# Goat Housing Dilema, need some advice please!



## mojomamma (Feb 13, 2012)

I have 2 does and 1 baby who are out in the backyard all day and then go into a little shed at night, which is small and when it rains tends to leak. I have been worried about Coyotes, we do have them. I have a large side yard that i want to convert into a playground goat yard and it has an 8x10 metal utility shed filled with junk. I wanted to clean it out and use it to close them up in to sleep in at night. Will this be sufficient? Is it bad that it is draft free? I live in Alabama so the weather is pretty mild year round, but does get hot in the summer. What should I do :hair:


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I'd be very concerned about locking them in there at night when it's hot out. Any way to make a vent of some kind? Sorry I am no help, but I definitely would worry about air circulation.
Maybe you can make an external door that coyotes can't get through, but allows plenty of air that you can rig up to close in front of the shed when it's nice and warm out? But can close if the weather gets nasty?


----------



## mojomamma (Feb 13, 2012)

Yep, that's what I was wondering. I need to vent it somehow for some air circulation. I am just not good at this kind of thing!


----------



## BillyMac (Nov 3, 2011)

An 8 x 10 shed is adequate but barely. I would be thinking about a bigger shed. There is no way you should lock them in an unvented shed if the weather is hot. I live in northern Minnesota and installed a giant exhaust fan in my 20' x 20' wooden shed and I put it on a thermostat to come on at 75 degrees. If you must lock them up then I suggest you find a way to install a fan high up on a wall that exhausts air directly to the outside. Your local farm store will stock exhaust fans. If this cannot be arranged then I suggest you leave the door open and find another way to protect them from predators. 

A good fence, a good dog, and a bright light are effective deterrents as is a ready firearm. Do a little target practice out back. Coyotes are typically smart enough to stay away when they hear you practicing. Have you ever seen or heard a coyote on your place? Have you ever lost an animal or have neighbors who have? If not, then I would suggest you take your chances before you lock them up in a unvented metal shed in the Alabama heat. Goats can tolerate extreme cold but that heat is a killer, more sure than a coyote.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

BillyMac said:


> An 8 x 10 shed is adequate but barely. I would be thinking about a bigger shed. There is no way you should lock them in an unvented shed if the weather is hot. I live in northern Minnesota and installed a giant exhaust fan in my 20' x 20' wooden shed and I put it on a thermostat to come on at 75 degrees. If you must lock them up then I suggest you find a way to install a fan high up on a wall that exhausts air directly to the outside. Your local farm store will stock exhaust fans. If this cannot be arranged then I suggest you leave the door open and find another way to protect them from predators.
> 
> A good fence, a good dog, and a bright light are effective deterrents as is a ready firearm. Do a little target practice out back. Coyotes are typically smart enough to stay away when they hear you practicing. Have you ever seen a coyote on your place? Have you ever lost an animal or have neighbors who have? If not, then I would suggest you take your chances before you lock them up in a unvented metal shed in the Alabama heat. Goats can tolerate extreme cold but that heat is a killer, more sure than a coyote.


I agree! :thumbup: I would not house my goats in a tin shed without having a window or 2 cut as well as vents at the top for air circulation, until you can make those neccesary adjustments I wouldn't worry too much unless theres been pets/farm animals preyed upon. I haven't seen a coyote here but I have heard them close by...I have had black bears in my yard too but because I have a little beagle/hound mix that thinks he's big and bays at any strange noise or smell I haven't had any issues with predators. Oh and I keep "Ellie May" handy and loaded at all times.


----------



## BillyMac (Nov 3, 2011)

The common way to cut holes in sheet metal is with an ordinary circular saw. This type of saw is the most common power tool there is and almost any handy person will have one. There are blades made for cutting metal but most folk will just turn the blade around backwards to make the cut. It makes a heck of a noise when you cut into metal and the sparks will fly but it is typically done that way. Eye protection is a must. 

An alternative is to use hand tools. A sheet metal shear is not expensive and will do the job. It's just a big scissors that cuts metal. You may still need a saw or a drill to start the cut but after that you can just go slow and patient with the shears. Shears may be necessary if you wish to cut a round hole for a fan. Electric shears and nibblers are also used but less common. 

