# Things you would change about your barn



## Fillyfrenzy (Jun 10, 2013)

I am in the process of converting an old barn on our property into a goat barn. I have 3 nigerian dwarf does(and some babies coming soon ). The barn is 16 ft 5 in by 12 ft and will have a fenced area that will be approx 20' x 30'. So my question is, what does your goat set-up look like, and what would you change?


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

My set up isn't exactly finished, in fact my goats are staying in my horse barn, but I can share the ideas I'm putting into it and think are important. 

Easy access to the fields. It's a pain to walk everyone to the pasture so I want to be able to just have a small door I can open on their sleeping area to let them out. A small kidding stall for breeding. An overhang off the pasture part. We did that with our horse barn and it's nice for them to have any area to go in if there's some kind of last minute rain. Plus its handy to put hay in there so it stays dry. Some sort of milking parlor with a sink and running water. And I think that's it.. Hope that gives you some ideas


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I like having my portable panels so I can set up a kidding area when needed and take it down when not needed.


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

ksalvagno said:


> I like having my portable panels so I can set up a kidding area when needed and take it down when not needed.


I love that idea! I think I'm gunna try that. It would save space


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Also on your overhang if it isn't up yet, go a minimum of 10 feet but do 12 feet if you can. Then it creates another area for them to hang out.


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## Fillyfrenzy (Jun 10, 2013)

I love the portable panel idea! Can I just have the field connected to the barn and have free access to the shelter? Or do I have to stall all of them separately like the horses?


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## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Unless it's kidding time they can all hang together. 

Having motion detectors has been a biggie here, no fumbling for light switch.
Make sure all gates to any stall are wide enough to fit a wheelbarrow through.:hammer:

Karen's idea for expanding the overhang is brilliant!


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## goatiegirl (Jan 7, 2013)

Your barn sounds really close to the dimensions of mine. Here are some pictures.
I really like having a split barn door. That way we can lock them in and still leave the top open to let in a breeze.
We put in a cheap window to let light in. It was only like $40 dollars but I think it looks cute.
We have a raised bed in the corner made simply from 2 skids and some osb on top.
We left the top of the barn (soffit area) open to allow for ventilation. Even on hot days it did't get too stuffy in there.
On the front taller side of the barn we have hay storage overhead.
Lots of high shelving for all your supplies. We just screwed 2x10s we had laying around to the barn framing and some wire shelving we had left over from our closets.
We have a post in the center so I can put up temporary panels for when we need a kidding area.
So far this setup have worked for us.....


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## OakHollowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

I would turn our barn into an animal barn! Right now, the upstairs is furniture and book storage. Downstairs, we store up to 12 bales of hay and our grain. We also walk the goats over to milk in there. Unfortunately, I have to share the bottom with a giant row boat, fishing supplies, and a plethora of tools. If I was allowed to turn it into an animal barn, I would! However, my goats have to settle for a shelter a few feet away. onder:


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Hay loft, electric, running water, milk room....that's what I would LOVE to have....of course, right now I have none of that 

For kidding I have a stall in my garage...it has electric/running water and it's where we store hay so....it works for now LOL


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## Fillyfrenzy (Jun 10, 2013)

@ Goatiegirl- what is that hay feeder thing? How does it work?

Right now, the barn is attached to our main barn that has Dad's *junk* in it. There is a sliding door that separates the goat place from the main barn and the a sliding door on the east end(with the main barn on the west end). I was thinking about putting a gate up in the doorway between the two barns so I can open the door and let breeze blow through. Does that sound ok? There are 2 other windows on the south end, will that be enough airflow?

The floor is cement, is that ok for the goats? I really don't want to spend all the time pulling it up, so should I have somesort of bedding or mats on top?

Sorry for all the questions! I'm a newbie


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## russellp (Apr 10, 2013)

Things I have found to be very beneficial

1. Electricity
2. Hot and cold water
3. An outside, communal, open walled but 
completely covered area
4. A nice sturdy stainless steel table
5. I have a set of cabinets that are sealed against mice, moisture and goats 
where I store medicine, treats, minerals and supplies 
6. A separate hay loft.


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## russellp (Apr 10, 2013)

The concrete floor is perfect. You can clean it thoroughly, with bleach and sprinkle with sevin dust. Get 2 cheap window fans to help with directional airflow, and the breezeway is a grand idea.


