Concrete floor?

[sdharlow]

Hi. Looking for some input here. I have a large, unused concrete pad at the back of my property. Years ago it was part of a small hog operation. The slab is 24 x 30. I'm getting ready to build a pallet barn over it this Fall. My thought is to use half of this area for a Goat Barn.
Having never raised Goats, I wanted to get opinions regarding the concrete. Too hard on the animals even with bedding? Cleaning concerns (urine and feces)? And anything else I may not have thought about.
I will be raising just a few goats for Meat, and Milk. This would be their nighttime living quarters (or whenever they felt like being in there). Daytime, they will have an acre to roam.

[Goat Servant]

Lots of folks use concrete. It will require deep bedding during winter, preferably with rubber stall mats on the bottom. Or you can build sleeping platforms.

[msscamp]

Concrete will increase urine buildup in bedding and resulting ammonia, and it will also conduct cold so bedding needs to be much deeper but, since you live in North Carolina, the cold shouldn't be that big of a problem. As far as the ammonia goes, either clean regularly or use agricultural lime(NOT hydrolyzed lime) or Sweet PDZ liberally prior to adding bedding if you plan on keeping a manure pack in the shed.

[sammyd]

I prefer concrete. We use deep bedding and do not add any lime. Our pens do not smell and our goats are clean and dry. I use the knee method to ensure I have a deep enough bed.
The deep bedding method can actually generate heat from the stuff starting to compst and the urine is a good source of nutrients.
We kept 12 or so goats in a 10x24 pen and hauled manure twice a year for our corn fields..

[marusempai]

What is the knee method?

[sammyd]

you kneel in the pen and if your knee gets wet you need more bedding.
Our girls stayed in the pen over winter and by spring we would have well over 2 feet in some areas but less than a foot in others.
During the summer they were outside during the day and we would end up with less than a foot of manure by fall.

[marusempai]

Ah that makes sense, thank you!

[sdharlow]

Great info! Thanks all!