In any goat operation regardless of size, there exists the need for a set of corrals to assist in working and managing the herd. One single large pen or pasture will not allow effective herd management.
At some time it will become necessary to “work” your animals, whether for inspection, de-worming, sorting, or other reasons. A catch pen or corral is preferred to a large pasture for performing these operations. The size of corral and number of pens needed are dependent primarily upon herd size. When working animals, crowding is preferred to an oversized pen. Pens will need strong construction as animals will be crowded and under pressure. A central location with easy access to the corrals from all areas of the property is the ideal site. Select a well-drained site, if available, for corral construction. A producer should visit other goat operations and view their corral setups prior to beginning construction of a corral system.
Working pens
A single pen of enough size to accommodate the entire herd to be worked, with a series of smaller pens feeding off of it is preferred. The animals can then be funneled into progressively smaller pen areas. Pen dimensions needed are undefined as there is no one size fits all, (see above statement regarding herd size). The biggest factor for consideration in overall pen size is; in how large of a pen do you want to chase goats? This is where labor availability and the producer’s physical condition becomes a consideration. If a producer has adequate labor, can rope well, or likes to run, a 100’ × 100’ pen will work fine for a five goat herd. Ideally, the smallest pen or working area will be small enough to easily grab a goat from practically any location in it, or about 10’ × 10’ maximum size.
In a single pasture situation, placement of corrals in a corner will make pen construction simpler. Two side fences will already be in place as well as a fence line to use as a wing to assist herding the animals into the enclosure. Gate placement for animal entry and exit is an important consideration with corners of pens preferred to a gate located in the center.
A narrow chute leading off of or integrated into a pen compound is a valuable asset for administering medicines or loading animals for transport. Most livestock trailers are six feet in width and a maximum width of six feet should be considered for a combination loading/working chute. This size allows room for both producer and goats inside the chute, yet is not so oversized as to prevent easily catching animals. Orienting the chute on an east-west axis will reduce shadows that can cause goats to balk at entering a working, sorting, or loading chute.
There are several companies that manufacture and sell component style corral systems. These systems lend themselves well to new, as well as smaller, operations due to their portability and the capability to add on various system components as needed. Component systems are more flexible in that they can be easily reconfigured as compared to permanent corral pens. This allows a producer to experiment with various size designs and configurations while searching for an ideal pen setup. An additional advantage of component systems is that the system or individual components can be sold should a producer decide to construct corrals of a permanent nature, or discover they have purchased components not needed in their operation. The one disadvantage of these systems is their initial high cost. However, when this initial high purchase price is compared to the cost of building permanent pens that don’t funnel animals effectively or that are not “producer friendly,” component systems may be a bargain.
Breeding pen
In many of today’s goat operations, controlled mating is an important consideration. Construction of a mating or breeding pen can assist a producer in breeding management. A mating pen should provide enough space for animals to move about freely. A 150’ × 150’ pen will comfortably serve 30 up to 50 head of goats in a breeding scenario. Confinement breeding can decrease the length of the kidding season leading to a more uniform set of kids at market time. Confinement breeding also allows for the use of a single buck to breed a large number of does. Pen mating is a recognized short-term confinement situation, and these pen dimensions should not be considered adequate for long-term animal confinement. A breeding pen should have adequate room for water containers, mineral feeders, shelter, and feed troughs as well as the goats.
Kidding pen
For producers of high value stock, or for smaller producers, dedicating a pen not needed for day-to-day operations as a kidding pen can improve kid survival rates. A kidding pen is not a necessity but is an option for more intensively managed operations. Placing pregnant does in the pen one week prior to kidding and holding the doe and kid(s) in the pen for a week or so post- parturition can significantly increase kid survival. This is due largely to closer observation of doe and kid, but also by reduced predation losses as well.
Another tool that can aid kid survival is placement of a “jump board” approximately 14” in height across the pen’s gate. This allows does to exit the pens and graze if they desire while containing smaller kids safely inside the enclosure. Once the kids have reached sufficient size to climb over this board, they are usually large enough to follow their dams out into a pasture and return safely.
Weaning pen
A pen for confining kid goats upon weaning is another important aspect to be considered. Kid goats need to be weaned and separated from their dams in order to allow the does to dry up and regain body condition in preparation for their next breeding. It is especially important to house buck kids separately at weaning to prevent unwanted matings as the buck kids enter puberty. A weaning pen also allows a producer to feed kids a more nutritious diet to increase growth rate. As with any pen designed for long confinement periods, mineral feeders, water containers, shelter, and feed troughs must be provided.
Quarantine pen
A quarantine pen for newly acquired animals should be constructed. When animals are acquired from any source it is a good idea to keep them separated from the main herd for a quarantine period of a minimum of 2 weeks and usually for 30 days or longer. Quarantining newly acquired animals allows producers to observe and test animals for diseases before co-mingling them with animals already on the farm. This will help avoid introducing new diseases, or parasites, into the established herd. The quarantine pen needs to be a dedicated quarantine area that is used every time new animals are brought onto the premises. Since most acquisitions are small in nature, such as a single buck or small number of does, the pen need not be large in size but maintaining it as your dedicated quarantine area is important. If possible an easily cleaned or disinfected flooring surface is recommended for the quarantine area.
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