# Stall door question



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Okay me and hubby were talking about stall doors last night. We need to build one on the front stall in the next week. He wants the kind that slide open. Are the mount/slider things very costly? I would assume they might be? 

I myself would like to have a split door. So I can leave the top or bottom open whenever needed. 
Our mini barn is only 16'x12' and we have a doorway on each end for each stall. So the doors are on the outside of the little barn. 

We just plan on making the door out of OSB and 2x4's - stuff we already have.

With a split door, kiddings in nice weather I can leave the top open on, and when everyone can go in/out I can shut the top so wind/rain doesn't blow in. 
Plus if I am just checking on them I can open the top and peer in without having goats trying to escape...hehe...
We'd just need the hinges and locks - If we did split door idea, we'd make sure when it's open we can use hooks so the wind doesn't blow the doors around. 

What do you think? And if you have any other ideas please share


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I like your idea's.... as for the cost of the mount/slider...not sure...but... I'd call around and see who is the cheapest.... :wink: :thumb:


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## Myakkagoater (Apr 10, 2010)

The type of door that you are designing is going to be hard to build. If you want the door to be a slider it will have to be hung from the top with a roller assembly. It could use a bottom track but it will probably get clogged with poo and debris. If you are wanting to make a door that is going to slide from the top that is no problem you just need to make the entire door as one piece with the upper having an area that can open like a hinged door. I am not sure why you would want the top closed and the bottom open. Open the entire door in that case. Just my $.02. I am a 25 year carpenter by trade and I have built many custom doors and doorways. I like sliding doors as well. I once built a door for a lady that was kinda like what you are wanting. It was a hinged door with a smaller hinged door in the lower portion. She would leave it open for her pet when she want them to come in. Now her door was kinda small on the bottom but you could make it how ever large that you wanted just as long as there is enough frame on the door to support your inner door. 


Good Luck
Tom


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Since my stalls are small(little goats) they are on the back wall of the 10x10 shed, 1 stall is 4x5, and 2 are 3 1/2 by 5, each have their own door. The main door that I go in and out of is a dutch door, split so that I can leave the top open without having my brats get in where I don't want them( they have their own connecting 8x12 "stall") when kids start arriving, I leave the top shut when I enter by opening the bottom and ducking in, cuts down on the cold air blowing through. I also can leave the top open to allow airflow on nice days/night without endangering new kids by having to leave the entire door open for them to access their stalls. These are hinged with those triangular hinges and latched with slide bolts.( I have to also block the bolt on the bottom door because I have a doe that uses her horns to open it)


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks so much! Liz has what I am wanting to do! But hubby wants a solid sliding door. 
I prefer having the split door because of the exact reason Liz mentioned - you can leave the top open for air flow, especially on nice days when someone needs to be stalled and you want air flow.
Also, when they can come and go, if the weather is rainy, I can close the top and open the bottom so they can come and go, but the rain isn't blowing in. 
Right now I have a tarp going just a little over half way down the door to block out wind and the freezing rain we had the other day and it works great. So that's why I think my idea would work well opposed to having a solid door. 
I'm hoping we can try to get it done in the next few days. Or for my first kidding doe it will be a pallet and a tarp for a door! She's due in 2 weeks! 

Our mini barn is 16'x12', 2 stalls, each is about 7 1/2 ft by 6ft. The divider wall is made of pallets. 
We have a doorway on the front and back - for each stall. The weather tends to blow in more on the front stall, and not so much in the back. 
Eventually we'll have both stalls for kidding, and we have been building on an addition next to the barn. The addition won't have any doors, but I might cover the doorways half way with tarp when our girls start sleeping in there since the front stall is needed for kidding, and the back one is currently 80% full of loose hay boxed in with pallets. That's their 'hay room' and they love it! of course I will love it more when we are able to use this stall again!


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## Myakkagoater (Apr 10, 2010)

Sorry I misunderstood your question I thought you said you wanted a sliding door.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Myakkagoater said:


> Sorry I misunderstood your question I thought you said you wanted a sliding door.


No problem  I probably explained it terribly in my first post LOL 
My husband does want a sliding door though, but I don't. I feel that having the split door would be better. I like the idea of being able to close the top so the goats can go in/out the bottom especially when weather gets lousy.


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## LuvmyGoaties (Mar 9, 2010)

I have sliding doors on my horses stalls and wish they were dutch doors. The horses like to scratch their butts on the doors so they are constantly knocking the doors off the tracks or jamming them into the bottom guide at which point I have to use a crow bar to get them back on track- this might not be a problem for goats since they are not as big. Also, as someone else mentioned, the doors often get blocked by manure dirt, mud etc. 

Jen


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## Myakkagoater (Apr 10, 2010)

Remember, the trick to having any nice operating door is a rock solid jam. 

GL

Tom


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Myakkagoater said:


> Remember, the trick to having any nice operating door is a rock solid jam.
> 
> GL
> 
> Tom


Absolutely!! My doors have their hinged sides on corners where there are 4x4's...and heavy duty hinges because they are framed with 2x4's and covered with 3/4 inch OSB which has had 3 coats of barn barn to help preserve it for long wear and tear and against the weather.


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