Apologies if I get this wrong as I am not good on these laptop things!
I am in the process of building a living area for our future goats and was wondering what the best flooring would be. I am considering using concrete or just good old soil. They should be kept in this shelter overnight but will be walked and left loose to roam in our field during the day.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
.
Replies
Hi Trev
Good ol' soil with a layer of straw is a great option.
Concrete absorbs urine and before long the ammonia is overwhelming.
With a dirt floor, you can use the deep litter method. So you basically add a fresh layer of straw as the top layer becomes soiled, without disturbing the bottom layer. When it gets several inches thick (we go to about 8-12 inches depending on the season) you clean it out to the compost pile, and start again. It will actually start composting at the bottom layers :)
We change our's out about every 3-4 months when it is warmer and go about 5 months during the winter. Same set-up - sleep there at night, out on pasture during the day :)
You can also put down a layer of barn lime or First Saturday Lime on the soil when you clean everything out, before putting down the first layer of straw.
Tammy
Many thanks for your reply, I think we will go with soil/straw. We will infill with very small hard core then back fill with the soil we remove when sorting/levelling up the other pens that should put about 10 inches of soil in place under the straw. Hopefully that will will do the job.
Thanks again
Trev
Good luck with your project!!
Tammy