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COLLECTION: GOAT HANDBOOK
ORIGIN: United States
DATE INCLUDED: June 1992
Extension Goat Handbook
This material was contributed from
collections at the National Agricultural Library.
However, users should direct all inquires about the
contents to authors or originating agencies.
DOCN 000000007
NO B-1
HOUSING
R. D. Appleman; U. of Minnesota, St. Paul
D. L. Ace; Pennsylvania State U., University Park
Management and Housing
1 Dairy goats do not need fancy housing. Many older
buildings can be adapted to cut costs. Those intending
to remodel a building for housing goats or build a
new one should first visit several goat dairies, inquire
about the strengths and weaknesses of their housing
systems, then contact the local county agent regarding
insulation and ventilation needs.
2 There are two main methods of housing
dairy goats: (1) shed type or loose housing, and (2)
tie stalls or individual confinement. Some use a combination
system, stalls for milking does and loose housing
for the yearlings and kids.
3 Loose Housing This has many advantages
and some disadvantages. These may be summarized as
follows:
Advantages:
1. Exercise resulting from the freedom is desirable.
2. Daily handling of manure is minimal or possibly
eliminated.
3. Manure pack, when kept dry, provides heat and comfort.
4. Building construction and maintenance costs are
minimized.
Disadvantages:
1. Boss goats, especially when horned, may cause injury.
2. There will be much riding when a doe is in heat.
3. More bedding is required.
4. A separate milking parlor is an absolute requirement.
4 Dirt pen floors are preferred over
cement. At least 15 sq ft of bedded area should be
provided for each goat. The floor should be bedded
regularly with dry straw, wood shavings or ground
corn cobs to absorb moisture. Some dairymen construct
feeding stanchions at the feed bunk. Stanchions permit
one to control intake of feed grains. At least 10
ft of vertical space from floor to ceiling rafters
is desirable to facilitate cleaning with a tractor
and front-end loader.
5 Goats prefer to be outside some
on nice days, even when it is cold. The outside exercise
lot should provide a minimum of 25 sq ft of space
per animal, be well-drained and properly fenced. Goats
like to lean on the fence to greet visitors. A 6-inch
woven wire fence (4 to 5 ft high) is adequate. Some
goats will get out of nearly any fence. In this case,
place an overhanging wire from 10 to 12 inches from
the inside and top of the fence, supported by offset
pieces nailed to the posts. This wire may be electric,
although barbed wire is usually adequate. Put snap
hooks on all gates. Goats are able to unlatch other
types of hardware.
6 Confinement Housing This also has
several advantages and disadvantages, namely:
Advantages:
1. Less bedding is used.
2. Individual pens permit more attention to the needs
of each animal.
3. It is easier to show animals to prospective buyers.
4. An outside exercise lot is not an absolute requirement.
Disadvantages:
1. Building costs are increased because of concrete
floors, and individual pens.
2. Individual pens are more labor intensive.
3. Poorly ventilated housing is conducive to more
health problems.
7 Individual pens should be about 6 ft square, and
equipped with a hay feeder, grain box and water pail,
all attached to the pen wall. The pen floor may be
constructed to slope 3 to 4 inches toward a gutter
cleaner.
8 Ventilation and Insulation Ventilation
is a continuous process to remove moisture and other
contaminants given off from the breath of animals
from inside the building, provide fresh air for the
animals, remove odors and gases from animals waste,
provide a satisfactory minimal temperature in winter,
and maintain a summer temperature inside the barn
that is approximately the same as outside.
9 A system is required to bring fresh
air into the building, distribute it evenly, and remove
it. This system is completely different for the 2
types of housing environments, ''cold'' and ''warm.''
10 In ''cold'' housing, natural convection
forces move the air, and properly located adjustable
inlets provide distribution and volume control. In
''warm'' housing, a mechanical ventilation system,
either exhaust or pressure, is used. Exhaust systems
are the more popular. Air distribution is provided
by properly located inlets and exhausted via 2 or
more mechanical fans, at least 1 running continuously.
11 Cold Housing - This is becoming
more popular because of increasing energy costs and
simplicity in providing a healthy environment. The
cold unit is mainly a ''shell'' to keep rain and snow
off the animals and to protect them from wind.
12 Sufficient air movement must be
provided to prevent fogging and excessive condensation
beneath the roof. Satisfactory ventilation can be
provided through a continuous open ridge (minimum
4-inch width with no screen over the opening) together
with suitable wall openings. A 1-inch thickness of
rigid insulation is recommended under the roof to
reduce condensation in winter and heat gain in summer.
13 Inlets in the wall of the building
need to be at least 2 sizes, large openings for summer
and much smaller ones to provide air movement in winter.
Summer air inlets are often 3 x 6 ft or 4 x 8 ft doors,
which may be adjusted during changing weather. Winter
air inlets are commonly under overhangs and may be
equipped with hinged doors that can be closed during
snowstorms.
14 Since ''cold'' barns may get below
32F in winter, depending on the number of animals
housed, it is recommended their use be limited to
loose housing systems whereby heated, insulated waterers
may be provided for each group of goats.
15 Warm Housing - This involves a
mechanical ventilation system in which winter temperatures
are maintained at 40F or above. To control temperature
and moisture, the following items must be provided:
1. Insulation in the walls and ceiling (insulation
R values in the walls of at least 14, ceilings should
have an R value of 23 or more).
2. At least 2 exhaust fans (1 running continuously
and 1 thermostatically controlled).
