# Goat houses



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

We are adding on to our pen and making separate pens I was wondering what else I could do to make some houses for my goats we had one built but its to big to move so any idea how to make a cheap but durable onesonder:


----------



## Pygmylover (Oct 20, 2013)

We didn't build one. But we took the kids' plastic playhouse and boarded up the windows and such. Our kids hadn't used it in a couple years so we made it into a goat house. We even ran an extension cord out to it so we could put a light bulb out there for the winter. Our goats are pygmys though so that probably wouldn't work on bigger goats. Here is a pic... My husband is in the pic too - he's the oldest goat in the herd! LOL!)


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Honey21 said:


> I was wondering what else I could do to make some houses for my goats we had one built but its to big to move so any idea how to make a cheap but durable onesonder:


Have you tried pallets? Screw them together and cover with tin. 1 pallet on either side, 1 for the back and 1 for the roof will make a shelter big enough for about 2 standard sized goats. If you need them bigger than that, I would think you could use a 2X4 at the top and bottom as a frame, screw the pallets to the 2X4's, then tin.


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

The Kids house would be a good I idea for a medium sized goat or if u just had kids in a pen by themselves. The pallets is a awesome idea they just would be kinda hard to get


----------



## DMSMBoers (Dec 23, 2013)

You can also use cattle panels an a tarp.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

What kind of an area do you live in? Is there farming or agriculture? What about construction? If there are farms around you, look in the yellow pages for fertilizer and check with those business about damaged/broken fertilizer tanks. Some of them are good sized and it would be a fairly easy job to make a doorway and mount them on skids for moving. If there is construction, there is probably also demolition and you could pick up used lumber - usually for nothing if you are willing to go get it - and build shelters on skids. Another idea would be a portable hoop house covered with laminate. Build a frame out of 2X4's to attach the cattle panel too, then cover with demo'd laminate or paneling - something that is flexible. Attach the frame to skids and you're good to go. I believe tin can be welded to cattle panels, too, so there is another option if you have access to demo'd tin. Plug the nail holes with a little bit of silicone seal.


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

Cow panels cost 19.99 a piece at TSC I thought about the fertilizer containers too would be really good and easy to move around yes we live in a farming area there are hay fields and corn and peanut all around us. I will do that and see what I come up with. I hope they don't want too much money for them.


----------



## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

What's your budget like? Between $0-100, or $100-200?

Calf raisers sell used calf hutches cheap. Or from a promotional ad you can get away with a steal. Cattle panel is a good option. You can get a nice amount of them (great for everything) off CL for a good price. You can also use large old grain bins from feed mills, or do a search on CL for livestock shelters. Pallets are great too and many times you can find them anywhere industrial, and of course CL (can you tell I use it a lot??). An old truck topper makes a shelter in a cinch, and they're usually $10-40. Gotta get creative!! Also if you're willing to do a bit of work, people scrap all sorts of stuff out. Take it down in pieces, assemble how you'd like in your yard. We got our first large chicken coop this way! Old barn boards, tin, shingles, etc. Some people just don't want that ugly shed on their property anymore. Lol 


Animals make such personable friends, they pass no criticisms, offer their ears through happiness and sorrows, and yet possess such undying devotion, even whilst they know all our secrets.


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

good ideas thanks im willing to do alittle work. IF it gets the job done budget would probably be 0-100$


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

What about totes from a dairy? They usually just give them away. It's not the goats but wr used it for pigs too

Carmen, Co-Owner Oleo Acres LLC, Nw Ks


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

Called the fertilizer companies this morning no luck!


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

Igloo dog houses work and they love to climb on them too. 

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

well still looking around for everything yall suggested anything else anybody can give me some help with? I would really like to see some pics


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Here's a couple more pics. One is a metal calf or pig hut and the other is a better pic of the totes

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


----------



## crownofjules (Dec 31, 2013)

Not much help here... we use pallets and "found" wood, unwanted sheds, I even have a set of houses built from an old half pipe! I use left over stucco wallboard, or home exterior paneling for walls, roofs, floors. 
The are really ugly, but they last (even through lots of butting and being hopped upon!) and they are uber-cheap! The only expense is in the wood screws, roof sealant, and a fresh sawzall blade now and then. 

They don't need them here but for a few months in "winter" (it's already in the 80's!) and during the violent winds and torrential rain/hail during the monsoons. They have mid-yard shade to chill in during the hottest part of the day.


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

love the totes they look really strudy and easy to move around thanks for the idea im glad goats aren't picky about how their house looks!!


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

How hard are those totes to clean out? Are they warm enough for the goats to stay in when there's negative temps?

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Tip the totes up and wash them. You can see the black thing on top of the one...that is a fill hole and that is the lid for it (note the other 2 don't have lids). You can tumble them over and then rinse with the water and gunk falling out that hole. Not too hard. Not super convenient, but not bad. We put lots and lots of straw in there for them. We get a LOT of wind and have bad windchill here. Place the totes so they face away from the prevailing wind. Usually, you'll have 2 or 3 goats sleeping in them together so they keep each other pretty warm. We've never had one freeze to death in there. Best part of the totes is that if you can find a dairy near you they will almost pay you to take them!! They are FREE. We have a dairy just a couple miles down the road and can pick up all we want or can use.


