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Author Topic: Goat shed question  (Read 3998 times)

sokel

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • S W northumberland
Goat shed question
« on: October 23, 2012, 09:11:08 pm »
With the terrible weather and the goats hardly ever getting out its got me thinking
At the moment everyone has seperate pens in the big goat shed but thinking of possibly open plan
If we took all of the seperate pens out of the shed apart from the 2 bigger ones we would have a shed with a 25ft x 12 ft space then 2 x 7x 7 1/2 ft pens at the other end with a 14ft X 4 1/2 ft walkway in front of the 2 pens
Do any of you keep or have kept your dairy goats in a herd like this?
Any pros and cons would be appreciated
The 2 big pens would be kept for kidding. Milking or just seperating any that need seperated
They all get along great infact we quite often find someempty pens and others with 2 goats in
Graham

Ina

  • Joined Feb 2012
  • South Aberdeenshire
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2012, 09:24:20 pm »
A goat farm in France where I worked (a long time ago) had all 70-odd of them in one big shed.

anderso

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • brokenbrough
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2012, 09:27:35 pm »
have seen a number of barns that are open plan with a couple of pens for kidding/stop bullieing,
 
we do this but at the moment only have two does (though a couple more next year) - they have there feeding station where they go after milking with their own bucket and are now sometimes found  waiting by the feeding station(its only a bucket ring on the wall). they share a pen for sleeping and have acess to the rest of the barn when the weather is bad, when dry they go in and out freely.
 
this also helps if you need to shut down early for some reason, they have room to move around.
when the revolution comes it will be a co-op

Brucklay

  • Joined Apr 2010
  • Perthshire
    • Brucklay Pygmy Goats
    • Facebook
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2012, 09:34:51 pm »
My system works for me - they all have their own pens at night but during the day there is a 1/2 door from one pen to the next which I open up and clip secure - allows the whole place to be open but also allows someone to be penned if needed. Hay rack, water bucket on a ring and lick in each pen - think most scenarios can be covered  :fc: - but I'm sure they'll dream up a flaw in my plan sometime
Pygmy Goats, Shetland Sheep, Zip & Indie the Border Collies, BeeBee the cat and a wreak of a building to renovate!!

ballingall

  • Moderator
  • Joined Sep 2008
  • Avonbridge, Falkirk
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2012, 09:40:44 pm »
It does work, some people swear by it. We don't do it because we like the heavy milkers to be able to lie down in peace and eat their food, without hungry kids or goatlings hoovering it up.  However we do normally pen kids together, and goatlings too.


If your pens are easily rearranged, it might be worth a try. I'd love enough room to have a big "day pen" so that they could spent the day together as a herd even when the weather is rubbish.


Beth

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2012, 10:10:24 pm »
My three are all in together as the shed isn't big enough to have separate pens.  They share feed buckets, although Pom does have her own bucket to feed from while she is being milked (not in the shed) and they all get on fine.  They usually sleep huddled up together.

I even had Pom and her mum in together while Pom was giving birth to Curry with no problem.

sokel

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • S W northumberland
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2012, 07:10:47 am »
Thanks for the replys
I think I will give it a try and see how things go, the pens are solid wood but they would come out in panels if I took my time over it  :innocent:
Having the 2 big pens still there should cover any problems with seperating singles off and that way they can still see the other goats.
we do also have another stone built goat shed that is split into 2  8ft x8ft pens if we have to quarantine any of them, we usualy just use these for orphan  lambs  or the kids
Graham

sokel

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • S W northumberland
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2012, 06:21:27 pm »
Well they have all been in together for 3 days and its the best move we have ever made.
the goats are happier they have plenty of room to walk around and they cuddle up to each other when they lay down.
they have 3 large hay racks along the back wall and where they used to pull it out of the racks and waste it when they where penned they are not wasting any of it now   :thumbsup:
Graham

Lesley Silvester

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Telford
Re: Goat shed question
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2012, 11:13:08 pm »
Glad it's worked out for you.

 

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