# Best type of flooring for kidding area



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Hi Y'all
I'm staying in my same house....for awhile anyways (oldest daughter is moving nearer so I don't wnat to move farther). I need to change some things around before I have 23 does freshen this spring (what was I thinking??!!). I have a nice sturdy shelter that was used for the steer we raised last year. I plan to run electricity to it & am considering pouring a concrete floor for ease of cleaning. Would that be better or is a dirt floor a better choice? A friend suggested rubber mats....any suggestions?

I also plan to pour concrete, build a car port type thing with hot water & electricity to milk in. The hoop house works nicely for milking by hand but with 23, I think I'll want to use my machine .


----------



## GallopingGoats (Oct 28, 2007)

I personally like a floor that drains. I have used rubber mats and it just holds all the pee right there. Dirt for me. I have a good thick layer of sand in my kid pen that seems to help keep it fairly dry but I put lots of straw down on top of the sand. My doe pen has a piece of wire fabric from my DH work. It is somewhat like landscaping cloth but much more durable. Lets the urine through but it makes it easier to get the straw out at cleaning time. DH wants to poor concrete but I don't want it. If I could start over I would dig a nice big pit and fill it with gravel. Here in the NW you have to have straw for the warmth. Shannon


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

I love the rubber matts from TSC and rice hulls makes for easy cleaning. and if need be can be taken out and cleaned really good. Tho they are heavy to move around much.


----------



## Guest (Dec 20, 2007)

Concrete can be a 2 edged sword.......it is a lot easier to keep clean, and gives you a level place to do your work on. The biggest drawback that I've seen is where folks keep their animals on the concrete full time. Concrete is really tough on bone joints, ect. , and I've seen dog kennels where all the dogs looked to have severe cases of arthritis.
I think for just a working area, or a temperary kidded area, or daily feeding area, that a concrete floor would be just fine.....I just wouldn't want them on it 24 hrs a day, and for more than just a few days at a time.


----------



## Josie (Oct 26, 2007)

Although I like the dirt floor as it's warmer then the concrete and as Whim pointed out easier on the joints, personally I have concrete floors on kidding and isolation pens. 

For me its just I can keep it so much cleaner and those are two areas I worry about the most. I can take the pens apart and powerwash everything down, bleach it, so on and so forth.

I do worry about the cold with early kidding and try to bed deeply, but since I'm alergic to straw I have to use as little as possible.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yeah I want concrete for my part of the barn and all the alleyways but not the goats part. Good sand, then cover it with whatever is local, is cheap and you will clean out. If you are of the wheelbarrow set than don't use heavy hay, use shavings etc...if you are of the bobcat set, than it makes little difference what you use, just scrape it out.

Ric is clean, he has a spotless barn and you should see how much work keeping cement clean really is, no thank you. 

I am using shavings over the sand and then straw right before they kid. I will pull the dirty parts of the straw as the does kid. For me it isn't like kidding is nasty as far as the barn, all the poop and pee is more...because I really clean up behind each doe, and if you are kidding in the middle of the day and it's pretty out, well you get your butt lead out into the pretty grass to deliver kids! My dog also keeps the area really clean, and I dispose of placenta immediatly. Vicki


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

OK...I think I'll put a thick layer of sand in the new freshening area & will just do the concrete in the new milk area. I don't plan on keeping anyone in the freshening area long term....I have a nice pen for them to stay in, but they have dog houses or 4 ft tall fiberglass shelters as shelters & invariably my goats chose to freshen when it's cold & raining. I HATE sitting out in it under a tarp. This area is one the steer was in last year (took him to be processed in Sept). It's a wood frame with metal siding & a dirt floor. Are there any sort of nasty germs the steer could have that I need to worry about?


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

wouldn't think so just clean it and ag lime or DE then add your bedding.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Sondra said:


> wouldn't think so just clean it and ag lime or DE then add your bedding.


What is DE? I was thinking of getting a truckload of sand & then topping it with shavings.


----------



## Guest (Dec 21, 2007)

Oh gosh,,,that stands for demascus earth , or something like that,.....no , that don't sound right.......one of these gals will come in and tell you.

Hey , now that you've got a serious answer to your original ??'s.....I was gonna tell you that the sand thing just don't work well with nubi's....we tried sand with the nubi's at my brothers house, and the durn cats kept trying to cover them up every time they laid down.
Think you'll be fine with the ND's & LM's . :biggrin

Merry Christmas, Whim.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

whimmididdle said:


> Hey , now that you've got a serious answer to your original ??'s.....I was gonna tell you that the sand thing just don't work well with nubi's....we tried sand with the nubi's at my brothers house, and the durn cats kept trying to cover them up every time they laid down.
> Think you'll be fine with the ND's & LM's . :biggrin
> 
> Merry Christmas, Whim.


