Leaving Goats inside Barn and heat

[Tammy]

Does anybody have any advice about goats, barns and heat.  We put our goats up everytime we leave, because we are afraid something will happen to them.  The barn is a little warm and our temps are averaging around 80's.  Does anybody leave goats outside or open barn doors? Any advice would be great. 

 

Thanks..

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

We have little goat doors in our barn stalls, so the goats can come and go as they please. It totally depends on your situation and whether you have a fence that will keep out predators. We also have a livestock guardian dog and llamas, so we're not terribly worried. Having lost sheep to predators, I also know that we can be home, and the coyotes will kill animals if they're motivated.

We took everyone out of our barns a couple days ago when the temp first went into the 90s, because they're metal, and it's 5 to 10 degrees hotter in there than outside, and it's not breezy down where the goats are -- meaning, they're short, and there is no breeze a foot or two off the ground. If you really don't have confidence in your fence, I'd at least suggest a fan in the barn.