# Rubber stall mats - to use or not to use?



## LFRJ (Dec 1, 2006)

Our mini goat barn (8X12) has a wooden floor. We covered the floor with 3, 1/4 inch rubber mats we purchased from the feed store, then a nice layer of hay bedding atop. (Meanwhile, the goats embellish with all that alfalfa that is _apparently_ unworthy of eating ). We'd put down the mats to give them a nice layer to insulate against the impending cold. 

DP surprised me by mucking out the bedding last weekend and then was all up in arms at the ammonia smell, insists that the rubber mats are soaking in the urine!, and together with what has collected beneath them on to the wooden floor (leaked in between the cracks where the edges meet), that the mats are altogether hazardous to our goats health and removed them immediately. 

My thoughts are - yes it smells like ammonia, pretty strongly once you start raking through it, but all in all, the mats are fine, the goats are fine, the wood floor will NOT be fine over time and will eventually need to be replaced... but what did you expect.

I contacted a rep from the feed store who uses them for her horse stalls. She claims that the rubber mats do not soak in liquid and are indeed beneficial. She even pointed out that they're stacked up outside the store (in the rain) waiting to be sold, and are unharmed. She recommended some "Barn-Dry", a powder substance that will help absorb, neutralize and reduce odor. 

This would be the second time we've mucked out during the single month we've had our goats. It's a large enough area for our mini herd, though now that it's raining a lot, they do spend a great deal of time in there. 

So...????

Tx in advance.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I LOVE stall mats! I use them everywhere for everything for various reasons. Mine don't stink. The only time it got gross was in the summer on a cement floor and the urine went underneath via the crack between the mat and the wall. The one I have in my goat pen is on top of 2 pallets. In the past I just had them on the concrete floor with no problems but I wanted to give them a little elevation because they like that so much (they are spoiled). I only use one in their pen in the winter months. Urine freezes here and I use shavings so it's kinda like scoopable cat litter to clean. in the spring I'll move the mats out and put them in spots where I want the weeds to die. And the goats love laying on them outside in the summer...I have know idea why, seems to me it would be kinda hot! lol! In the summer months I use Jeffers ordor neutralizer in all the critter areas for urine smell. 
But, here is the best tip...Stall mats are so hard to move especially by your self. So attach a C clamp to one end and you have a handle and it's a piece of cake to move around. I even pull from one end of the property to the other using the tractor with a strap tied to the C clamp


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I had never considered those mats; but sure like the idea during bad winter months.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Our little barn has concrete floors and we use stall mats in there with shavings on top with no problem. Since there isn't a way for our girls to just come and go as they want to,we put them up in their stalls at night and in the morning, after we put them out, we clean the stalls. Since there are mats, we only use a small amount of shavings, just enough to absorb urine during the night.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Oat Bucket Farm said:


> Our little barn has concrete floors and we use stall mats in there with shavings on top with no problem. Since there isn't a way for our girls to just come and go as they want to,we put them up in their stalls at night and in the morning, after we put them out, we clean the stalls. Since there are mats, we only use a small amount of shavings, just enough to absorb urine during the night.


This is exactly what I was trying to say! Thanks OBF  Your description is much better :clap:


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

motdaugrnds said:


> I had never considered those mats; but sure like the idea during bad winter months.


I think they are around $35.00 at Tractor Supply. I first bought a couple for putting the horses hay on so they wouldn't be eating it off the ground. Then I started collecting them  I think I have 6 or 7 now. They really came in handy when we moved to this place because of the cement floors. It's hard on horses joints to be standing on cement so I figured it's probably bad for goats too. Plus it seems to make it more cozy in the winter. Just be sure to use the C clamp to move them. I struggled with them for a couple years before learning about that. They are heavy, awkward buggers to move without it.


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## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

bad ammonia smell means your goats are getting more protein than they can use, moderate is normal but if it smells that bad you may want to look into the cause.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Minelson said:


> I think they are around $35.00 at Tractor Supply. I first bought a couple for putting the horses hay on so they wouldn't be eating it off the ground. Then I started collecting them  I think I have 6 or 7 now. They really came in handy when we moved to this place because of the cement floors. It's hard on horses joints to be standing on cement so I figured it's probably bad for goats too. Plus it seems to make it more cozy in the winter. Just be sure to use the C clamp to move them. I struggled with them for a couple years before learning about that. They are heavy, awkward buggers to move without it.


How does the C clamp work? I would love to know because that is my one and only complaint about stall mats is they are a pain in the grits to move around.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Oat Bucket Farm said:


> How does the C clamp work? I would love to know because that is my one and only complaint about stall mats is they are a pain in the grits to move around.


Just clamp it on the end (like in the picture) and use the clamp like a handle and pull in the direction you want to go. Sometimes I clamp it on a corner if I just want to turn it. It really makes a huge difference and the mat doesn't seem as heavy because you're not trying to grasp it with your fingers. Just try it...it's amazing. I drove my hubby crazy asking him to help move mats. He always asked (exasperated) "why do you need it here?" Because I want it there! "Well, you're just going to want to move it again in 2 weeks." So what! 
Now I don't have to ask for help


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## Laverne (May 25, 2008)

I think urine can soak into the wood and smell. I'd put a tarp down first for a urine barrier over the wood then the mats on top of that.I think I'd let the floor dry out real good first. I like a good layer of sawdust on top of the mats to soak in urine with straw on top of that. I am fortunate that a woodworker likes to save on dump fees and brings me bags of sawdust shavings mixture. I also drill a hole in each corner of a stall mat to use my hay hook to maneuver them around and drag them. I also use a c clamp style ViseGrip for dragging them any distance, snapping a lead rope on it.


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## Oat Bucket Farm (Jul 28, 2006)

Minelson said:


> Just clamp it on the end (like in the picture) and use the clamp like a handle and pull in the direction you want to go. Sometimes I clamp it on a corner if I just want to turn it. It really makes a huge difference and the mat doesn't seem as heavy because you're not trying to grasp it with your fingers. Just try it...it's amazing. I drove my hubby crazy asking him to help move mats. He always asked (exasperated) "why do you need it here?" Because I want it there! "Well, you're just going to want to move it again in 2 weeks." So what!
> Now I don't have to ask for help


LOL,you hubby sounds like mine  Thanks for the tip, that is such a good idea! :goodjob:


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