Goat setup

daqueria

Hatching
Aug 11, 2016
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Hello all!!

We have recently decided to start a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats and are looking to change our current setup from only having them during fair to having them year round (we live in WY). I was hoping to get some inspiration from fellow goat owners on how you have your setup. Pictures would be fantastic if you're willing to share!

Thank you in advance!!
 
The University of Pennsylvania used to offer some correspondence courses on various small agricultural projects. I had the one on dairy goats and they had the plans for a nice set up. I don't know if these courses are still available, but it might be worth checking out.
 
LOL! You sound just like us!

What started out as a "temporary" pen and shelter for 3 market goats in 2014.... because we were only going to have them from May until they were sold at the fair auction in September.... has turned into 17 goats on the property, 4 pastures, 5 shelters, stalls, etc.

We live in Maryland, so what works for us in our climate might not be appropriate for your climate.

Our shelters are Polydome Calf Hutches, and "hoop houses" made of cattle panels and tarps. We do get 70mph winds during storms, but rarely have days with sustained winds over 15mph. Most winters we get a few inches, maybe a foot, of fairly wet snow at a time, and it tends to melt within days. Last winter we got a blizzard that dropped 2 feet of snow that stuck around almost a month. All the shelters survived perfectly. The hoop houses are only 8'x8' but that is enough room to put an entire "east coast" round bale in there so the goats have full tummies 24/7 during inclement weather. Hoop houses have been up for 2+ YEARS now, and still look like new! They DO work & last!

We do have stalls in a barn with heat lamps for kidding. And a heated room in the barn that does & kids stay in for the first 12 hours or so after birth if they are born on a really cold night. It DEFINITELY helps them handle the cold weather better - instead of shivering in the cold as wet newborns, they dry off in 85* temps before being put out in the cold. The kids wear layers of dog coats, too. Haven't lost a baby yet to hypothermia, and my babies have to be born in January & February to be competitive!

My bucks and adult wethers can be confined with normal pipe panels, like horse round pen panels. They are too big to squeeze through the gaps.

Mommas and kids are fenced with Powerfields electric mesh. One pasture is charged with an AC 30-mile charger, the other with a Parmak 25-mile solar charger. The mesh is HOT 24/7 and the goats respect it. No escapees yet. My weaning and grow-out pen is 2x4 woven wire and 2x4 welded wire panels (aka horse panels vs cattle panels with larger holes). Gates are all standard pipe gates with 2x4 woven mesh "sewn" onto them to keep goats on the correct side. DO NOT buy the pre-made gates with the mesh panels welded onto them - they SUCK! It only took a few days for my Momma goats to bust the welds on the panel of a 10' gate and pop it off, just by rubbing on it. And the panel was on the inside of the gate, so it was in it's "strongest" position!

If you are on Facebook, there is a group called "Goat Barn Ideas & Photos" that is an amazing resource for goat set-ups from around the country in different conditions.

Forgot to add - we don't have issues with predators where I live, other than stray dogs. We do have an Anatolian LGD, and feel much safer with her around. She tends to scare off more "human" predators than any wild animals, but that is still VERY helpful!
 
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