Floor Options

1477 Views 6 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Lil Kickuh Heaven Farm, 2 mo ago

cheesemoose

Discussion Starter · Oct 17, 2010

Setting up 12X20 stall for the 4 goats comming in a few weeks. Wonder what thoughts were on best flooring options. Currently floor is red georgia clay.

1. Lime and wood shavings

2. Nothing

3. 2x6 with small gaps between and wood savings

4. 2x6 with gap no shavings

5. other

Thank You

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Cotton Eyed Does

· #2 · Oct 17, 2010

I personally would not put a wood floor in there because they will pee in there and it will soak up the pee and stink. I would bring in a truck load of sand and spread it out over the top of the clay. In the winter you can bed down with some hay.

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MF-Alpines

· #3 · Oct 17, 2010

A layer of pea gravel and then a layer of sand works well for us. We have the thick, rubber, interlocking mats over this mixture. We then bed with shavings and straw. But it's cold up here in the winter. Maybe you can get away with less down in Georgia. Although any kind of drainage would be beneficial.

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NubianSoaps.com

· #4 · Oct 18, 2010

I would make sure the inside of the barn is way above grade, nothing is worse than blowing in rain or runoff and you come in from a rain and the stall holds water! I have a literal mote dug around my barn so the north 10 foot shade roof on the north side of my barn (40 feet) is leached away from the barn and not through it! Then sand. Shavings if you can afford it, staw if you can find it for the winter. I simply can't afford to clean pens each weekend and replace shavings or I would, I do this in the kid pens only, mostly because I overcrowd them

Everone else lives on sand. Before our first cold weather I fill the barns with straw and then put shavings over this before kidding in the milking stalls. Weekly cleanups of soiled areas and I will use stall dry etc...if it smells, it rarely does. Be careful of wood ashes and urine! Vicki

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stoneyheightsfarm

· #5 · Oct 18, 2010

We have a clay base, too, which does not drain well. Our first 2 years, we did shavings, and then waste hay over that. I let it build up over the winter, but in the summer, I clean it out every week or two.

We just got 15 tons of screenings (like small limestone pea gravel) delivered. It cost $308. We've put it about 6 inches thick in all the goat areas. I like that it drains really well. Having a barn on a hillside and no trenches means that water will run in the barn, but it also runs right out. This rock means that I never see water in the barn anymore. I don't like that it isn't packing like I thought it would. We are just doing waste hay over it for now. Later, I might want sand to go over it to use as bedding that would be easier to rake clean.

I would not do wood floors, either. I have seen 2 goat barns with wood floors. One had those really expensive horse mats over the wood and bedding over that--no drainage. The other is so open to ventilation, that it probably stays dry, but can't smell great. I've never been to that one up close.

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teresagraves2019

· #6 · 2 mo ago

I have a wooded floor barn and I dont wait two weeks I am out there every day my yard floods I would love to add sand or something cause my floor is really getting me the barn dont stink but I am out there way way too much it is very time consuming on me and it is a must to make sure it stays clean cause my yard is having much problem growing on top of that I can't seem to get ahead for nothing is there any suggestion or anything I tried pine chips and straw and then I even put some cleaner in it and washed it completely out and I dont have the room I should but I am trying my best I even thought of putting sand stones everywhere but then it said it could be contaminated so that was out I also lost here really idk what to do what is the best things I only have five three adult and two babys in a 12×12 and I am thinking about putting a temp so I can do something better I thought of using horse floors but one of my mama goats is a pee holic I dont even get to let the hay get wet I seem like I am changing the entire barn every day it seems please any sec would be great I am out of ops....

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Lil Kickuh Heaven Farm

· #7 · 2 mo ago

We have a sand floor. On top of that, we put woodchips down (NEVER use cedar) and then a thin layer of straw.

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