If you do decide to cut holes then you need to be aware that the resulting edges will be sharp and therefore dangerous to your goats. The goats will naturally try to escape out of any window so you need to be prepared to cover the edges with wooden trim to prevent injury. An alternative would be to cover the window with hardware cloth. I would do both.


----------



## Breezy-Trail (Sep 16, 2011)

^^Good advise given.
Just wanted to say wear proper safety gear of goggles and gloves when doing that.
I have done that and it really throws the metal.

If windows are not an option I would put in 3-4 larger vents in, one for each wall, probably up top.
Make it about 1ft X2 ft or 1ft X 1ft. With vents on each side you can get whatever breeze their is, no matter where its coming from.
This "cleans the air" in the almost too small shed.


----------



## mojomamma (Feb 13, 2012)

Ya'll are amazing, thank you so much!!! We live in a neighborhood on 1 acre, so I am not sure what my neighbors would think about the guns. Our backyard backs up to 1,000's of acres of woods and I have seen coyotes at all times of the day behind the fence. We might try to build a small goat barn out of a kit, is there such a place to get one that is economical?


----------



## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

Cut your vent holes clear up at the top right under the eaves of your shed. The goats shouldn't try to climb out them (but they are goats and we know how "shouldn't" and goats mix LOL) It will give better venting because heat rises......Under the eaves will give some weather protection too.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

An easily built shelter can be framed with 2x4's and covered with heavy plywood, if you have well drained level property, the floor can be dirt and you can place windows wherever you like.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

If it's too much of a job, you can always do what I plan on doing since we're getting a couple of new doelings next month and I need to keep them in a seperate pen.
Make a shelter out of PALLETS. LOL Anyone who knows me can't be surprised I mentioned that.

Pallets are FREE, if you have a way to haul them, check around and gather some up. You might need a handy person if your not used to making things, but if they can't get through the 'slits' in the pallets, or get a head stuck, then you can wouldn't even need to put siding on it except for maybe the most common way rain would blow in so they don't get wet.

Here's an example of one I found on line









Metal sheeting 7' x 2 1/2' at Home Depot I believe is $7-8.00 a sheet. 
You could use a pallet as a door, or cut a piece of OSB, use some 2x1's and make a frame and some simple hinges and lock and there's your door...

Just a thought, and then you wouldn't have to cut any holes in your shed.

We built our 16'x12' barn and 16'x7' barn addition out of pallets and scrap wood, saved us a LOT of $$ and it's VERY sturdy.

BUT, you would need to find a way to keep the pallets off the ground so they don't get wet and rot.

here's a link to what we did:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=14545

Just scroll down you'll see pics. We just FINALLY got doors on the outside fo the barn.

Going to build a small shelter for the new goats similar to the one above, but if I don't leave it permanently, then I'll just wrap it really good with thick tarp <they'll be stalled in the barn at night>. If I leave it permanently, I'll put metal roofing, and OSB around the sides.
Our weather never comes from the east, so our open front shelters we build will all face east so rain/snow doesn't blow in.


----------



## mojomamma (Feb 13, 2012)

That's Awesome!!! Amazing what can be done with pallets!!!


----------



## lissablack (Nov 30, 2009)

I think an 8x10 shed will be fine for three goats for sleeping in at night, if you get adequate ventilation in it. You will just have to get used to getting them in as late as possible, maybe right around dusk, and letting them out as it is getting light in the morning, when people are awake and around. I have been doing this every day since last month when I had a dog attack, and I have 5 kinder bucks sleeping in an 8x12 shed. It is working fine. I'm pretty sure they could butt out of it if they wanted to, and wreck it. But they have not. If you can get one of those roof top bulbous vent things, plus some wall vents up high, they are real good. I wish I had one in that buck shed. All of my goats are getting shut in now that possibly can be. The ones that aren't are literally right by my bedroom. Where I have two dogs. I am also getting a couple pyr puppies this summer from LGD stock.


----------

