Hey Goat People!!!!

[yomama]

I was wondering if anyone uses the "deep litter method" for their goat's housing. I don't have a barn, but I have a very sturdy 3 sided, roofed out building for my goats. They can go in and out as they please. ( I realize some will think it dangerous for me to not lock them up at night, but that isn't really an option for me at this point.

) Their housing is out of the wind, and has a dirt floor that has a large stall mat on the ground. I use animal bedding pellets as their bedding material. My goats only go in there if it is raining, very cold and usually at night. As of now, I have been using the wood pellets, and changing it out completely on a need to basis. This seems to be quite often, especially with the weather getting colder and wetter. I was wondering if it would be ok to just remove some of the larger clumps of poo, and add more pellets on top of the old, to create a deep litter type bedding. I know this works well with some folks in their chicken coops. I have read that the composting pellets underneath can provide some warmth to the surface bedding, but I am concerned that the amonia might be a problem, not to mention, I don't want them lying in poo. Anyone do this?

 

[4 the Birds]

Our goat house has a wood plank floor to ensure that it is up and dry during heavy rains. I just add alot of straw and pine chips inside the 6 ft x 8 ft house and replace the bedding once or twice a year. This will work fine. I also built a wood table/shelf that they enjoy jumping up on to sleep. Poop will be everywhere. Goats poop in their house, around their house, and in their water bucket if you don't set it up a foot or so.... Ours has a door opening to a three sided covered area in which I add hay bales for feed. Ours does not have any ammonia build-up. Inside the goat house I have a heated water bucket and grain trough. Our house also has a couple of small windows that I can open during the warm months... btw... Goats like to knock out glass windows so if you have a window then cover it with wood slats or wire mesh.

 

[kuntrygirl]

My goat sleeps in a pallet house that has a trap on the ground and plenty of hay. He NEVER poops in his house. Believe it or not, it stays clean all the time. No problems at all.

 

[pardygwyn]

I use deep bedding with straw very successfully. My only word of caution would be to watch the wood around the bottom of the house for rot - it can happen around the bottom bedding layers in soggy places like the Pacific NW. I'm planning on lining the bottom half of my sheep house with cement board this coming year. I also know a lady who keeps rot down by using hog panels as the lower foot-and-a-half of wall and piling the bedding that high.

 

[TigerLilly]

Quote:
Mine utilize the excess hay that ends up on the floor of their kennel.
I want to know how you got him trained to not poop in his house...!

 

[Sumatra503]

We lined the goat house with a 6" deep layer of pea gravel and then piled straw on top of that to help with rot.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
Mine utilize the excess hay that ends up on the floor of their kennel.
I want to know how you got him trained to not poop in his house...!

Good question. And I can't answer it. He just never did it. I never had to train him. To him, I guess it's like going outside to use the bathroom. He knows that his goat house is only for sleeping and he goes out of his house to eat and poop.