How big are your barns? What is the best feature you find most helpful in your barn? How big is your goat yard? What toys do you include in it for your goats?
Views: 225
You need to be a member of Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats to add comments!
My barn is currently a converted shed divided into 2 stalls. Wish I had a seperate area under cover for feed storage as we haven't found a good strategy for that yet. There favorite toys are the electrical wire spools. We put a couple land scraping timbers to span between them. They love walking it like a tight wire. Also have an old set of stairs. 6 steps I think that we covered in shingles to help keep there feet from growing so fast. They seem to really like smaller spaces and will climb in through the little door to my chicken coop to nap instead of there open stalls.
My barn is currently a converted shed divided into 2 stalls. Wish I had a seperate area under cover for feed storage as we haven't found a good strategy for that yet. There favorite toys are the electrical wire spools. We put a couple land scraping timbers to span between them. They love walking it like a tight wire. Also have an old set of stairs. 6 steps I think that we covered in shingles to help keep there feet from growing so fast. They seem to really like smaller spaces and will climb in through the little door to my chicken coop to nap instead of there open stalls.
I already have one barn, I am in a town that is very restrictive about livestock. I am planning on adding anouther barn soon for a JR. pen and some stalls for kidding ect. my herd is already up to 6 does and am not planning on adding bucks, our farm is still in the making it work best for us stage, we just moved the animals homw after boarding for 6 years and going through a very tough permit process
My best advice is to try to allow flexibility as far as pens go inside the barn. You never know when you may need to segregate a goat or when you may decide to bring a new one home :-) We have a segregation pen where new goats can see the herd but are removed from them until a week or two. If you need to segregate one due to injury or illness, it helps to have this available, because you will be under enough stress tending to the goat.
My best advise is to make something that works for you and is easy for you to manage. Unless you are under a restriction from the town you live in don't think that you'll stop at two goats. Therefore you need to think ahead and plan for extra space.
My needs in Alabama are way different than what yours would be up north. Some of the others further north will be able to help you better but a few things about your herd will help, like... How many do you have? Do you have to house bucks, also? Do you plan on having herd growth or are you going to keep them at the present number? How much and what type of land do you have available? Do you have a barn presently or any convertible out-buildings etc.?
Replies
I already have one barn, I am in a town that is very restrictive about livestock. I am planning on adding anouther barn soon for a JR. pen and some stalls for kidding ect. my herd is already up to 6 does and am not planning on adding bucks, our farm is still in the making it work best for us stage, we just moved the animals homw after boarding for 6 years and going through a very tough permit process
Rebecca
My best advice is to try to allow flexibility as far as pens go inside the barn. You never know when you may need to segregate a goat or when you may decide to bring a new one home :-) We have a segregation pen where new goats can see the herd but are removed from them until a week or two. If you need to segregate one due to injury or illness, it helps to have this available, because you will be under enough stress tending to the goat.
My best advise is to make something that works for you and is easy for you to manage. Unless you are under a restriction from the town you live in don't think that you'll stop at two goats. Therefore you need to think ahead and plan for extra space.
My needs in Alabama are way different than what yours would be up north. Some of the others further north will be able to help you better but a few things about your herd will help, like... How many do you have? Do you have to house bucks, also? Do you plan on having herd growth or are you going to keep them at the present number? How much and what type of land do you have available? Do you have a barn presently or any convertible out-buildings etc.?