# Goat Pen Cleaning ?? Goat berries everywhere!!



## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

How in the world do all of you clean your goat pen area?
No matter how much I rake, the goat berries are still there! 
I've even tried sweeping them up with a broom, to no avail. 
Am I being too OCD, or is there a secret to this that I don't know about?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Do you have straw or anything down? Kind of doing something like a deep litter method?


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## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

Karen, There is straw and wood shavings in the barn.
The goat pen is mostly grass.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

How big is the pen area?

The only thing I can think of is to use a rake like this: http://www.amazon.com/Ames-True-Temper-42-Inch-KLRO/dp/B000OW969A and then use a rake and shovel to clean them up. I used this particular rake to clean up alpaca berries and still use it to clean up goat berries.

My field is large enough that I don't need to clean up goat berries.


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## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

The pen is 25' x 25'...they are in there 24/7, as they don't have free roam due to my dogs.

I've been using a regular sized lawn rake, but I like the idea of a smaller rake, I never even thought of that...doh!!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

The distance between the tines is perfect. That is why this is the only rake I use. Plus it is adult size so you aren't bending over to rake.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

I clean out their sleeping area about once a week. As for their yard, I just lightly rake some areas to spread out the poo.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

I hate to tell you but I think you will be fighting a loosing battle. I really do not think you can get every single poop, unless you use a hand broom.

If you are that detailed, can you come clean my house?


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## HaleyD (Sep 12, 2012)

I agree, you will NEVER get every last berry!  I used a rake like the one Karen mentioned above when my goats were in a grass pen, but eventually I put sand in the pen since the grass was starting to get smelly and gross and muddy in the rain. The sand was very nice and I made a special shovel to clean it. I wish I had a pic but I don't. I used a shovel like this http://www.forensicssource.com/Prod...oryName=BAE:Tools-Instruments:Site-Prep-Tools then cut a fairly large hole in it and put hardware cloth over it like this. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...rd=hardeware+cloth&storeId=10051#.UG8WIU3R7js and used it to sift through the poo. It worked very well and kept the sand nice and clean! I don't have it any more since I've moved from that house but I wish I did so I could post a pic! It was the best goat tool ever lol


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## WhisperingWillowNDG (Jul 20, 2011)

In I've got multi level wooden platforms that they sleep on in their shelters, so I sweep off the wooden platforms in their shelters daily, shovel out the poop I've swept off in the shelters weekly, and rake the pasture monthly. Mostly only rake the pasture to gather up all the hay they've wasted that month LOL, but end up getting a lot of berries too.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

LOL. yeah, come to my house! Do I have a job for you!

Goat pooh is pretty dry, so it takes awhile for it to break down. I put it on my compost pile and you see what I just got out of there, it's great. We had HUGE luck with our transplanting this year. I have some giant pompas grass, I've been putting the compost around it for awhile now. My Hubby has split this 1 clump now into 5 large clumps! And they have to be split again!


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## GoatsLive (Jul 1, 2012)

My goat pen is dirt. Once a month I completely grade out the pen with a custom tool I welded up from scrap steel. It's basically just a 2 foot wide by 6 inch high flat blade with a handle. (Think of a very wide garden hoe) I grade the top layer of dirt and berries into a pile and then shovel them into a container.

The dirt and berries go in our raised vegetable garden beds and grow wonderful veggies. A couple of times a year I of course need to add dirt back into the pen, or I'd end up digging a swimming pool


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## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

You could always vacuum! LOL! Works great! and it get all the cobwebs and hard to reach corners hehe! Sometimes I get on a kick LOL!


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## WillowGem (Aug 3, 2011)

LOL! Thanks, everyone! :laugh:
And just so you know...I don't do windows.


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## packhillboers (Feb 2, 2011)

I'm pooped out! I get tired of trying to keep the pens clean! In no time at all ... all my once cleaned areas are covered.. every square inch with little round pellets. Since the rain is about to hit.. and the grass is gone.. I tried push brooming them all into a large pile. I haul that away.. I close that pen up and let the rain grow up some new grass. I try to at least have one clean half acre pen for spring kids to play inside of. We have hooked up a blade to the tractor and pulled the poops to a pile before the rain hits. Once the rain is here... the grass grows and I don't worry it much then.


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