I need some ideas!

[emmadipstik]

Hey

I own two goats Laylie & Nellie. Well as you know goats are jumpers and they destroyed their shelter, the storm also helped them. So now I'm looking for a new shelter. My parents do not want to build a shelter out of wood, and don't want to spend more than 100 dollars. They are very difficult.

I buy all the equipment and food so I really cant add to the price much. I don't have a job either :'( I really need some ideas on what to do. Their shelter is looking ugly right now and I really want a nice looking shelter, but my dad just wants to replace the tarp and leave it. Nellie's back also rubs along the top when she walks through.

Right now it's some hog wire folded over and "stuck" into the ground, with a tarp over it. Yeah it's pretty ugly. So please give me some ideas for the shelter. Can't be more than $100. I would want to build it, but my parents don't so I have to obey. So nothing that we have to build. *Sigh* Yeah this is gonna be difficult. Please give me some ideas! Thanks for helping!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

How big are your goats?

It sounds crazy, but those Fisher Price play houses that are made out of plastic work very well for goats (If they are smaller or medium size). I'm sure you could easily pick one up off of Craiglist very, very cheap

Something like this:

Playhouse

You would just have to get creative to secure it to the ground, but that is not hard at all. We had some toys made out of similar plastic and in ten years our goats never destroyed them, despite climbing all over!

 

[emmadipstik]

Yeah I looked into that but unfortunately Nellie is about 35" tall and 120 pounds, she is big for a Nubian, and Laylie is probably 32" tall and 100 pounds, she's Alpine

They have grown tall because of the hay and grain we give them! Luckily they haven't grown wide

 

[geepy]

Playhouses make good shelters, I have one in the pig pen now. I would be looking out on garbage day for scraps. Any metal or wood could make a good shelter. Be creative. Any thing to block the wind and rain will work. I've used old above swimming pool surrounds for fencing a roofing.

 

[emmadipstik]

Hmmm... That's an idea...
~_______________________~

I forgot to add the dimensions of the pen. 20' x 80'

 

[geepy]

Old wood fence works well also.

 

[emmadipstik]

Oh Oh Oh! I got an idea! How about I buy concrete blocks (only $.46 per block!) and then we seal them together using concrete ($3.35 for an 80 pound bag!), and have a heavy duty tarp ($10.00!) as a roof, as well as a waterproof one underneath (10.00!)! I think my parents will be okay with that much work! It's only putting blocks together and mixing concrete. (Yes I know it's a lot harder than it sounds, but shhhhh don't tell my parents!) so the dimensions are as following, 5' x 5' x 6' (LxWxH) Eek yay sounds like work! I love working! It's getting pretty late, well it's only 2:27 am...

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

I don't know what area you're in, but here in IA it wasn't hard to find a couple of old hog houses made from corrugated tin in an A frame. Worked great for the goats and sheep. Good luck!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Wood Pallets work well too, and many times you can get those for cheap or free. You would just have to secure a few together. You can use a tarp on a few sides to block out the wind if you'd like as well. Just get creative and I'm sure you could make it look nice!

 

[llrumsey]

I use the wood palets for alot of things including the fence, 2 high and the goats cant go over the top. I put the pallets together with 3" screws then secure it with short pieces of wood screwed over the pallets where they fit together.

mine has held together for about 5 years and I do need to do some work to it, but only because my buck uses it as a frustration (pouting) pounding place and he loves to rub the space between his horns on the corner.

I covered the inside with what ever I could find because our winters are pretty cold here in nebraska, so I've used tin, wood and the stall from around a shower (we were remolding and I dont throw very much away.

Good luck!!