# Shelter help?



## ilovegoats (Nov 27, 2013)

*I have been searching for a new shelter for a long time now that will fit two goats. Any pictures? Plans? Anything helps  I am trying to get it figured out twards the beginning of April. :kidblack:*


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

What are you looking for portable, plastic, wood, etc?


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Oh and what climate are you in, state, country?


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## Devin (Feb 6, 2011)

You can use a lot of different things as a shelter. One of our shelters is a huge round gas tank cut in half and split. Its basically a 3 sided metal barn! Its our bucks shelter of choice. If your goats are small, a large dog house will do. You can build a fancy barn with stalls, or a 3 sided hut. Our shelters that we have built are small and fit 3 standard goats comfortably, the walls are 4 foot tall. I think the shelters are 4x8. If you are wanting to lock them in they need a bigger area, ours stay open for them to come and go as they please. They go in only when the weather is bad. They prefer to laze in the sun by the hay feeder lol!


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## cdanna (Dec 17, 2012)

I am trying to find a used metal water tank, you know those big gigantic 5,000 gallon ones, with a rusty bottom that doesn't hold water anymore. Gonna cut it in half, cut doors in both sides and get 2 shelters out of it!

Our other shelter is a roof supported by 3 trees in a triangle that we are going to build cob walls for this spring/summer. This year it had thick canvas tarp walls and they did just fine in it. 

Last year we used an old metal shed that was left on the property, they loved that!

I also sold goats to a lady who built a shelter out of about 6 used doors, with a metal roof. Pretty much anything you can put together to make 3 sides and a roof will work.


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## ilovegoats (Nov 27, 2013)

Thank you all. I live in a cold climate but it gets hot in the summer. I was going to do a tarp over a dog kennel but my dad said the tarp would rot in the sun... Does anyone know anything about this?


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

I can't honestly say I've ever known a tarp to rot unless it was canvas. A poly tarp will rub through and fray if you have a lot of wind, but I doubt it will rot. Since it sounds like you have a dog kennel and just 2 goats, would it be feasible to put a large dogloo in the kennel? That way they have shelter and you don't have to mess around with covering the kennel.


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## Bootsy (Feb 4, 2014)

I would watch out for the dog kennel+ tarp idea, I had the same set up one of the 10x10 dog kennels ( chain link) and we purchased one of the black shade covers specifically designed to go over top of it, then I purchased a big tarp to go over that lol then I said to myself , self.....this is not going to work for **** lol so I really rigged it up by getting 5- 2×4s setting one 2x4 in the ground in the center of kennel straight up to give the tarp a pitch(( pretty much like a tent)) then cut the other 2x4s to length to go from each corner of the top of kennel to the center and put a big bolt through it to hold them all togeather, it worked awsome even through the snow as long as I would go out and brush snow and ice off the top every once in a while, untill one day we got mad amounts of rain and the water caved the top of it in , I guess what happened is maybe wind got up under the tarp and helped move one of the 2x4s and then rain collected in in a corner matter of fact so much to where it completely bent 2 of the chain link panels ( the top rail ) ...good thing goats were not in there when it came down.....however it could work if your handy with some hand tools you could buy some 12 foot 2x6 salt treated and run them across the top (( roof truss)) standing up on the sides you can find some kind of chain link fence clamps of some sort to anchor the 2x6,s to the top of fence panels, then you can do a metal roof on it lol that was my plan but I went a different route this is what I ended up with


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## Bootsy (Feb 4, 2014)

That dam 10x10 dog kennel ended up costing me 8 grand


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## TDG-Farms (Jul 12, 2013)

For a few hundred bucks you can get a poly dome. Its a ready made shelter. Do a search for poly domes.


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## Bootsy (Feb 4, 2014)

We looked into those we could not find no one near us that sold them it would have cost us dam near $1000 for shipping, so we went to agri supply to check on one of those big clear water tanks but they are not cheap lol at all


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## oakshirefarms (Jul 5, 2013)

Not sure where you are located, but here in PA I built a goat barn out of some 2x4s and plywood. Three sides, south facing and it worked great through this past unnaturally cold winter and the summer that blistered before it. I was surprised at how warm it was inside during the winter. Got another one built from pallets that seems to be working great as well. Really you can get away being very adaptable and using many reclaimed items long as they are able to stay dry and be out of the wind.


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## ilovegoats (Nov 27, 2013)

Chadwick said:


> Oh and what climate are you in, state, country?


I am in a colder climate, in WA state i live a bit higher up than the rest of spokane so it is about 4 or 5 degrees cooler.


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

Hmmm, well remind me what your budget is for the shelter


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

2x4s and five sheets of plywood is a good option, and won't cost much.


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## Wild Hearts Ranch (Dec 26, 2011)

Tarps will break down in the weather. If you buy a heavy duty one it should last a while though.


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