I guess that's a good reason not to get a cat


----------



## Guest (Dec 21, 2007)

:rofl Well Pam, I can't hardly believe with all the Nubi breeders on here, that they are gonna let me get away with that one. Geez, now I've got to sleep with one eye open tonight.


----------



## Sheryl (Oct 27, 2007)

That's diatomecious earth and not the kind you use in your pool filter. Oh heck I can't spell it either, but it has a T in it. :twisted

I would think the dirt floor with shavings on top would be fine unless they are kidding, then put the straw on top. I know with the horse breeders they use the straw, cause the shavings can be sucked back inside the mare when she is foaling, and cause lot's of problems. I would think the same with goats could happen.

Sheryl


----------



## stacy adams (Oct 29, 2007)

whimmididdle said:


> Well Pam, I can't hardly believe with all the Nubi breeders on here, that they are gonna let me get away with that one. Geez, now I've got to sleep with one eye open tonight.


Good thing you live so far away.. :laughcry That's why I prefer snakes over cats..!


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Pam try some of the rice hulls they are just great and yes your sand over the top and then the bedding would work. I said the DE just because it gets rid of bug/etc. and won't hurt the goats. also helps with fire ants. you can get it at the feed store usually.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Sondra said:


> Pam try some of the rice hulls they are just great and yes your sand over the top and then the bedding would work. I said the DE just because it gets rid of bug/etc. and won't hurt the goats. also helps with fire ants. you can get it at the feed store usually.


OK- will be hitting the feed store this weekend & will get DE, then sand, then will put rice hulls & straw on top as we get nearer to them freshening. My 1st ones are due in Feb & I want to have everything ready so I don't have to sit out in the cold & rain under a tarp


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2007)

Well, I've seen cow diary studies on both sand and fine sawdust as bedding and both seem to contribute to environmental mastitis. Makes me lean away from those, plus both are kind of hard for us to handle. 

Dirt is way better than concrete. It's warmer and far easier on the goats legs. We use either long straw to cover the dirt floor or just shavings. Lately, I've been going with the shavings. It's a lot easier to clean out. A gentle disinfectant for a dirt floor is ag lime. Just cover the floor with it then add the shavings. My vet seems to think it decreases the amount of navel ill. 

DE can be used on the barn too and if you have lice, then it may help with that too but it does increase the amount of dust in the bedding and barn, so beware.


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

just sand would possibly contribute to problems but with bedding over top especially knowing Pam personally it will be thick should be a problem at all, especially since our soil here is mostly sand anyway.


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Pam i haven't used the rice hulls out on the ground have only used them inside on wood floors and in the kennels but really like them.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Well, I've seen cow diary studies on both sand and fine sawdust as bedding and both seem to contribute to environmental mastitis. Makes me lean away from those, plus both are kind of hard for us to handle.
> 
> Dirt is way better than concrete. It's warmer and far easier on the goats legs. We use either long straw to cover the dirt floor or just shavings. Lately, I've been going with the shavings. It's a lot easier to clean out. A gentle disinfectant for a dirt floor is ag lime. Just cover the floor with it then add the shavings. My vet seems to think it decreases the amount of navel ill.
> 
> DE can be used on the barn too and if you have lice, then it may help with that too but it does increase the amount of dust in the bedding and barn, so beware.


This is for an shelter that will strictly be used as a kidding area. Once they've freshened they'll move to another pen. I figured the sand would help it drain better, but it will be covered with bedding.....maybe rice hulls or wood shavings with straw on top. It was previously a shelter for a steer so when I remove whats in there now, I need to replace it with something.....which since people said concrete isn't best, I'll do sand.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Sondra said:


> Pam i haven't used the rice hulls out on the ground have only used them inside on wood floors and in the kennels but really like them.


This will be inside, but on the dirt floor. I intend to build it up with sand so it'll drain well. Think they'll do OK or would I be better off with wood shavings? I'm looking for ease of keeping things clean.


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2007)

Another thing to think about is that sand might stick to the kids, if mom has been kicking the bedding around. Same thing with fine sawdust. 

I guess it would drain just fine though.


----------



## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

Okay, what are rice hulls (sorjavascript:void(0);ry if this sounds dumb)? Can I get them at the feed store?

Thanks!
Suriyah


----------



## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Sondra is several hours away from me and I have never seen rice hulls either so don't feel like this is a dumb question Suriyah! 

The digging to china when they kid is the reason I can't use DE, it nearly killed me one kidding season with my asthma. Airborne DE! 

I love my dirt floors, my brother cleaning them down for me today told me I need to get mats to go on top of them, so they are easier to clean down to than the sand..a thought for spring maybe. But I do love the idea I got on here eariler, a layer of shavings and then straw. Love that slick look the does get from the oils on the straw, and nothing prettier than a barn full of bright straw! Vicki


----------



## [email protected] (Oct 26, 2007)

Yeah, and the smell of straw is so much nicer than shavings. 

