# Goat Bed



## fourbellesabeau (Jul 27, 2014)

I have two Nigerian Dwarf goats and they have a house they sleep in at night to protect them from any predators. My husband built them a sleeping deck(wood) inside the house to keep them off of the ground since we were told they like that. I am starting to be concerned about this winter. I put shavings on the ground in their house now but I need to know what to use on top of their sleeping deck to keep them warm. Right now while it's still warm outside i have a stall mat on top of the sleeping deck because it is easy to clean the poop and urine off. I was trying to think of what in the world I'm going to use in the winter to keep them warm since they poop and pee on their sleeping deck at night. Whatever I use I will have to throw it away every morning. Just trying to figure out what's going to be economical to keep them warm and be able to just toss in the trash every morning. I can't stand the thought of them sleeping in a yucky stinky bed. Do goats just chew up any kind of blanket you put in? I was thinking at least that's something you could throw in the wash but I also don't want something they might try to chew up and get choked on. This is all new to me since these are our first goats and this will be our first winter with them.


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## kccjer (Jan 27, 2012)

We just use a deep straw bedding but we also don't have a sleeping platform for them. Are you sure they are sleeping on it and not just playing up there? We usually just keep piling fresh bedding on top of the old stuff as the fermentation of the old stuff creates heat....but that wouldn't work with a platform...


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## Goat_in_Himmel (Jun 24, 2013)

In winter, I sweep the berries off the bench onto the floor bedding every morning, but I don't worry about the pee--I can't--it sort of soaks into and freezes into the wood of the bench. Although I have dog crates with deep bedding for them to sleep in, in the deep of winter, they prefer the bare sleeping bench. And of course, they kick off any bedding that I put on the bench for them. I can't speak for the use of blankets, but if you were to use something like the paper roll sheeting that doctors use over their examination tables, would you not at least be able to compost that? (BTW, mine don't seem to pee on the bench during the night; they seem to be too lazy to get off of it when they're wide awake.)


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## milk and honey (Oct 31, 2010)

I would have a nice thick layer of straw on the ground and let them figure it out. If they get too cold I think they will snuggle up together. It's amazing how much cold they can take! Even as newborns! Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

In the winter months I use pine shavings and straw in their stall. They curl up together in family groups, burrow in the straw and fluff up their hair. Your goats would be warmer laying on the floor with straw/hay and shavings than up on the bench.


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