# Goat Bedding and Shelter



## Rebel985 (Jan 2, 2012)

Are goats going to natrually urinate in the stall in which they are sheltered in at night? Question for experienced: How often do you change out there bedding? I use hay. Thanks in advance!


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## BillyMac (Nov 3, 2011)

Uh yea, my goats they walk over to the bedding and pee right on it. I change their bedding if it starts to look or smell nasty. Summertime this will be more often than in winter. It can sometimes be easier in winter to just add more bedding than to clean it out. A milk goat should have clean bedding so as to keep the udder more clean.


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## jaycee (Aug 3, 2011)

Goats choose to pee on the bedding if you have a dirt floor in your barn or stall because they dont like the water splashing on them. You can actually use this to your benefit...if you have an area where youd like them to do their business, spread some straw there and they will. I dont switch out bedding I just let it pile up through the winter with a bit of wasted hay being added on top each day. I figure in the spring it should make good mulch for my garden.


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## Burns Branch Boers (Apr 11, 2011)

I use straw and really like it! It cost alot less than shavings (but of course shavings aren't really safe to have in w/the goats anyway-incase they eat them)

A bale of straw goes along way to pad sleeping areas. I clean my "sleepy spots" once a week. When the weather is cold I throw an extra flake or two in at night and they cuddle down and stay warm. I keep straw in 1 big stall where my adult does sleep, in an 8x6ft dog kennel where my daughters wether stays in the winter and his doeling friend. My bucks have a house and I keep a tarp on the floor of the house w/the straw on top. Once a week I pull the tarp out--dump the straw off and put new straw back in--very easy!

Also--I see mine chewing on the straw from time to time--mmmmm fiber :laugh:


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## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

mine pee and poop everywhere. Right in their houses on the bedding in the stall, everywhere.


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## Rebel985 (Jan 2, 2012)

Thanks for the tips all!! Very helpful!!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We have an old hay roll from last fall that we use for bedding, and when we run out of that I'll use some from another roll. I'd love to use straw but just don't have a place to store it. The hay has always worked great for us.
This time of year I let their sleeping area accumulate from wasted hay. When need be, I use a rake and fluff it up, so all the icky and poo is on the bottom. It's a pain to clean in the spring! But keeps them warm in the winter.

I stall my girls at night about 2-3 weeks before they kid, and I do clean those stalls every day and don't let them accumulate, I make sure all the wet is out. I've noticed that my goats prefer to sleep on one side and pee on the other. So once I figure out where they like to sleep I know where most of the mess will be.


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