Pine oils bother me when the bags are fresh and we just put down new bedding. I always get a headache when we clean the barn. If you are into composting, then shavings makes a nice fluffy compost.


----------



## Good Goats (Oct 26, 2007)

Okay thanks Vickie !!


----------



## SandyReuel (Nov 14, 2007)

We have wooden floors in our kidding stalls and I like it a lot. We used to have decomposed granite ( a type of sand that packs nicely) but the does dig a lot when in labor and we ended up with holes. One spring after a snowy winter the snow that slid off the roof melted, ran under the wall and made lakes out of the holes... We put in floors raised above the sand and now the does lie in the stall and listen to the snowmelt water running underneath  It is easy to clean and drains very well as there are small gaps between the boards. It is much warmer than concrete and easier on the bones and joints as well, mine and the goats :-/


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

The horse people are using the rice hulls for bedding around here and it is at the feed store. so much nicer than shavings


----------



## goatkid (Oct 26, 2007)

My kids live in a house with a dirt floor. I cover that with pine shavings and in cold weather, I put straw on top of that. Where I live, a cement floor would get too cold for baby goats. The cats have never tried to bury the Nubie kids.


----------



## Kaye White (Oct 25, 2007)

:biggrin I just gotta' be different. But, I have concrete that is sloped for ease of cleaning.
I also have metal pens(5x8)-6 of them, raised about an inch off the floor. When I have does ready to kid, I use Virkon S and pour about 3 gallons on the floors, spray the metal pens up about 3' high and then wash the whole thing down with the water hose. Let it dry and bed with shavings then straw. 

Before the concrete, I had dirt floors...and since I live in a wet area, it was usually damp. The does would dig the dirt up and mix it with the straw. When I then cleaned it, I would have holes in the center of the pens. And no way to clean them proper. 

Giggling...now, I get several things done with one try....kid out does, get the does front hooves filed (from the concrete) and I get clean kids. :lol

Next spring project is to get my baby pens concreted. As it stands now, there is about 12"s of gravel in their pens and it's a PITA to clean the straw out of that gravel. But, I kinda' overdo the straw for the babies.
Kaye


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> I love my dirt floors, my brother cleaning them down for me today told me I need to get mats to go on top of them, so they are easier to clean down to than the sand..a thought for spring maybe. But I do love the idea I got on here eariler, a layer of shavings and then straw. Love that slick look the does get from the oils on the straw, and nothing prettier than a barn full of bright straw! Vicki


Maybe matts would be a good option? I went & got the agricultural lime & put it in there & watered it in. I was going to wait a month & then put in sand, then shavings & straw on top.....maybe I should put mats, then shavings & straw to have an easier to clean floor?

I'm probably worrying over it for nothing, but I would like to have a nice area for them to frehen as I can imagine with 23, I'll be spending lots of time there


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

you will never regret getting the rubber mats and TSC puts them on sale from time to time.


----------



## Agape Oaks (Oct 30, 2007)

OK....will watch for rubber mats to go on sale.Maybe they'll have them before Feb


----------



## donna (Oct 26, 2007)

Just to put in my 2 cents......I have a dirt floor, but I use a garage floor mat on top of it, lime, and then bed with straw. It is extremely easy to clean and sweep out. In the spring and fall, I pull it out and scrub with bleach and let it dry in the sun. It has worked very well for me and my small barn.....16 x 16.


----------



## UnRuli Acres (Oct 26, 2007)

I had cement floors with mats over top. SOOOOO easy to clean. I used shavings with straw over top. The shavings soaked up all moisture and the straw kept the does & kids up off the wet. It was easy to bleach or TekTrol the areas I needed to disinfect too. 

I hauled out the mats to clean in the spring and found that the floor underneath was clean and dry.

Actually, my husband just tossed out three mats that he was convinced were "ruined" because they'd been sitting out in the weather. One was ripped, but the others were fine. I hate waste like that, but couldn't convince him not to toss them.


----------



## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Pam call Texas Rubber supply and see what they have
www.texasrubbersupply.com


----------



## Tricia (Oct 26, 2007)

Last year we put down light-weight interlocking foam mats from Frelonics over the concrete floors throughout the loafing area -- they are only about 30-40# each so I find them a lot easier to handle. We use straw to bed. Really like how cleanable the mats are and when birthing does dig done through the bedding I feel a lot better about them hitting the matting rather than cold, damp concrete

My horse friends all use stall mats that they drill and place over sand or stone dust floors. Drill holes are for drainage.


----------



## UnRuli Acres (Oct 26, 2007)

Actually, I know that Tractor Supply has mats with the drainage holes already in them. I'm hoping to use those in the bottom of dog kennels when I EVENTUALLY get those up (allows for drainage, but would keep the dogs from digging out).


----------

