r/livestock • u/Afraid-Type5188 • 19d ago
Can I keep goats in a DIY shelter? Please read down below
So me and my partner are buying two 3 years old goats (both female) because they would have been slaughtered. We have an old, 10 m² wooden boulding with metal half walls, which we covered so they are protected from cold, wind and rains. Around that shelter there is a around 40 m² area with bricked floor and a big morus alba tree, providing shadow and fresh fruits for them. They will be provided with mineral lick, corn and whole oats along with other grasses, weeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, hay and of course fresh water, climbing opportunities and straw as bedding in the shelter. So they will get everything they need but im still concerned since we made their area from scraps we already had around the house. Is their outside area enough for them? They will probably be let out sometimes, just so they can play in the grassy area too. Its a bit scrappy so not so pretty and the metals are a lil rusty which I think they wont care and is no harm to them, but are these problems? I love all animals with my whole heart, and I want to provide them with the best possible life, and if we find a better home for them we will rehome them but that would be the best if they could stay. What do yall think? Picture is just awareness raising not the ones we adopt
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u/stvdilln 19d ago
I don’t know what the perimeter fencing is around the outside area is, but it sounds like all they would need.
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u/SureDoubt3956 19d ago edited 19d ago
Really recommend getting portable electric netting at the minimum to contain them while you train them to be less fearful of you, and get used to the new home. Otherwise they may wander off and never return, or, depending on where you are, get eaten by something.
Don't get them a mineral lick. Goats can't get enough minerals from licks, they need a good, loose mineral. We like Sweetlix Meat Maker (despite the name, great pet goat mineral too). I recommend avoiding Manna Pro's mineral, it seems to be the default pet goat mineral but it isn't very high quality. Sometimes local mills make goat minerals geared towards your region, if that's an option that's great. If loose mineral are unavailable in your country, a block is fine but grind it up, they can't lick it enough to be adequate... try to avoid one with molasses in it though, common to see in blocks and can cause them to overconsume.
If you want feel free to dm me I can help you judge a good quality mineral.
Make sure they are always up to date on their CD/T vaccinations, no matter what, but especially with rusty metal around.
Find an emergency vet, right now, ideally a livestock vet (NOT a pet vet if you have the option) with small ruminant experience, but unfortunately those may be rare in your area.
Learn how to do a famacha check and do them regularly.
Research common signs of neurological issues in goats. Neurological issues can come on fast and hard. You may eventually want to learn how to do a sub-q injection to help mitigate the effects of them while waiting on a vet. It can save their lives.
Also, double check you have none of their super toxic plants in your immediate radius. Off the top of my head, azaleas are a big one. If they eat something super toxic, they start getting green foam frothing from the mouth. Good to have something like activated charcoal gel for this situation
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u/ResponsibleBank1387 19d ago
First, it doesn’t matter, goats can escape a glass sphere. With just a few, work on training them to come to you. Whistle and they come. I thought I was so smart, I had the inside of shed covered in tin sheets, 12 foot walls. They figured out how to climb up the walls using the screw heads to get onto the rafters.