How to Build a Portable or Movable Goat Shelter

Goats have become an environmentally friendly method of clearing vegitation from different locations to reduce wildfire dangers. A portable goat house is essential if goats are going to be moved routinely, from pasture to pasture, because they need to be able to take shelter from rain or irrigation to prevent illness. Each time the house is moved, it will be self-cleaning.

Things You'll Need

• Clean, sturdy shipping pallet
• Plywood
• 1-by-4s
• Sheet metal roofing
• Wood screws and nails
• Self-tapping metal screws
• 2 hinges (optional)
• Latch (optional)
• Small door/grate (optional)
• Paint
• Goat(s)
• Goat droppings
• Saw
• Hammer
• Powerdrill
• Wood glue (optional)
• Foam insulation strip or caulking gun (optional)

Instructions

Preparing the Pallet

1. Pry out or tap in all the stray or rusty nails on your pallet. These are dangerous to both humans and animals and should be removed.

2. Close up the gaps between the slats with 1-by-4s just enough so the goats will not get their hooves trapped, but their feces will easily drop through when the pallet is shaken. If the slats are too close together, use a rotary saw to trim them back. Test your spacing with a sample of your goat's feces to be sure they fall through.This will allow the goat house to be self-cleaning when it is moved.

3. Decide which side will be the front and label it. It is easiest to pick up the goat house from the front or the back, so the open side of the pallet should be facing forward.

Building the Framework

1. Measure the tallest goat in the herd from its shoulders to the ground and use this height for the door. If the goats are young, add plenty of extra height, about 2 to 3 feet. The back will be lower to provide roof angle. One goat house can hold up to six large goats as long as they have a sufficient pen outside.

2. Secure in each corner a 1-by-4 post cut at an angle for the roof. Allow for about a 6-inch drop in height for an angled roof. Line the perimeter of the roofline with 1-by-4s for strength and for a place to secure the roof.

3. Outline the goat door with 1-by-4s to provide support from rubbing goats. Run the top bar all the way across, from post to post. If there is a very dominant goat, make the door wide so the head goat cannot keep the other goats out of the house.

4. Measure the plywood to fit each side, allowing for the angle of the roof and opening for the door. Cut the plywood.

5. Screw or nail the plywood onto each side, securing along each post, along the bottom and across the top. Use wood glue if desired.

Add Roof, Door and Paint

1. If using an insulating foam strip, apply it along the perimeter of the roof line.

2. Measure the sheet metal roofing, allowing for about a 6-inch overhang on all sides.

3. Cut the sheet metal roofing and apply it, layering the sheet's last and first crinkles over each other for a uniform roof. Use the self-tapping metal screws along each seam and long screws to sink into the wooden perimeter.

4. Add the door. Screw on the hinges and the latch to the 1-by-4 behind the door frame. Attach the door. The addition of the door means the goats may be kept inside for safety or convenience.

5. Paint your goat house, applying least two coats to provide protection from the elements. Be sure to let it dry sufficiently before using it for the goats, or else the goats may rub off the paint.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear safety goggles and abide all safety protocols.

• Measure twice, cut once.

• In cold weather, add straw inside the house.

• Do not use lead-based paint. It is dangerous to goats.

References

• Gomestic: A Simple Goat Shelter From Pallets
• "Goats: Small-scale Herding for Pleasure and Profit"; Sue Weaver; 2006