# new barn and wood floors



## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

I'm so excited!!! I'm getting my very own goat barn. I've decided to go with a 12X24 Tuff Shed Pro Tall barn because they can install it right away, the price was right (compared to a pole barn) and I really like the looks of it. So my question is... what is the best way to house goats on a wood floor? I was thinking about putting marine plywood over the existing plywood floor (to protect it so I won't void the warranty), then putting thick rubber stall mats over the marine plywood and using a really absorbent a bedding like Natures bedding (kind of a wood pellet) to soak up all the urine. I've use this bedding with chicks, ducklings and other very messy wildlife babies and it has always worked very well. Any thoughts?


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## BillyMac (Nov 3, 2011)

The ideas you have are good ones but if it were me, I would just use the existing floor. It is likely a lot more durable than you think and a lot cheaper than marine plywood and rubber mats. Why worry bout the warranty when it will be expired by the time that floor rots out?

I suggest you throw wood shavings down on the existing floor then straw on top of that. If the floor ever did rot out it can be repaired without a lot of trouble or expense. Goats do not necessarily need something fancy or expensive. Save the money for fencing :thumbup:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

I've had the same wooden floor in my barn for 12 years+ Never had too much trouble it's developing a soft spot in one area now where the roof leaked last year. All it is is interior 3/4 inch plywood painted with Thomson's water seal. I scrub it up and repaint every couple of years.
If you decide to do interior walls, cut your board at 18 inches or so and go around the bottom. Then put your big peices above that. Years from now when the bottom of the walls are getting soft from the bedding you can just replace the 18" strip instead of the whole board.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

I've had the same 3/4 plywood floors in my barn for 12 years...and I even tried to use stall matting thinking it would help keep the floor dry, it didn't due to the fact that urine was able to seep in under the edges. It's better for me to use a layer of wood shavings with bedding over them and clean it out weekly, I think to that in the warmer weather, it's easiest to keep the floor swept bare and allow air flow over it to keep it dry by letting doors and windows open.


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## Bona Fide (Oct 9, 2007)

I've put old belting down in my sheds and a rubber old style truck liner in my sheds. My barn is dirt floors - it has 5 (10*10) stalls and a 10*10 tack room with a 10*30 entry way I divide into two extra stalls come winter. Come kidding season my stalls are cut in 1/2 with hog panels or wood 5/4 dividers into two 5*10 stalls. My goat sheds are plywood floors almost completely enclosed with the rubber and sawdust. They're up off the ground on runners and work good for me.


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## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks for your replies. This is great news! I'm going to save my money and use the existing floors. The barn come with a 10 year warranty so hopefully the floor will last that long anyway. I like the idea of cutting an 18" section at the base of the wall for future repairs. So I guess I can just use regular plywood on the walls (instead of marine)? Sure hope they like their new home. I know I'm going to really enjoy milking in a nice warm barn for a change :leap:


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

The walls in my little barn are just regular 1/2" plywood where the animals are and OSB in the storage areas. There's a few scrapes where they have tried to get their teeth in to chew but, that's it. It's lasted fine and should fpr many more years.


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## BillyMac (Nov 3, 2011)

Yep, the walls will take a beating if you don't put something up. Plywood is OK but if you don't mind spending a little more you could use solid lumber. Solid wood is the preferred material for any kind of livestock housing. PW is used either to save money or for it's structural value. I have started using solid lumber as much as possible in my goat barns. 

You might find that solid wood might be less expensive than marine plywood but more expensive than lesser PW. It's a lot easier to handle and install a 2x6 than a sheet of plywood as well. A small gap could be left between boards if you need to save a little. You will always be happy with it and 20 years from now that lumber will still be usable which can rarely be said for any kind of plywood. Good luck with you project and please show us pics!


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## nubians2 (Feb 20, 2011)

I have a wood floor in my buck house. I use the bedding pellets u are talking about to keep the buck smell down as much as possible. I really like using them. The "area is 8 x 8 and I use a quarter of bag for each cleaning and cover it with hay that has fallen on the ground. At 5.00 per bag it is well worth keeping the smell down. I did paint my floor with exterior paint before they used it but two years later it is starting to peel.


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## winky (Jun 19, 2011)

Thanks for all the advise. The barn was built on Monday and I've been working hard all week on the stalls. I had to put plywood floors down because the original floors were actually OSB coated with some type of resin. I didn't waste my money on the marine plywood. I followed the advise here and used solid wood planks on the stall walls. I have two 6X8 stalls, one 6X10 stall, a milking area, a feed storage area, a nice big loft and an unused corner that may become a nesting area for the geese. Tomorrow I'll seal it with Thompsons and the goats should be able to move in on Wednesday. I'll see if I can figure out how to post some pics tomorrow. Thanks again for your input!


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## flatmountain (Aug 14, 2010)

My little mini barn is exactly 4 feet wide. I have 2x8 boards cut to run across and make a place to put shavings for sleeping, but the boards are loose, and I can pull them out for cleaning. This is only practical on a small scale, though.


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