3. Adjustable air inlets.
4. Limited door and window openings, and,
5. Supplemental heat if needed.
16 Adequate insulation usually can
be obtained by placing 3-1/2 inches of blanket insulation
in the walls and 8 inches of fill insulation in the
ceiling. All insulation must be protected with a tight
vapor barrier installed on the warm side. The thermal
resistance (R values) of the more common insulation
materials available are shown in Table 1. These may
help you select the insulation that best meets your
needs.
17 The ventilation system consists
of: (1) a fresh air inlet system, and (2) the exhaust
system. Each is equally important. A fundamental requirement
of any successful ventilation system is that at least
1 exhaust fan run continuously. A minimum of 4 air
exchanges per hour is recommended.
18 Total winter ventilation capacity,
including the thermostatically controlled exhaust
fans, should approach 15 air exchanges per hour. A
practical summer ventilation rate is one air exchange
every 2 minutes, or 30 air exchanges per hour.
19 An Example - Consider a barn 20
ft wide, 28 ft long, with an 8 ft ceiling. 1. Total
cu ft capacity
= length x width x height = 38' x 20' x 8' = 6080
cu ft
2. To obtain 4 air exchanges per hour, divide total
cu ft capacity by 15 minutes, e.g.:
6080/15 = 405.3 cfm (cu ft per min)
Thus, a 400 cfm fan running continuously would be
appropriate.
3. To obtain 30 air exchanges per hour, divide total
cu ft capacity by 2 minutes, then subtract 400 cfm
(supplied by the continuous fan), e.g.:
6080/2 = 3040 - 400 = 2640 cfm
Thus, two 1300 cfm fans, thermostatically controlled,
would be appropriate. These could be set in different
settings, so only one would operate intermittently
in winter.
20 Fresh Air An inlet system must
be provided for satisfactory ventilation. This is
frequently overlooked or ignored, especially when
attempting to use older buildings, and is the most
common cause of unsatifactory ventilation performance.
21 A slot inlet system permits adequate
distribution of small amounts of air in many places.
It can easily be built into the barn during construction
by making an adjustable slot at the junction of the
walls and ceiling, except for a distance of 4 ft on
either side of each exhaust fan. Air is drawn into
the barn through these inlets by the exhaust fans.
22 This slot should be 1 inch wide
for winter use. Note: if all fans are placed along
one side of our 36 ft long ''example'' barn, then
a 1-inch slot along the other side will provide 3
sq ft of air inlet. Air velocity entering the building
will be 133 ft per minute (400 cfm / 3 sq ft) or 1.5
miles per hour, enough to prevent a back draft (excess
of 100 ft per minute is recommended), but not enough
to be considered an excessive draft.
23 During the fall and spring months,
when one of the thermostatiscally controlled fans
will be operating much of the time, the slot inlets
should be opened to a width of 1-1/2 inch to 2 inches
to allow more air to enter. This will prevent a vacuum
from forming within the building, thus limiting exhaust
fan performance.
24 In older, existing buildings,
it often is more practical to construct ceiling intakes
rather than remodeling to make a slot. In our example
where 3 sq ft of slot intake was recommended, one
could locate 6 ceiling intakes (each 0.5 sq ft capacity)
to draw air from the attic or hay loft. These should
be equally spaced (about 5 ft apart) along the ceiling
and about 5 ft from the wall opposite the exhaust
fans. Additional ceiling intakes for summer use may
be placed in the ceiling closer to the exhaust fans,
but remember to close these during the winter months.
25 Remember that satisfactory ventilation
in poorly insulated older buildings of wood construction
or those having stone or concrete block walls, single
windows, and loose fitting doors is often an impossible
task. Often one or more fans are installed in an attempt
to improve conditions with mediocre results. As a
consequence, air enters through available openings
around loose fitting doors and windows, hay chutes,
cracks, etc. The results often times are excessive
drafts and/or decreased fan performance. In either
event, the result is one of damp and wet facilities,
diseased animals and dissatisfaction.
26 Rules for Locating Exhaust Fans
1. In barns where animals are maintained all year
on a manure pack, space the fans uniformly in the
south or west wall to provide for best air flow across
the barn in summer.
2. Locate all fans at least 10 ft away from doors
or other openings.
3. Locate the thermostats controlling the high capacity
fans near the center of the building and at a height
of 5 to 6 ft. Do not place the thermostats on an outside
wall.
4. In winter, attempt to maintain the temperature
at 40 to 45F. Remember, the higher the inside temperature,
the more difficult it is to control moisture during
cold weather.
5. Do not locate fans near pens of kids or yearlings
in an attempt to draw heat to this area from areas
where older animals are kept. Aerosol contaminants
from the older animals may cause younger ones to have
more disease problems.
6. Wet corners often can be dried up by admitting
fresh air. In parts of the stable where fewer or smaller
animals are housed, added insulation and possibly
heat, may be required.
7. Install all fans near the ceiling. In barns with
limited insulation, build a duct 12 inches deep and
as wide as the fan frame around the continuously running
fan to draw cooler air from near the floor in winter.
Locate a door in the duct directly in front of the
fan. Keep the door closed in winter, open in summer.
8. If the continuous fan has too much capacity and
creates too much air flow, place a damper near the
bottom of the duct to reduce air movement in extremely
cold weather.
HOUSING
COLLECTION;GOAT HANDBOOK
ORIGIN;United States
DATE_INCLUDED;June 1992
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