Goat
Shelters
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| The only
goats I had ever been around, prior to getting
our first goats, were the ones my Uncle Chester
had. They were in a pasture behind his house.
They were in woods and had no way to get out of
the weather. They cleaned up the wooded area,
and then they were gone. They were wild and they
stunk.
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Before
we started thinking about goats, our main barn
was constructed. After talking to Benny Anders
(one of our neighbors), we purchased a couple
percentage does from him. He had shelters spread
over his pasture and had a nice big barn for his
goats to get out of the weather.
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We decided before we picked up our
first goats we needed to add a shelter for the
animals. To the just completed barn
we added a 13 x 30 addition. Within the addition
we constructed an 8 by 13 area for feed/storage.
We added some fences on the back side and had
our first area for goats. Over a three day period
we purchased three young goats, one Pyrenees
puppy, and three kittens and put them in down
at the barn. Soon we added the two percentage
does from Benny Anders, and we had a herd.
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We added
fences and goats; still the barn addition was
adequate shelter for all of our critters. We added
a couple more percentage does, and our first babies
were born; still the addition to the barn was
adequate. At the end of the first kidding season,
we were up to 15 goats. The barn was getting a
little cramped. I spotted some metal shelters;
priced them; and decided to add one for addition
shelter.
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This worked well, so we added a couple more. We
added more fences; made a few woodland pastures
to separate our young billies from the herd; and
well, more shelters were needed.
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On the internet I spotted a homemade shelter and
decided to build something similar using rough
lumber. It worked great for the bucks, but as
the number of bucks grew, we knew we needed more
shelters. Two 4-foot culverts became available,
so we cut the rusted area out and shelters were
born.
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At a farm just north of Lynchburg, TN, (home of
Jack Daniels) where we went to see kids from an
ET flush, we discovered another shelter idea.
They had some cattle
panel shelters (CPS). They gave me the basic
instructions on how to build a CPS, and soon I
had one at the bottom of the hill.
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At least a dozen
does have kidded in the CPS since it was established.
We knew the tarp would not last forever. This
year, after two years, we replaced the tarp;
and they are back in the shelter.
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As the herd increased I decided to increase the
barn, again, and added a 12 x 33 section behind
the original structure. The annex's
only purpose was to be a shelter. We had already
converted a 12 x 12 area inside the original barn
for a creeper for
kids, so I didn't consider the new structure to
be anything but a shelter.
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With
a new granddaughter, two sons and their families
in California, the wife decided we needed to go
visit for Christmas. Since none of the does were
expected to kid in December, a trip to the left
coast was planned. Pat's parents had fed the goats
before, but the herd had grown to 40. I decided,
after seeing an article on the internet about
a feeding system, to use what I had and design
a way for the in-laws to be able to feed without
having to get in with the goats. The annex became
a feeding area, reducing to some extent the amount
of shelter but gives me a place to pen does following
birthing. I tried a system of pens for the annex,
but the goats showed me my plan was flawed. So
I abandoned that pen idea.
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We put
our young does in a woodland lot near the house
to keep them away from the buck and to give them
extra feed. A shelter was required. One of the
metal shelters was hauled up the hill. As the
young does herd expanded, an additional shelter
was required; and one was constructed.
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This summer we built holding pens to provide special
areas for the soon to be moms and a place to put
the moms after birthing in good weather. Shelters,
of course, would have to be constructed.
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Two different shelters were fabricated; but we
have decided that once the balance of the holding
pens are constructed, we will probably build a
barn over the pens.
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All
of the lumber to construct
the barn, the addition, the annex, and the various
wooden shelters came from the woods of Clear Creek
Farms. |
