GIVE ME Shelter

When Kathryn Spann started raising dairy goats in 2008, she thought wooden sheds built on skids would be the ideal housing for her herd. The shelters could be attached to a tractor and moved, ensuring the herd had a safe space to escape the elements and allowing Spann to practice pasture rotation without building individual shelters in each pasture.

The shelters worked when the herd was small. But as the goat population grew, Spann who raises 90-plus dairy goats (including Alpine, LaMancha and Nubian crosses) with her husband, Dave, on Prodigal Farm in Rougemont, North Carolina needed to search for a different option.

"We practice pasture rotation, and we wanted shelters that could move pretty easily," Spann says. "We couldn't make the shelters bigger because it would tear up the fields if we moved them."

While there is no one-size-fits-all goat shelter-options range from doghouses and hoop houses to three-sided run-ins and barns — an ideal shelter has several important elements, including protection from drafts and exposure to elements like wind, rain and sun. The addition of running water, while not necessary, can make it easier to refill buckets, and electricity allows you to run clippers and disbudding irons and add heat lamps for newborn kids.

To decide on the right shelter for your farm, think about your setup: If your goats rotate between pastures, can the shelter move, too? Will the shelter be large enough to accommodate additional goats if the herd expands? Is the location accessible in all kinds of weather? Farms in northern climates need shelters that can withstand snow and ice (and possible flooding when it melts). A southern-facing shelter provides the best protection against wind.

The breed matters, too. Dairy goats have a lower body condition score than meat goats, because all of their energy goes into making milk, according to Morgan Watts, livestock extension agent with North Carolina State Extension. Meanwhile, meat goats build muscle, making them less susceptible to the elements and more apt to thrive with minimal shelter.

Your shelter doesn't need to be a contender for design awards, but it does need to be available to the goats from the moment you bring them home.