Raising Dairy Goats: Housing & Space

Video Transcript

"So today, we're going to talk about housing needs for your goats. Now, some people will keep their goats in just a three sided lean-to, and they are extraordinarily hardy animals, and they can survive, however if you can, a secure barn or shed is really a better option. Now, this beautiful post and beam barn was built a decade ago, and these goats have been pretty happy in here. You see, we have the ability to partition off our space, and this is great for the pregnant mamas, for birthing, and for postnatal, while the goats are still very small and vulnerable. We give them a day, or three, or maybe five to bond with their mamas, in the locked private stall here. In your barn, you're going to need some type of bedding. The goats can make a swamp out of their quarters pretty quickly, so you need to be adding either straw or leaves or hay, whatever you can find. Sawdust will work, however, we love to make compost, and sawdust isn't a great compost ingredient in large quantities, so we use mulch hay, fall leaves gathered in bags, and sometimes if we can't get it, we'll use, if we can't get something else, we'll use newspaper, or various other kinds of absorbent bedding for the goats. Now in the herd, we do have a very strong pecking order, so the various options for their sleeping and living quarters, allows the dominant animals to choose the best spot, and the other animals will accommodate around them, but it is important that you create various niches, even if they're not entirely locked, so that the goats can create and live with their pecking order."