Author: beautifulchaosorg

Hi, I am Carolien and I am a Dutch woman trying to build a self sufficient homestead on concrete and rubble. Follow my husband and me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@straverhomestead9667

A new goat stable with pasture

Taking the goats away from the sheep and giving them there own living space and some new additions

Putting goats with our sheep was not a very good idea. Especially our goat ram would keep harassing our sheep with his horns. Also our goat ram kept interrupting our sheep ram trying to mate with his ladies. In the end only 2 of our 5 sheep ladies got pregnant. One of them, for some reason, lost the lam half way the pregnancy and from the other we found the lam dead in the stable one morning, so that was very unfortunate.

Even before we found the dead lam we had decided to remove the goats from the sheep, but where to go with them? They need a stable and a decent fence, since goat’s tent to break out, and it should not take to long to prepare.

We have a structure attached to our barn that would only need some more planking on the inside, a roof and a door. What’s best about it is that we would have the goat’s right at our door, since they are here for fun anyway. The kid’s can go in and pet the goats or bring them some treats as they please. The pasture we attached is fitted in right between the caravan and the greenhouse (hidden behind the trees) and is more than enough space for the goats to walk around in. The added finishing touch is a big tree log for them to climb on.

Wooden goat stable attached to a stone barn with a pasture with wooden fencing positioned in-between a caravan and a greenhouse hidden by trees and a Great Pyrenees coming around the corner

Inside the stable we added a raised laying place out of wood covering up some old concrete foundations the goats would be able to hurt themselves on and the hayrack we “stole” out of the sheep stable is attached to the wall beside the door. The goats love the new stable, always resting underneath there hayrack. What surprised us is that we actually have to mow the grass inside the pasture. The goats prefer to eat the hay and leafs from the branches they get new every day.

Right after moving the goats to there new home we had a big downpour and the goats where very happy to be in there new stable, which is a much better shelter for goats as the sheep stable.

If you think we would get crazy from there constant bleating, well, they are so happy here that they only bleat when they want to have some more hay.

In the meantime we also got some new additions, 3 new lady dwarf goats to form a small herd.

4 dwarf lady goats and a dwarf ram goat on a green pasture with a wooden fence

A decent hay rack for our sheep

A sturdy, functional and easy to fill hay rack made out of wood

We separated our goats from our sheep, since the goats are … goats and keep beating up the sheep. Our goat ram had prevented our sheep ram to inseminate all of his ladies last winter and the 2 ladies he did inseminate unfortunately lost there lams.

For the new goat stable we “stole” the hay rack from the sheep stable and needed to build a new one. We where not happy with the hay rack at the wall inside of the sheep stable, anyway.

My husband and son build this standing alone and easy to fill hay rack.

A wooden hay rack on a pasture

At the moment we are filling the hay rack with hay we put in baskets first, since we are working from a round bale, but the hay rack is meant to be filled with a small square bale, which makes it quick and easy to fill.

There is a table underneath the hay which catches the hay falling out when the sheep are eating, instead of falling to the ground where it will be stepped on.

The hay rack stands stable and is accessible from two sides, so the sheep can all easily eat at the same time.

We love it and the sheep seem happy two.