FoxDog's New Goat Barn

As most people with goats will ruefully acknowledge, they soon outgrow anything you planned for them when you got them. We started with wethers and does, but knew we wanted milk. To have milk, we had to have bucks and babies. To have bucks and have good decent milk we needed a place where the bucks would be separate from the milking does, so their scent wouldn't taint the milk.

We started with the bucks in a small pen right by our driveway, and just across from the house. We built them a nice little shed, and everything was great... yea, until they grew up. This summer has been amazing, the amount of stink coming from just two full-grown Nigerian Dwarf bucks. So, we decided to move them FAR away from the house, down to the other side of the does' pasture.

The spot we picked is accessible down a long path, one side of which is lined by willows, alders and berry vines. The spot is dry, has nice pasture, and will enable us to extend the bucks' area if we decide. We designed a small barn. The barn is meant to hold hay, a stanchion for doing hooves, straw, grain, etc. Part of it will have inside stalls for the does and for any sick goats. The bucks area is in a lean-to off this main barn, and accessible from the inside of the barn (very handy, you can feed out a dutch door without ever entering the bucks' pen). The bucks have a 3 and 1/2 sided lean-to of 8x8 ft and a covered area that runs the length of the barn. They also have a sizeable pasture. It's 4 times the size of what they were in!

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The path to the barn. Bramble clearing will be constant along this path, but come summer, so will berry picking! You can just see the forms for the concrete pad for the barn at the end of the pasture.

The concrete pad, beyond the does' pen. The bucks' old pen is to the right of the picture. We poured concrete because it's easier than digging foundations and making sure they are level.

The far end of the barn, roofless, but with walls

Walls going on the end of the barn. Door to the left leads into the does' area, Door to the right leads into the bucks' area. Door in the center leads out to the berry path. There will be a stall or two on the right, encompassing the door into the does' area.

View out the front of the barn as it's going up.

The does' side of the barn; they are fenced out at this point so we can build.

Inside of the barn with the roof finally on!

Here's the barn with the roof on, almost. It's a galvanized roof; noisy in the rain, but the goats don't seem to mind. Eventually there will be sliding doors over the front and back entrances.

Here's the bucks' lean-to. Our newest buck, Bandido, is in the picture. The lean-to features walls that don't go all the way to the roof. This is for smell control. However, it is well protected from the rain.

Another view of the bucks' side.

Front of the barn, does' side yet to be finished.

Here's the front of the barn, minus the door, and the does' side (to the left of the picture) which has yet to be finished.