----------



## mlktrkdrvr (Dec 7, 2012)

kccjer said:


> Tip the totes up and wash them. You can see the black thing on top of the one...that is a fill hole and that is the lid for it (note the other 2 don't have lids). You can tumble them over and then rinse with the water and gunk falling out that hole. Not too hard. Not super convenient, but not bad. We put lots and lots of straw in there for them. We get a LOT of wind and have bad windchill here. Place the totes so they face away from the prevailing wind. Usually, you'll have 2 or 3 goats sleeping in them together so they keep each other pretty warm. We've never had one freeze to death in there. Best part of the totes is that if you can find a dairy near you they will almost pay you to take them!! They are FREE. We have a dairy just a couple miles down the road and can pick up all we want or can use.


Next time I am down that way I am going to look you up and get a trailer load. They sell here for $50 each. We are in SE Nebr


----------



## jac-k (Nov 10, 2013)

You said you can get them from a dairy farm what are they called exactly so I don't look like an idiot asking around lol

Sent from my C811 4G using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## mlktrkdrvr (Dec 7, 2012)

Around here they just call them totes, or liquid storage totes...


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

mlktrkdrvr said:


> Next time I am down that way I am going to look you up and get a trailer load. They sell here for $50 each. We are in SE Nebr


Louisiana they're like $150 according to someone on here and THAT is when they can even find them! Let me know when you will be this way and I'll make sure we go get a bunch of them for you.

I don't know what they are called either. Just like mlktrkdrvr...we call them totes. Take a pic of them with you, maybe? I'll see if we have any out here that still have the metal around them and get a pic of them that way and post on here too...We use the metal cage for hay. I've actually seen one advertised on NexTech that turned the metal cage part into an actual hay rack. Next time I see it, I'm copying the pic so we have it.


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Around here they are called water totes or containers and sell for about 150. Ouch!


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Ok...you all just let me know when you coming this way and I'll make sure to have a pile of them! Lol. Amazing how prices differ even in short distance isn't it?

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


----------



## loggyacreslivestock (Mar 5, 2013)

Yep, around here they are hard to find and expensive. Anywhere from $50-$150.


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

I believe they're called ibc totes

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Jayoung21 (Jan 16, 2014)

Small farmer you are right, they are called I.B.C.s or Intermediat Bulk Containers. I use one for aquaponics at the moment but will soon be getting more to use as shelters in my kidding pens. We have an ethanol plant here and they sell used ones for $20. They even still have the metal pallet bottom and cage on them, very nice. As for finding things like that, the best thing to do is go to an industrial area of town and start asking businesses, most of them thow away ibcs, pallets, big wire spools, all kinds of goat toys and shelter materials.


----------



## AlaskaGoatiMom (Feb 19, 2014)

Where I live, on the Kenai Peninsula, is considered a "biologically rich" area...meaning, there are lots, lots and *lots* of predators. A little while after I moved in, the next door neighbors mentioned the previous occupants had their chicken house raided twice the previous year; once by a black bear; once by a brown (known as grizzly in the Lower 48). There are also wolves; coyotes; well, you get the point. Attached is a sketch of the quick, predator-resistant shelter I came up with. I started with a dog kennel kit from Home Depot. I drilled holes near the ends of PVC pipe to securely attach two long pipes to the corner posts of the kennel, crisscrossing them in the middle. I then wrapped the whole thing in tarps. The end result was heavy enough to deter large predators while still light enough to move when needed.


----------



## RoseBoerGoats (Oct 17, 2013)

kccjer said:


> Here's a couple more pics. One is a metal calf or pig hut and the other is a better pic of the totes
> 
> Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


How do you provide minerals in the metal hut without them being tipped over or stepped in? I'm currently using the PVC feeder.

Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We don't feed anything in the huts. All feed is outside

Carmen, Oleo Acres LLC, NW Ks


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

I'm thinking of building a little feed pavilion. Something with a roof to keep the hay and minerals dry.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## jac-k (Nov 10, 2013)

Sounds like a really good idea are you going to keep it so they can get on top of the roof or no?

Sent from my C811 4G using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

if u do build it where they can get on it they will have a ball


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

I didn't think of that! It's a great idea. Add steps going up and a railing around the top so they don't fall or jump down: depending on how high it is.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

Another idea for cheap and durable housing are campers. I've been looking into mobile goat housing and you can find old campers of all sizes; some for free. They can be gutted or kept partly intact for storage and things to climb on. 

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

hahaha that is awesome !!!!! when u wanna go somewhere u just load up and hit the road lol


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

Exactly. Camping or moving with goats.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

that is a new one on me


----------



## crownofjules (Dec 31, 2013)

That is so awesome! ...*looks at old pop-up camper in a new light*...

:stars:
:cart::cart::cart:

Hubby will think I've gone totally outer limits with that suggestion :cheers:


----------



## Micgrace (Sep 22, 2012)

love all your ideas


----------



## Smallfarmer (Jul 10, 2013)

Thanks. I just wish I could use them right now.

Sent from my SCH-S738C using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

Or canopy shell...they sit flat and you could build them up with sides...


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## jac-k (Nov 10, 2013)

Post pictures as you build it and the campers sounds like a good idea and easy to move too

Sent from my C811 4G using Goat Forum mobile app


----------



## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I love those totes Carmen , what a great idea ! Nothing like recycling


----------



## anawhitfield (Jun 9, 2013)

We used panels from a fallen-down property fence and on the roof we later nailed tar paper to keep the rain from dripping inside. We also used one of the panels to make the floor of the shed when we started to get a lot of rain and the shed was getting too wet inside.


----------



## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

Oh I love how that looks !!! ^^^^ Very cool  And it doubles as a mountain


----------

