where do goats sleep???

[bassfishrman]

I am getting goats next week and have closed in part of my barn for them to have a large stall to themselves. Here are my questions?

Do goats sleep on the ground or should i build them some sort of wood decking in the stall?

If I use old hay that may have a little mold in it for the floor of the stall, will they eat it if I have fresh hay available?

Will they return to their stall in the evenings to sleep or will I have to chase them down? I plan to feed them in their stall.

Is it ok to lock them up in the stall at night and let them out at daylight? I'm concerned about night predators if I do not lock them up.

 

[ronshoney]

my goats have their own shed but they do sleep on the floor of it. in the summer months they would go to the upper level during the day or on nice nights other wise they go inside. I don't ever lock them up but they do have a fenced yard and two of the males have horns. I would imagine they will come in for the food at night.... mine will follow who ever has the food bucket as we let ours run loose in the summer months to graze when we are home.

 

[helmstead]

Please don't use the moldy hay! Kiln dried shavings or clean fresh wheat straw is best.

A dirt floor is fine as long as you keep it dry.

If you feed them in the stall...they'll come in and you can close it behind them. It will take a few days to a couple weeks to get the routine established.

Keeping them confined at night is a good idea if you have dogs or predatory wildlife around.

 

[ametauss]

They sleep where they want to... on nice nights mine sleep on a picnic table.... They have the run of a barn area and their own goat house but most of the time they sleep on the floor of the barn....

NO to anything that's moldy or foul.... use wood shavings or barn pellets....

I've heard lots of stories about how goats will eat the pellets but mine don't. I put a layer of grainular stall fresh, the pellets, then shavings and it stays pretty much clean....

Once the hay hits the floor, my goats turn their nose up at it and won't eat it..... I have a small hay feeder up off the floor for them to eat from....

It took my herd about two days to figure out where their food was going to be and they nag me when I come out....

Good Luck....

 

[Skyesrocket]

I'm in NE Ohio and it gets really cold here. So my goats have decking to sleep on inside of the pen to keep them off of the frozen ground.
You can make the decking from large skids. Just add boards to fill in the spaces. When it's really cold I fill the underside with straw and they have straw on top. They like to cuddle in a corner so I have the decks along the walls.

 

[Chirpy]

If you can build them something (a deck) do it and let them decide. Goats definitely LOVE to get up onto things. My Nigerian's spend many nights sleeping on top of a rabbit hutch in their pen even though they have a very comfy shed/dog house. If it's cold, they go inside but otherwise, they are outside.

My milk goats have the choice of being inside a barn stall or outside every night and have always chosen to sleep inside.

It was amazing to me how quickly all of my goats learned what I 'wanted' of them; even though I put them in different places each night. They are very smart and a few repetitions of something and they have it down.

 

[zatsdeb]

in the winter time my goats sleep in their barns, on the hay that they waste. they sleep outside in the summertime on the grass or dirt if it is hot, otherwise when it gets dark they do usually go inside.
Mine sleep on the picnic table too! They are so funny.

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Mine sleep on their straw bed...I put a line of wood pallets along the most sheltered side of the shed, then put a lot of straw over them. The pallets keep them off of the ground enough that they stay dry and warm. Then in the spring you can take out everything and start fresh...I find free pallets on craigslist. I close mine in the shed at night when it's cold. If it's snowing/raining during the day they never come out even with the door open. They are smart enough to know how to stay warm.

I have a tall dog kennel against their shed, so in the warm months i leave the shed door open but i can just shut that to keep out anything but maybe a Mt Lion!
I feed them in their house and they love their house...if the wind gets bad they'll go back in there too...wussies.

I would not use moldy hay around any animal. They "could" eat it, too much risk.

 

[Chatychick]

Basically they need a draft free shelter for sleeping when its raining or snowing. I put straw on the ground in my shelter for them to sleep on. Also I use wood pallets that have very small slits in it on the floor also. As long as its not drafty and no wind gets in they should be fine with just a dirt floor. I wouldnt use anything moldy as just when you think they wont eat it they will. I dont feed mine in their shelters unless its raining. I do put hay in there during the winter.

 

[bassfishrman]

what type "straw" is everyone using? Is it the the same quality hay you are feeding them or like pine straw?