Without a doubt, the most important condition for the productivity of any animal is health, and it can be ensured only through the fulfillment of the main conditions of detention.
If the question is about the maintenance of goats, then it is worth noting that no matter what room you take, be it a barn, stable, sheep house, or a specially constructed separate barn, the main thing is that this place does not cause diseases and death of animals.
Simply put, you must provide a comfortable bed, protection from the weather and cold, as well as the possibility of caring care.
It is the requirements for these features of the goat that we will try to highlight in more detail in the further presentation.
Basic room requirements for goats
That room, which is intended for keeping goats, should be warm and dry, spacious, clear, with good ventilation, without drafts. In any case, the building must meet a set of specific requirements. But first things first.
Allowable temperature conditions for milk goat
Goat crib should be warm and dry. average temperature in the summer time should not exceed the figure in + 18 ° С, and in winter you should not allow lowering below + 5 - + 10 ° С.
In the presence of small kids, this indicator should not be below + 10 ° C. In warmer climatic regions, with warmer winters, it is allowed to keep goats in the courtyard under a shed, but if the terrain is cold, even boardwalker will need to be warmed.
In severe frosts in the kozlyatnika should not freeze the water. But even more than sudden drops in air temperature, goats are afraid of drafts. Air circulation should be uniform. It is this moment that must be taken into account, initially selecting a place for keeping an animal and designing the whole room when building from scratch.
Optimum moisture content in goat barn
Goat housing can not be built in close proximity to the grave pits, latrines, and in general, where air pollution may occur, and the possibility of dampness in pens is also high.
After all, goats - animals are very sensitive to high humidity, and even more so to moisture. On this basis, the room in which you plan to maintain them should be dry and clean.
Goats can tolerate cold well, excess sunlight is good for them, but dampness is extremely contraindicated. The fact is that high humidity can cause respiratory problems. Condensate should not accumulate, for this purpose it is necessary to air the shed often. Humidity should ideally beat at 75%.
Ventilation - is it necessary?
Normal, full development of animals in the first place provide fresh air and light. During the growth of young animals, these aspects are particularly relevant. This problem can be solved by placing several windows in the goat room. After all, it is open windows and doors in hot weather that provide the best ventilation.
The number of windows and the size of the doors entirely depend on the size of the room. It should consider their proper placement. It is very important to place them in such a way that the wind does not hit the animals.
More often windows are located on the south side, at a height of 1.5 meters from the floor level. The windows must be arranged in such a way that it is possible to open them even when the animals are directly in the room. 1 m2 of window should fall on 20 m2 floor of the goatling.
Doors should be made with a threshold, and the ability to open them outside is very important in terms of fire, as there is a lot of easily combustible hay in the stables. The threshold height range is from 15 to 17 centimeters.
Another traditional option of ventilation can be considered exhaust hood - a tetrahedral pipe, with a conclusion to the outside. A shield can be attached to the top of such a ventilation pipe, which, if necessary, can be opened or closed to prevent rain and snow from falling into it. In the goat house, where one and two goats live, this hood is not necessary.
Holes can be made in the room; ventilation will also be well implemented through them. Usually equip one exhaust channel (35x35 centimeters) for ten animals. We arrange a convenient pet feeder: the most valuable advice from experts
The design of the feeders depends entirely on the type of food that you plan to most often give to animals. The most common option is the combined type, since in this variant both coarse and concentrated feeds are used.
It is more convenient to arrange the feeder in such a way that every time during feeding you do not have to enter the pen to the animals. Of course, an armful of hay or a bucket with feed will make it difficult to move the movement itself, and if it happens also with a restless herd of goats running under their feet, then it is doubly.
For hay, it is enough to hang on one of the inner walls of the goat house of the nursery, which should be located half a meter from the floor. They can be made either from metal rods, or from boards, or from pressed chips.
The feeding rack on the side from which the feed is laid should be provided. protective board. This will prevent the goat from getting food from above. The side boards will prevent the goat from entering the feeder. For convenience, the feeder can be made removable.
If a small feeder-box is placed under the manger, then small stalks and leaves will be gathered there, and it can also be used for mineral additives: fodder beet, cutting, bran, and salt.
For adult goats, the feeder should be 65 centimeters wide, 75 height (for roughage), 40 centimeters by 25, 30 centimeters (for concentrated ones). For an adult animal, the feeding front is approximately 20 to 30 centimeters.
When feeding goats outdoors, make sure that the food bunker is covered from precipitation. If you consider tying a goat to a manger as a necessity, then by no means tighten the string tightly. The goat must move freely in different directions and even go to bed.
It does not matter how you build a device for feeding goats, the main thing that it was convenient to use.
It is possible, of course, to feed the goats from the floor, but this is not the most economical way of raising animals.
Organizing regular access to clean water is easy
Goat drinkers should be hung on the opposite side of the food bowl. Approximate dimensions of watering bowls are as follows: 40 centimeters wide by 20-25 centimeters high.
For regular access to clean, fresh water, you can build an automatic drinker. If you place it on the border between two pens, then access to water will be provided to more animals from both sides at once.
You can water goats from any containers, the main thing is that they do not overturn. For example, a bucket can be tied in the corner with the help of a lace, and it is also possible to adjust the height of the bucket.
For little kids, the height above the floor should not exceed 20 centimeters, for adults - about 0.5 meters. Water in tanks should change twice a daywhile washing out the drinkers.
Construction features or all stages of goat shed construction
Goats, animals at all unpretentious. They can easily settle down in a separate room, and in the sheepfold, in the stable, and in the barn. But, if you are tuned to keeping a population of more than 3-4 individuals, it will be better to build a separate room, while observing all the rules.
