# Wet climate goat pen



## joecool911 (Jul 3, 2010)

I live in a rain forest. We get 50" of rain a year. Mostly in the winter. My goat pen was pretty dry for a while. Then due to rain and the goats pitter patter of feet has turned muddy and rutted and standing water. I recently had a bout of coccidiosis with some other health issues requiring eye medicine and antibiotics. Getting past this season I'm looking for a way to keep my pen cleaner. 

I'm willing to bring in gravel or whatever is needed to rectify the situation. I'm thinking that 6" of gravel would solve all the drainage and mud problems, but picking up the coco pebbles would be hard. 

Second question. Is there a soil drench pesticide that I can use to kill the parasites? 

I'm a landscaper and have all kinds of spray equipment including a 100 gallon gas motor driven sprayer with 300' of hose with electric reel.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Sand for a top layer I think would work better. We are going to be putting sand in the main barn. With a horse shovel/rack it should be pretty easy to clean. Going to bury at surface level, some perforated 1" pvc pipe in the dirt first at about 1 foot apart so that if there is to much moister it has a place to go and when we need to we can bleach / Lime the sand clean without removing it each time. No idea how this is going to work but think its worth a shot. Will save on straw and mucking if the liquids drain away from it.


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## joecool911 (Jul 3, 2010)

My issue with sand is that it will never pack to a hard surface. Ever walk on the beach? I can see a never ending raking to smooth it out.


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

Id like it kinda mushy  Seems like it would be kinda comfy to sleep on for the goaties. But could always you pee gravel but there you are again, kinda hard to walk on.


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## Bob Jones (Aug 21, 2009)

This summer I will be trenching the yard and adding hills so that parts can drain and dry. At the moment it is almost completely flat so it just gets muddy. I will also be adding some toys so that they can get off the ground all together.


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## Bret.R (Apr 18, 2011)

I have 20' by 12' shelter for my goats. I have about 4" to 5" of gravel for the floor. I framed up 2 x 6's inside 3' from the wall along the backside and up both sides about 12'.
I fill the inside with pine shavings for warmth and comfort. It keeps the pine shavings from getting spread all over the place and it gives them space to lay where they want
with out them fighting. It stays really dry now. I haven't had any water issues and I don't have to change the pine shaving as much. I haven't had any problems with the smell of 
pee in there either. After cleaning it a few times the pine shavings have filled in the gaps in the gravel so it's not so hard on there feet. But it still drains there pee very well.

I've been thinking about pouring concrete in there and have it slope into a drain. Then build a plate form around the edges kind of like I did to hold the pine shavings. Then find some heat pads to put on the bottom side of the plate forms. So they will stay warm in the winter and then I can hose it out as I need to. I will save money on buying pine shavings and they will always have a clean house. If I could just teach them to pee outside there house. That would solve everything


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## joecool911 (Jul 3, 2010)

You know, I could probably see cutting down on pen size if all concrete. Mess would be more manageable.


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## idahonancy (Dec 13, 2008)

We have a wood floor barn. I put down a chemical proof rubber mat made for garages with wood shavings on top. The shaving get shoveled into lawn and leaf bags then to the dump occasionally. I used wood palates with ply wood to create board walks for the goats where they walk a lot. Granular PDZ is like a sand that is excellent for absorbing orders and drainage. My feeder area has 12" by 12" concrete block I got at the Home Depot landscaping department.


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## AACmama (Jul 29, 2010)

Joe Cool, we are neighbors to the north with the same rainfall. Our shelter is a barn (with a gate + tarp rather than a door that shuts out rain) with a packed dirt floor with permeable rubber stable mats on top, so it drains. We layer bedding straw on that and scoop that and berries out as needed. It's slow to compost, being straw and all, but makes lovely dirt when the microbes are done digesting.

The stable mats came with the place, so I have no idea how much they cost (probably a fair penny!). 

Our county extension office gave a wonderful class on mud management. Each surface (sand, pebble, cement) has its pros and cons. The biggest element seems to be drainage and slope. If you can make sure that the area surrounding your shelter slopes downward, that is critical. Also important (and soooo much easier said than done when you include critters-who-love-to-rub-and-scratch in the equation) is to make sure any roof drainspouts lead water far from your shelter.

Good luck. Ahhh, the rain we curse is the same rain that makes things so lush (how often I have to remind myself!!!).


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## joecool911 (Jul 3, 2010)

Good information. Thanks neighbor!


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