We plan to do this for one of the barns/sheds we have. During the wet we've had was my trial run. I left it to accumulate for 3 weeks and it was a nice base for them. Yesterday it just flooded with 2 inches of water in parts of it but they stayed dry on their hill of hay. I just cleaned it out today to get some of the water out of there and it's quite the awful job so I imagine spring will be fun. But winter won't have so much flooding (please no) so I think it could totally work.
"Wintering over" the shed?
I have a question. I usually try to clean out everyone's sleeping quarters and replace the bedding once a week. My mom would like to winter the bucks over -- accumulate hay from their indoor feeders and leave it until spring. If we give it a last good cleanout, will this be okay for them?
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Would you use barn lime one a week then? Just curious. I clean the barn once a week, but may try once a month during the winter. I'm always afraid of some sickness, disease creeping in if I do this.
I almost forgot. They have sleeping pallets. I plan to build a sleeping table, a little higher up. The floor is dirt and I plan to still spot clean but let the mostly clean hay build up. I'm obsessive about cleaning and kind of surprised I lasted 3 weeks with this last test.
I have no idea about lime on the hay/shavings pack.
I have no idea about lime on the hay/shavings pack.
I have cement floors in the barn, and pallets in the bucks quarters. So maybe I'll do that for the bucks quarters.... Honestly I'm a clean freak too so I doubt if I can wait a whole month anyway, I think I'll continue to do what I've been doingI almost forgot. They have sleeping pallets. I plan to build a sleeping table, a little higher up. The floor is dirt and I plan to still spot clean but let the mostly clean hay build up. I'm obsessive about cleaning and kind of surprised I lasted 3 weeks with this last test.
I have no idea about lime on the hay/shavings pack.
I'm more concerned about pneumonia or any respiratory problems that may result. Looking for someone who has experienced it to give me their experience ... I think we did it last year, but I did not know as much last year, haha!
Here is what Brenda of Goldenbrook Farm does along those lines........if you go to this URL and scroll down through other material you will get to where she addresses how she deals with winter "housekeeping".......I have pasted that part into this email below.
http://goldenbrookfarm.com/management-tips.htm
In WINTER, I use a bed pack method. I start with a completely cleaned out stall and sprinkle the floor with a generous coating of Sweet PDZ (stall deodorizer), then I layer on about 4" of pine shavings. Over the shavings, I spread 1-2" of straw. Every day I remove whatever manure I can and rake the top layer so any remaining goat manure falls below the surface. I then sprinkle a bit of shavings and fresh straw on the top layer. The idea is to keep the top clean and dry and let the bedding below compost and create heat. The trick is to keep the bed pack dry which you do by consistently adding enough bedding to absorb any moisture. If we get a damp or rainy spell during the winter, I spread a layer of diatamaceous earth on the bad pack to keep lice under control (you can dust the goats too along their topline at the same time, just try not to create alot of dust since diatamaceous earth isn't good to breathe) and spread more shavings to absorb everything. By the end of winter I have a good foot or so of bedding to dig out and spread in my garden! The stall needs to be cleaned out completely by the first warm, wet spell in early spring, otherwise lice can become a real problem.
http://goldenbrookfarm.com/management-tips.htm
In WINTER, I use a bed pack method. I start with a completely cleaned out stall and sprinkle the floor with a generous coating of Sweet PDZ (stall deodorizer), then I layer on about 4" of pine shavings. Over the shavings, I spread 1-2" of straw. Every day I remove whatever manure I can and rake the top layer so any remaining goat manure falls below the surface. I then sprinkle a bit of shavings and fresh straw on the top layer. The idea is to keep the top clean and dry and let the bedding below compost and create heat. The trick is to keep the bed pack dry which you do by consistently adding enough bedding to absorb any moisture. If we get a damp or rainy spell during the winter, I spread a layer of diatamaceous earth on the bad pack to keep lice under control (you can dust the goats too along their topline at the same time, just try not to create alot of dust since diatamaceous earth isn't good to breathe) and spread more shavings to absorb everything. By the end of winter I have a good foot or so of bedding to dig out and spread in my garden! The stall needs to be cleaned out completely by the first warm, wet spell in early spring, otherwise lice can become a real problem.
Yes. In fact, it is a good idea because the hay and accumulated manure pack will give off heat as it "decomposes" - for lack of a better word - to help keep them warm. I do not clean out sheds during the winter time except the kidding shed. I simply sprinkle barn lime on what is already there, add new bedding, and call it good. Come spring, I clean everything out, keep it cleaned out as best I can during the summer, and start over come the first freeze. Dad usually cleans out the pens in the fall and makes a huge manure pile in the middle of each pen. It is truly amazing how much heat those piles put off. I can actually see steam coming off them, and the girls love to dig a spot to snuggle into on cold mornings, and during the cold days if it isn't snowing. Come spring - he gets the loader, removes the manure piles, and spreads them on the fields.I have a question. I usually try to clean out everyone's sleeping quarters and replace the bedding once a week. My mom would like to winter the bucks over -- accumulate hay from their indoor feeders and leave it until spring. If we give it a last good cleanout, will this be okay for them?
The barn lime and fresh bedding will control the ammonia. You just need to check the shed(s) a few times a week - every day if it's raining or snowing and your guys are basically living in their shed - and sprinkle barn lime, and add bedding as needed. I've been doing it this way for 5 years and I've never had a problem with pneumonia or any other type of respiratory problem.I'm more concerned about pneumonia or any respiratory problems that may result. Looking for someone who has experienced it to give me their experience ... I think we did it last year, but I did not know as much last year, haha!
Thank you!
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