Initially, you should choose the right place, taking into account both the necessary area for the barn, and the place for walking in spring and summer. Do not build a goat shed in one room or near a chicken coop, as it threatens the goats with the appearance of parasites.
The procedure of walking is simply necessary for goats, as it improves the animal's immune system. It is advisable to design a paddock, as well as a door to a room with goats, on the south side.
Protect the site for walking should be a half meter fence. Part of the area for walking should be protected from possible precipitation and sunlight. On the same site you can install a concrete slab, goats will wash the hooves on it. Thus, you will have one less problem.
It is advisable to build small scaffolds above the floor in the fences. Width about 50-60 centimeters. Sleeping on them will be much warmer than on concrete or ordinary floor. It is believed that the goats sleeping on such beds, have a stronger immunity and practically do not get sick.
If there are trees in the paddock, their trunk should be protected with a metal grid. So goats will not be able to nibble the bark and cause the seedling to die. We select materials for construction: advantages and disadvantages of various options
For the construction of goatling you can pick up any type of material, depending on the facilities and accommodation. It can be: all kinds of hollow materials (bricks, cinder blocks), adobe, adobe, timbered, plank.
If you choose a material for the walls of cinder blocks, the air, which is inside in a stationary state, will simultaneously perform a double function - insulation and a supporting structure.
The tree also has good insulating properties, but, unfortunately, it tends to shrink, be covered with cracks. Sooner or later these gaps will need additional warming.
Anyway no gaps. If you build a shed of boards, then you can additionally sheathe the second walls, and fill the gaps between the walls with any available materials: leaves, peat, sawdust, pine needles.
If a reliable brick is chosen as the material for the walls, then a small attic can be built above the shed. You can use it for storing hay or bedding material, and for storing inventory. For convenience, it is desirable to make the hatch from the inside. So it will be more convenient to further dump the necessary amount of hay or litter.
The material that should not be chosen to build goat crib walls is stone. It is cold and holds moisture. Be sure to need it to warm.
It is worth considering that the stable will constantly lose heat through the attic floor, since it is mainly made of boards. Therefore, it is necessary to warm. Litter material would be ideal. Another option for insulation can serve as foam. But it will need to be tarred.
Getting Started: a step by step description of the construction process
When planning a goatling, be sure to provide a place for storing feed and bedding material. If the floor is regularly laid with dry straw, it will absorb urine, and will serve as a good insulation, as well as prevent contamination of the animal, since the excreta will be mixed with straw.
In the construction of the walls should take into account the following:
- The height of the crib should not exceed 2.5-2.8 meters. If you ignore this condition, the heating will be very slow.
- The walls should be as smooth as possible; they are easier to whiten - this is necessary for disinfection purposes. Whitewashing is best done in spring and autumn.
- The walls must be strong, do not skip drafts.
- Well, do not forget about the windows, the requirements for which we have already mentioned.
By how and what to build the floor also need to be treated with responsibility. The most popular flooring options are concrete, wood, clay, earth.
- If it is sensible to evaluate the possibilities, the tree is much warmer than concrete, but it fails much faster. You will have to patch the holes in the wooden floor after 5-6 years, and maybe you may even need a replacement. The reason for this is the constant exposure to ammonia and moisture.
- If the screed is poured under a slight slope, the manure and urine will be downloaded outside or in one corner.
- It is possible to warm a concrete floor if it is poured onto a ball of slag on a ball or laid on top of a wooden platform. In this case, we must not forget to change the litter of straw or hay.
- The floor should be located 20 centimeters from the ground.
- The foundation of kozlyatnika can be quite shallow, about 1 centimeter.
- The ideal option for the floor is considered to be clay or earthen. Its height should not exceed 20 centimeters above ground level.
- There will be no unpleasant smell in the place where the goats are kept, if the liquid stack is made into one container, which must then be emptied regularly.
If you competently build a stall, then it will greatly simplify the maintenance of your goats in the goatling. Of course, do not forget about the herding of these animals. But, there are situations when isolation is a necessity. For example, when an animal is sick or beating. Therefore, consider the following:
- The fence can be made of boards. The height of the fence - not less than 1.2 meters.
- The floor in the stall must be laid under a slope.
- The door in the pen should be made of galvanized steel mesh.
- In any case, there should be a trough with a drinker in the stall.
With regard to the size of the stall, the goats are very rarely famous for a calm disposition, most often while eating there is no peace and tranquility. Based on this, the stall can be constructed following the principle of stable.
On each goat relies at least 2 meters of square space.. If you plan to keep two young goats in the pen, the area should not be less than 4 square meters
For a goat, as a rule, a separate stall is set aside, away from the goats. This is useful for mating, as the male will be much bolder in a familiar setting. The joint content affects the quality of milk, the specific smell of males can pass to milk.
We must not forget about a specially designated place for milking, away from other animals and manure. To equip it is not difficult. Ideally, the water supply system will not interfere in the vicinity, this will make it easier to follow the rules of hygiene and maintain the shed during milking.
Valuable advice on the construction of a barn for kids
It is very important that pregnant women and all the rest of the herd of goats are separated and kept in separate stalls. After all, like any living creature, in this position goats need peace.
After all, goats generally tend to butt, and in a situation with pregnant women, this can lead to miscarriage or injury.
If a goat has to lamb in the winter, then it will be enough to allocate 2.5 m2 for it, and if in the spring, this area can be reduced to 2 m2. A small kid needs about 0.8 m2 for a full-fledged life.
A goat with kids will have to live in a separate stall for several months, until the young grow stronger. But still, the main point is not the amount of the area allocated, but the content of the animal in dryness and cleanliness. If the content is untidy, then the possibility of causing harm to health increases several times.
