In times of inclement weather goats will seek out shelter of their liking for protection from the elements. The weather may be too hot, too wet, or too windy for their comfort. Livestock producers have the responsibility to provide humane living conditions for their livestock and this includes appropriate shelter. Shelter should meet the needs of the goats and not the perceived needs of the owner. Although adult goats do not like to be wet, it does little harm to them unless the temperature is cold as well. Newborns and young kids need additional protection from the elements. Shade in hot weather is useful for goats.
Shade
One of the most often overlooked aspects of pen design is provision of a shade, wind break, or shed for the ability to stay warm and dry. When pens or corrals are used only for short-term confinement of livestock prior to working or sorting them, shelter is not a primary consideration. However, when goats are confined to pens for extended periods of time, shade of some type should be provided to allow goats the ability to utilize it when needed. Trees provide the most economical form of shade and must be located where they provide the needed shade at appropriate times of the day. Those located along a fence line may not provide any shade in the pen during the morning hours or in the afternoon or evening hours. Shade trees located within a pen are most ideal. These trees will need their trunks protected by some type of covering to prevent goats from stripping the lower bark leading to subsequent death of the tree.
Where there are no existing trees to provide shade, a commercially available fabric type of shade material is available from nursery supply houses. This material must be placed out of reach of goats. The frame constructed for support of this fabric will need to be strong enough to withstand local winds. In terms of cost, trees or other natural shade is the cheapest. The fabric type of shade would rank second.
It is possible to build a small roof-only shed inside a pen to provide needed shade for your animals. This type of shade will lack portability. Further, the site for its placement should be carefully considered in order to prevent interference with animal movement through the corral system. A roofed shed will provide protection not only from the sun but from rain as well, except in strong wind. This being the case, a permanent, roofed shed is superior to either the natural shade provided by trees or even the protection offered by the fabric type of material.
Portable skid, or wheel mounted sheds are another consideration when movement to other pastures or areas of a property may be required. Old flat bed or cotton trailers can easily be adapted for use as portable shelters.
Windbreaks
The natural hair covering of goats will, in most cases, provide enough protection from the wind except during the coldest times of winter. There are major geographic differences in the extent to which cold is a major challenge. Windbreaks need not be elaborate in their construction as the only goal is to block the wind. They also do not need to be any higher than the goats. It is recommended that windbreaks be located on the north or northwest sides of the pen. It is also suggested that the windbreaks be constructed of some type of material that will not be destroyed by the animals.
To prevent the goats from damaging your windbreaks, placement along the outside of the pens fence line is a wise choice. If feasible, the build up of a small pad higher than the surrounding terrain along the downwind side of the windbreak inside the pen is recommended. Goats, before they bed down, will often paw out a bed and if a raised area is not built up there will soon be depressions running the length of your windbreak area rendering it unsuitable for use should rainfall accompany the wind. Goats will not bed down in a mud puddle rendering the windbreak useless.
Innovation, creative thinking, and use of materials already on hand, can reduce the cost of windbreak construction. Materials for consideration in construction of a wind break range from plywood, sheets of metal roofing, or even old round bales of hay placed lengthwise along the suggested north fence line. Metal of some variety would be first choice. Plywood would be a good second choice but it must be placed where it is inaccessible to goats otherwise it will get eaten. The use of round bales placed along the outside of the fence line is effective if they are on hand. The use of poly tarps tied along a fence line is not recommended for windbreaks. Goats will chew the poly tarps and ingest some material leading to possible rumen impaction and subsequent death. Regardless of what material you chose to use in constructing a windbreak, keep in mind that it does not need to exceed four feet in height. An example of a low cost windbreak is one constructed out of the metal siding off of an old mobile home.
Barns and sheds
If you should wish to construct more elaborate housing for your goats due to particularly wet or cold conditions, then a modest barn or enclosed shed may be in order. The protection offered by a barn or shed will surpass that provided by either shade or windbreaks.
Shed design
When producers are building a new barn or shed specifically to house goats, a common mistake is building a structure with too high a roof. In order for a “goat shed” to be the most effective and efficient, the roof need not be higher than four feet or less in the rear, and six feet or less in the front. The low ceiling allows the goat’s body heat to accumulate and warm the air to a higher temperature than would occur with a higher roof. Entering or cleaning a shed of this height will not be convenient for the producer, but this height is ideal for goats. Commonly, producers make their sheds portable so when manure accumulates the shed can be pulled or carried to a different location. If the shed is to be permanent, then a higher roof should be considered for convenience of the owner. The biggest drawback when working in a properly designed goat shed is the low height and head clearance.
An existing barn may be converted into housing for goats by place a supporting a framework and plywood ceiling at the ideal four-foot height. With adequate support, this “new” rooftop may also be used for storage of feed and water buckets keeping them handy when needed. This may not look pretty, but functionality should be of greater consideration.
An ideal goat shed is long, has a low roof, and is shallow. The shed does not need to be any deeper than eight feet as animals are more prone to pile on top of each other in deeper sheds. This creates the danger of suffocating kids or the weaker animals in the herd because they are often on the bottom of the pile. This shallower depth also allows for good ventilation which is important since, along with manure, urine will be deposited under the sheds. Inadequate ventilation can lead to high ammonia concentrations in the shed that can create respiratory problems, especially in young kids whose lungs have not fully developed.
There is debate as to the type of floor most suited for goat barns. A compacted dirt floor with sand, wood shavings, or other bedding material is recommended for the main barn area. A cement floor can be used in the work area and wash rack if desired. The sand or shavings will absorb most fluids and will be easy to clean out and replace periodically as well as providing surer footing for both producer and goats. Concrete floor barns can become slick when wet and if too rough a finish is used the floors will be difficult to clean satisfactorily.
The shed should face southwest to effectively utilize the winter sun as a source of heat. This also allows the back of the shed to shield animals from cold north winds. A water supply should be near or inside the barn. Having a convenient water source to fill water buckets or wash something is of great benefit. If possible, installation of an on-demand hot water heater is a nice addition as well. If designing or building a new structure, be sure to plumb adequate water pipes and drains. Wire electricity into the barn for lighting and electrical outlets.
Size
A good guideline for floor space requirements for goats is to allow ten square feet per adult animal with five square feet being a minimum requirement. A shed 30’ long, by 8’ deep, by 4’ tall providing 240 sq. ft. floor space would shelter twenty to twenty five adult animals using the ten square feet guideline. More space per animal is better but smaller sheds can be used. Particularly in winter the close proximity of goats to each other helps them stay warmer from body heat alone. If kids are present in the group be sure to include five square feet of space for each set of kids. As with feeding space, observation on the dynamics of individuals in the herd will determine if adequate space has been provided.
The producer may also wish to build stalls to house individual animals for various reasons such as a doe that does not want her kids. Placing the doe and kids in a small stall for a period of time allows dam and kids to bond, increasing kid survival. A stall or jug for bonding does to their kids should be approximately 5’ × 5’ allowing plenty of room for feed and water buckets as well as the goats. Stalls are also easily heated with heat lamps during extreme low temperatures such as those seen in more northern climates. If building (housing) sheds or stalls inside an existing barn the roof sections can be made removable for ease of cleaning.
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