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## ciwheeles (Apr 5, 2013)

Fillyfrenzy said:


> The floor is cement, is that ok for the goats? I really don't want to spend all the time pulling it up, so should I have somesort of bedding or mats on top?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions! I'm a newbie


I have cement floors in my goat barn and I just put mats down to cover them. I think you prob could get away with plenty of bedding on top but it could get cold in the winter. I wouldn't spend time and money taking the concrete out though.


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## Fillyfrenzy (Jun 10, 2013)

What's sevin dust?


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## russellp (Apr 10, 2013)

Sevin dust is a dry white chemical powder from Bayer. It helps control flies, lice, and fleas.


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## russellp (Apr 10, 2013)

I forgot to mention a sink, I had to add this later to my barn and it has gotten a lot of use.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

Things I would change? I would make it a reality and build it if I could and stop imagining it all. Can't wait to get started on ours.


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## Fillyfrenzy (Jun 10, 2013)

Can I just get Sevin dust at TSC or something? How do you do water? We have "chicken nipples" for the chickens and love them, I have seen bigger ones for pigs and such, would those work? Also, how do you feed the hay? I have hay racks for the horses that I could use, but I am afraid they could get their little necks caught in the bars(since they get smaller on the bottom).


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## eqstrnathlete (Mar 16, 2013)

My wish list:

Concrete floor
Sink
Water (have to run hose 200 ft from my house)
Seperate kidding stall


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## russellp (Apr 10, 2013)

You can get the sevin dust at Walmart or TSC or any hardware. It is great for chickens also. Keeps the mites away. I water my goats in a tub that they drink about 3/4's of each day. Every morning I pour out the last 1/4, rinse and refill. There is no more important single element to goat health than fresh clean water. The key to watering goats is that the water is low enough for them to comfortably drink but high enough so they can't deposit nanny berries into the container. Because if they can, they will! I used to water them in a small kiddie pool. They would cross a 10 acre field to poop in the freshly filled water container, then stand and stare at me like I should be getting some more water, immediately!


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Fillyfrenzy said:


> I am in the process of converting an old barn on our property into a goat barn. I have 3 nigerian dwarf does(and some babies coming soon ). The barn is 16 ft 5 in by 12 ft and will have a fenced area that will be approx 20' x 30'. So my question is, what does your goat set-up look like, and what would you change?


I don't have a barn, just 3 sided loafing sheds. If I could afford a barn - it would have at least 5 kidding pens on either side of a central alley with access to apprx 5' X at least 10' attached runs outside. It would have concrete floors that sloped slightly to a central drain in the kidding pens with water pipes running under the floor to heat it in the winter time and possibly cool it in the summer time, at least a 400 sq ft area with dirt floors for the girls to hang out in, with trundle type doors that opened onto a very large pen - probably 80' by 80' - with a gate at the bottom that allowed access to at least a 40 acre irrigated pasture. It would also have a separate area of at least 26' wide area with an over head door for storing 3x3x8 bales of hay. It would be fully wired with a receptacle in each kidding stall for heat lamps. Oh, and every kidding pen would have a water source.

Now, back to reality. I have 1 pen (probably 30' wide x 50' long) that has no shelter, 2 pens (10' wide x 40-50' long and 20'wide x 40-50' long) that have access to fenced areas under a 3 sided loafing shed that faces south, and 2 pens (30' x 50' and 70' x 70') that have access to a 3 sided shed that faces east. The pens vary in size from 10' wide X 40-50' long to 70' x 70'. As for what I would change about my loafing sheds - I would change the height of the main shed so snow and rain didn't blow under it, and I would face it south instead of east.


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## TwistedKat (Dec 28, 2012)

Wish list (coming soon because I'm a brat about what I want)
*Electricity (legit wired electricity, not red-neck extension cord)
*Running water at the barn (I'm so lazy, tired of hauling water around the corner hehe)
*Milk parlor attached to the east side of the barn (back side from of the photo)with sink and clean storage

Otherwise, I love my 12X10 ft new/re-purposed barn with nice big overhang, decent sized main pen and hay loft. It's home to my Nubian doe, Lucy, and her 6 month old kids, Willow and Shane and my cutest little nigi wethers, Huckleberry and Banjo. They have a gate-lock alley to prevent escapes when I dingily forget to lock the main gate. They can access the neighboring pen for a change of scenery and go for walks out the back gate to browse each day. I can goat watch from my porch and bedroom.


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