[BrokenArrowRanch]

There is a 12x 20 foot temporary car garage for sale at Tractor Supply. It's a frame with a tarp cover basically, that fastens or zips in front. I'm thinking of buying one and setting it up for a barn for my goats this winter.
I'm worried that it will rip easily, and obviously I have to figure a way to keep the goats from chewing it. I also can't have electricity in it, other than an extension cord, since I do plan on having 2 does kid.

What do you think? Should I just put the $300 bucks towards building something permanent?

 

[ksalvagno]

What is your winter like?

 

[MsScamp]

How much is the temp garage? It would probably work as long as it isn't so flimsy that your girls could knock it over, stick a horn through it, or chew a hole in the tarp. I used hoop houses for the first year or two when I got goats.

As far as kidding goes, set up temporary pens using either plywood, particle board, or hog panels draped with either heavy blankets or used carpet to help hold body heat.

 

[Scottyhorse]

As long as your winters aren't super harsh, it should work fine.

 

[nancy d]

You can even stack straw bales & cover them with plywood for temp kidding.
We use a 10x20 car canopy from Costco yr round. It's butted up against a 3 sided shelter. We don't use the sides.
Do keep in mind the snow, you would have to rig up something to push it off.

 

[milk and honey]

We moved to a new place last dec. and bought the Costco garage tent...it worked great! I used some plywood to make a kidding pen and to help protect from wind and goats...we have used the plywood panels several times this summer for other projects. That tent is around 200.00 and is 12 x 20 . My two are still standing and holding together...

 

[BrokenArrowRanch]

Maybe ill go to costco for it, the one at TSC is 320 or something like that for a 12x20. I'm in Ca, only get occasional snow. Great idea to use carpet and blankets to hold body heat in! Will definantly have to make sure the girls cant rip it, I'm thinking lining the whole thing with plywood walls. Only wanting it for kidding stalls, a milking area and feed storage.

 

[mjs500doo]

We used a shed in a Box one year. We stacked straw on the outside, and fastened plywood on the inside. We left a door wide enough for them to get in and out of, and also unzipped the top a bit for good ventilation. Not fancy, but it worked!

 

[BrokenArrowRanch]

Yes, Im so doing it. I have a huge concrete pad close to the goat pen, thinking of setting it up there. Any ideas on how to anchor it if I did?

 

[Jessica84]

Is it the green one??? I bought 2 last year and use them for my kidding area. Where the ribs are I put t post in and tied to the ribs for extra support and also lined with ply board (drilled holes in them and tied to the t post) and works awesome!!! We got some super crazy wind and held up great. Bad thing.....this summer the sun ate at the tarp and now I have holes where the ribs are on the top. So if its the green ones I would buy a cheap tarp and put on top of it during the summer to keep the sun off.

 

[BrokenArrowRanch]

Thats a good idea Jessica, but I had said that I want to put it on a concrete pad... That is much larger than the tent, so I'm trying to figure out a way to anchor it.

 

[DDFN]

Thats a good idea Jessica, but I had said that I want to put it on a concrete pad... That is much larger than the tent, so I'm trying to figure out a way to anchor it.

I used one of the gray shelterlogic ones from TSC for 2 years in my sheep field and it worked great with my sheep. Not sure how well it would work with the goats. It does use the ground anchors so I am not sure how you could secure it. Maybe if you had some larger tractor tires you could tie each corner to one and it could keep it weighted down while the goats could jump off of the tires. Just a quick idea on it.

 

[nancy d]

We dug deep holes & sleeved the posts with pvc pipe in order to make it level.
If you will be setting in on a concrete pad maybe eight large buckets filled with sand?

 

[MsScamp]

Yes, Im so doing it. I have a huge concrete pad close to the goat pen, thinking of setting it up there. Any ideas on how to anchor it if I did?

You can buy a tool that creates grooves and essentially turns a piece of metal into a bolt. Maybe drill some holes in a 2 X 6 or 2 X 12 - depending on how much wind you have, groove the legs so when you put the legs through the holes in the board you can screw on a nut, then attach the board to the concrete with either concrete nails or the gun that shoots nails into the concrete? Sorry I can't tell you the exact names of all this stuff.

 

[happybleats]

I saw in MaryJane Farms Magazine how they used the canapy type car part to make a shelter that lasted through many of snow storms..Ill take apic and post it...its pretty cool..used Pallets to add walls...

 

[happybleats]

This is from Vol. 10 #2 of Mary Janes Farm Magazine : ) ( feb-march 2011)

 

[happybleats]

sorry they all came up side ways!!! and grainy : )

 

[BrokenArrowRanch]

Thanks everyone! I have lots of food for thought... the pics of the barn are cool! Although they are sideways! Lol

 

[cashmere]

You could also use wooden pallets to make your stalls just put a 2x4 to connect or use hinges to make it fold up for storage they are usually free and if it's cold you can put tack carpet or shipping blankets to make it draft free.

 

[enchantedgoats]

we have one it has worked well but it does not stand up to extreme wind