Goat Tips and Tricks
Below are a few goat tips and tricks along with some of the things I have built to the make life a little better for all the goats I have met. Feel free to share. 🐐🐏🐎🫏
❄️ Hay vs. Straw: The Difference Between Hay and Straw in Extreme Cold
When temperatures drop, knowing the difference between hay and straw can make a huge difference in keeping animals safe and comfortable. 🐐 🐾❄️
Hope you enjoy all my goat tips and tricks below.
Goat Feeder Setup
Check out this goat feeder I built for the goats!
We used to feed them inside their goat house, but with these boys and their big horns, it was honestly an accident waiting to happen. One wrong hook to the leg and you’d definitely feel it later! So I built this goat feeder. 🐐
Goat Pallet Playhouse
Goats love to climb, jump, and play. I built this goat pallet playhouse because they love to be elevated. Seems they only hang out in their house when it’s raining. 🤣🐐
Hope you enjoy all my goat tips and tricks below.
Goat Hay Feeder
People always ask, what is the best hay feeder for goats, so I thought I would share my goat hay feeder that I put together for our gang. They are the food grade plastic drums you see on Facebook marketplace. I just cut them in half and drill a few large holes in the bottom so any water can drip out. Make sure you get the kind with lids. I then drill a few small holes from one to the other and connect them with zip ties. I also add a piece of 2″×6″ on each end with a few screws from the inside to keep it more stable. They work well and not that much waste and very safe for the goats. Occasionally, they poop of pee in them, but it’s not that often. I would recommend not to overfill them and clean them out before refilling them. 🤣🐐
Goat Feeder From PVC Pipe
Here is the goat feeder I made from PVC pipe. We have 12 goats and we used to use 6 galvanized pans to feed them. They were always fighting and head budding each other plus bending the pans, which gets expensive, so I decided to build this feed holder from a 6″ by 10′ long PVC sewer pipe from Lowe’s that cost me $45. I just cut it in half and sanded all the edges and corners so they were not sharp. I then put a few screws into three 4″x4″ posts to secure it. One on each end and one on the middle. It took them a few days to get used to it, now we all love it.🤣🐐
Hay Feeder For Horses and Donkeys
This is what I built for our 7 donkeys and 1 mini horse. I got the idea because I see a lot of people put hay on the ground when they feed their horses and donkeys, but wouldn’t it be better if you can put the hay in a clean feeder instead of having them eating from the ground?
So I thought I would share my hay feeder that I put together for our gang. They are made from the food grade plastic drums you see on Facebook marketplace. Make sure you get the kind with lids. I just cut them in half and drill a few large holes in the bottom so any water can drip out. Make sure you sand off any plastic residue that remains from when you cut them.
I then drill a few small holes from one to the other on the top and on the bottom and connect them with zip ties.
If you are not moving them around, you can add a piece of 2″×6″ on each end with a few screws from the inside to keep it more stable. The more you connect together, the less they will move. They work very well with little waste, but you do need to fill it more often. 🤣🐐
DIY Goat Shelter
I have built many DIY goat shelters out of wood, so I wanted to try something different so I am going to show you how to build a budget goat shelter with plastic pallets.
In my opinion, building a DIY goat shelter with plastic pallets is better than wood. The great thing about building a goat shelter with plastic pallets instead of wood is that they come as one solid piece, so there are no gaps in between—making them perfect for the flooring and the sides. Read more here. 🤣🐐
How To Get Rid Of Flies In Goat House
I’m a member of several goat-related Facebook groups, and I often see questions about how to get rid of flies in goat houses. I wanted to share what has worked best for me, in hopes it helps others dealing with the same issue.
For outside the goat house, nothing has worked as well as the RESCUE! Big Bag Fly Trap. I highly recommend using two traps—place one to the left and one to the right of the goat house.
For inside the goat house, I use the Coburn Sticky Roll Fly Tape Kit. It comes with a 1,000-foot roll and all the mounting hardware you’ll need. Read more here.
Goat House I Built
This is what I LOVE to do. 🐐 Here’s the goat house that Paul and I built for Smith Farm Goat Sanctuary in Fuquay-Varina, NC! The rescue reached out because they’re expecting a few new goat surrenders, and I wanted to make sure those newcomers had a safe, cozy place to call home. ❤️
This project was done completely free of charge—I never ask for payment for materials or my time when it comes to helping rescues. 🐾🐐🐎
About Me
My passion is helping goats and rescue animals.
Through my business I was introduced to a home builder by the name of Jerry Pounds. He owns and operates an animal rescue in Benson NC called “Old Cowboy Animal Rescue”. July 2020 I decided to visit the animal rescue and donate some of my time. When I got there, I fell in love with the goats and donkeys.
From that day forward through volunteering, awareness, donations and marketing it has been my top priority to help goats and donkeys in any way I can.
My Mission
My mission has been to make a difference in the lives of people, goats, donkeys, rescues and farm animals in need by providing hands-on help and support. Whether it’s helping put up fencing, building a shelter, or providing hay, straw, or feed to animals, it gives me joy and a sense of purpose to be able to help.
- Changing lives helping rescues and farmers in need.
- Shelters fixing or re-building current shelters.
- Providing food providing hay, straw, or feed to animals.
My Passion
My passion is helping goat owners, farmers and rescue.
Get Involved
Know someone or an animal that needs my help? My service is free.
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Help me bring hands-on help and support to those in need.
We can create a better tomorrow
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