Goat Apartments

As promised, I went out and grabbed some pictures of our new goat housing. You'll have to forgive the lack of bedding inside, I haven't had a chance to add that just yet.

As you can see, they were once plastic shipping containers. These held a foaming agent for soap, nontoxic and once it was cleaned out (which was a bit of a bitch by the way) perfectly safe. Although of course, the goats aren't convinced of that just yet.

As anyone who keeps small livestock knows, sometimes you have to think outside the box! Sure I could build an expensive barn (and have). I could buy a line of doghouses (I've got two). I could pay a lot of money for housing. Or I could watch and learn from the masters! And if I'm extra lazy, I can buy the water tanks from someone else and have them cut the doors in. *wink*

These are quite large. Below is a picture of my largest Nigerian Dwarf, Hope, checking out her new accommodations.

‎"I don't know.......the living space is right....but how much did you say the rent was?"

So you can see, more than large enough to fit a few goats each, if your goats are friendly with each other. Or one goat if you have a herd queen/bitch like I do. Which is why you can never have enough shelter. It's recommended to drill holds in the bottom so it doesn't hold liquid, and to put bedding in. The containers are light enough just about anyone should be able to roll them over to clean them out with a hose.

According to the person I got these from, they stay pretty warm in the winter, and as an added bonus, there are openings at the top that can facilitate the set up of a warming lamp, although I would use a low wattage to prevent overheating any animal that seeks shelter within.

So there you have it! The new Goat Apartments. Quite ingenious, don't you think? Tell me, have you ever come up with something as interesting? Or perhaps seen something online or at a friend's house you put into effect for yourself and your farm?

I'd love to hear about it in the comments!