# Good floor for barn



## Susan n' Emily in TN (May 10, 2002)

It has been ages since I have been in these parts. (the email prompt I received a week ago reminded me of what a great place this is.) I had sheep for awhile but had to give them up because of a problem with lanolin. Fast forward a couple of years and I am the proud owner of 7 Nigora goats!

The floor in my barn is dirt, which is fine, but I was wondering what kinds of things might you all suggest. I posted this very question on the goat forum, and many suggested sand, which I had not thought to use. I got to thinking about it though and I am concerned that the sand would infiltrate the undercoat fleece that the Nigoras grow and possible make it harder to clean, or even damage it. I would love some input from fellow fiber raisers.
Thanks in advance!


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Hi there.  Welcome back to the forum.
Its always nice to meet another caprine fiber enthusiast. 

I keep a couple of Angora goats as fiber pets and landscape crew here in So. Missouri.
They are predominantly out in the brushy forest and very rarely go out of the weather.
I have a small 3 sided shelter for them which has a plywood sleeping platform.
It is basically just half a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood set on cinderblocks.
That is the goats primary roost during the coldest and wettest nights. 
The rest of the time they tend to lay down right on the packed dirt in a hollow under a big tree. 

I don't think that your goats fiber will be harmed by having a sand pack floor.
I have watched alpacas and llamas roll around madly taking dust baths and their fiber is still lovely.
The goats don't really do that type of grooming either. The dirt will be mostly on their undercarriages, and should just fall right out.
Sand is very easy to shake out of dry cut fleece too.

The biggest challenge for me keeping the fiber clean enough 
has been that darned hay chaff. 
IDK why the goats have to burrow down in the bale and get a bunch of stuff stuck all over themselves.
Having nice overhead feeders that they cannot climb into is a big saver of both fleece and your hay.


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## Susan n' Emily in TN (May 10, 2002)

Your right gone-a-milkin, I hadn't remembered what a dirty mess alpaca are without damage to the fleece. My goats run into the barn at the first hint of rain, I don't know why, but that is how they are!
For some reason hay doesn't seem to be so bad about getting into their fleece's, or at least it doesn't stay in there! It could be because I use Bermuda grass hay as well, it cost a little bit more but I have found that they waste a lot less of it.
I have 7 soon to be 8 goats right now. 1 doe and her twin doelings, and 4 wethers. There will be an unrelated buckling joining the herd next month, at which point I will be selling a couple of the wethers. I am hoping to really get a good herd from which to sell fiber (the first harvest is clean and fluffed and set to go to the de-hairing machine) and goats. I have a very small spred but I have access to my neighbors field. We shall see, it of course looks wonderful from here, you know blue skies!


Thanks for your input!


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