eat it if they get a tummy ache. I'm also afraid of using bungee cords around the critters. They can play and stretch and snap into their eye or something. We had someone here on the forum whose goat got hooked through the lip with one and there were more stories to follow. After reading that thread I went out and removed all bungee cords.
Looks like a real nice set up...and the kittens and squirrel are cute too!!
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Teach only Love...for that is what You are 
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06/29/10, 01:01 PM
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NICE..
I agree with the other posters ..those were the things that I noticed as well
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06/29/10, 01:08 PM
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Hudson, MI
Posts: 656
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The only thing I would change for sure is the feed pans. You want those to be shoulder height for hygiene reasons. I really like the mineral feeder!
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06/29/10, 01:16 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
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Looks amazing. . .ideally, you would use the feeders that you hang on the wire like everyone said, but I've also used the black ground feeders in the past and washed them often.
Love the mineral feeder and hay feeder, too!
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06/29/10, 01:48 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: rehoboth, ma
Posts: 46
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about the feeders, i just changed mine. i was using the black pans on the ground and ended up with this
[IMG]  [/IMG]
so i built one on the side of the barn and ended up with this
[IMG]  [/IMG]
the top opens up so all i have to do is dump food from above and so i can sweep it out. i just finished it the other day so am still working on it. i am going to have to bring the roof supports down so they cant lay in it anymore. i figured the little ones would get in but didnt think that one would fit.
and when i went out to change the boys hay i found this
[IMG]  [/IMG]
they broke both sides of the bottom slat, must have done that last night. hes been in and out of that all day so their hay is on one of the climbing toys for the day.
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06/29/10, 02:19 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: WV
Posts: 1,618
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OH MY GOSH, hapaz farm - ROLLING on the floor laughing!
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06/29/10, 02:55 PM
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My kids have hooves
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Central Virginia
Posts: 2,224
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LOL, haphaz_farm! I'm sitting here my myself, just giggling away These are perfect illustrations of why goats are so funny and so troublesome at the same time!
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Beth ~ Old Church, VA
3 Nigerian Dwarf goats, 4 cats, 3 Pekin ducks and 7 chickens. One very patient husband~
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06/29/10, 03:12 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 190
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That is hysterical! Perfect illustrations of the need for raised feeders! I will work on that ASAP! Also removing the bungee cord. I have a non-elastic trailer tie for the horses that will serve the same purpose but without the danger.
Great tips, this is exactly what I was hoping for!
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06/29/10, 03:14 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 190
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I also wanted to ask about the baking soda...how long can you keep it out, does it get all cakey? What do you put it in? Would a setup like the mineral feeder (maybe smaller though) work?
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06/29/10, 10:43 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 599
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I agree that you need to get the feed up off the floor. I use a metal barn gutter that I hang over the cattle panel so the goats have to stick their heads through to get their feed. No feet and being that it's metal, very easy to sanitize. Another added perk is that they can't attack me when I come out with the bucket of grain to fill it since I'm on the other side of the fence! 
Lois
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06/30/10, 05:56 AM
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An Ozark Engineer
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Powhatan, AR
Posts: 9,412
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LOL @ Hap_Haz Farm's goats! They sure can bring out your creative side, can't they?
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06/30/10, 05:59 AM
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An Ozark Engineer
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Powhatan, AR
Posts: 9,412
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VegRN, I really like your setup, and agree with the other posters on the feed receptacles. I like and use the feeder that Alice noted. However, if there are young kids about they will jump up in them and prance down the entire length of the feeder.
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06/30/10, 08:31 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 3,540
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Don't your goats eat the dog food?? Mine would!
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...'o shame on the mothers of mortals, who have not stopped to teach; of the sorrow that lies in dear, dumb eyes; the sorrow that has no speech... from -'Voice of the Voicless', Ella Wheeler Wilcox
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06/30/10, 08:39 AM
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The cream separator guy
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Southern MO
Posts: 3,919
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I like the squirrel. 
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I'm an environmentalist, left wing, Ron Paul loving Prius driver with a farm. If you have a problem with that, kindly go take a leap.
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06/30/10, 09:10 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bellflower, MO
Posts: 3,695
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heritagefarm
I like the squirrel. |
Whaa? I thought that was a new breed of goat 
Love the set up, wishing I had that much space to work with.
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06/30/10, 09:12 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Gore, Va
Posts: 31
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Looks good!!! I am jealous!! For my feeders I got a piece of 6" pvc pipe , cut it down the middle and put legs and ends on it. Easy to clean, movable. It could also be attached to the fence. Mine has been in the buck pen for over a year with no problems.
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06/30/10, 01:42 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 190
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jill.costello
Don't your goats eat the dog food?? Mine would!
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I thought so too, so at first I was feeding him twice a day like the goats. He was not eating much because he likes to eat a little at a time, so I tried leaving it out and they are not interested in it at all! Thank goodness because I think Dalton would be super skinny if I had to feed him twice a day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by st1055
Looks good!!! I am jealous!! For my feeders I got a piece of 6" pvc pipe , cut it down the middle and put legs and ends on it. Easy to clean, movable. It could also be attached to the fence. Mine has been in the buck pen for over a year with no problems.
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That is so funny you said that, I am working on the same feeder right now! I had a piece of the PVC that I made the mineral feeders out of and I am (slowly) working on sawing it down the middle. It is taking forever because I am doing it by hand! But I will have 2 nice feeders when it is done. Great minds think alike!
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07/05/10, 10:14 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: kc missouri
Posts: 1,228
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Looks awesome. I was thinking the same thing about the dog food. But then i remember sometimes when my goats come in the barn there is still some cat food out and they smell it and do not eat it. I cant wait to finish my set up,,,but are we really ever finished??lol
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