Weed 'em & Reap

Urban Farming. Healthy Living.

Our Custom Goat Barn!

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And it only took 12 years.

12 years for us to decide it was time to take this goat-raising thing seriously and build a proper barn. Sure, our old DIY pallet shelter worked for a time, but we needed something big and sturdy and ready for pregnant mamas to deliver in.

And so, the goat barn project was born.

Like any other project here on the farm, it’s usually the brain-child of a left-brained Kevin and a right-brained DaNelle. We compliment each other. And by “compliment” I mean “drive each other crazy”. But hey, the barn is up and we still like each other so it’s cool. 

The goat barn design

As unimportant as it sounds I REALLY wanted our goat barn to look like horse stalls. I’ve just always loved the look of beautiful horse barns and their gorgeous stained planks of wood. I didn’t want siding and I didn’t want pallets. I wanted something that you really don’t see a lot on goat farms. 

So, here’s how we designed it. 

The most important elements to us were:

  1. Three separate stalls that weren’t permanent (in case we wanted one big stall)
  2. Sliding barn doors, so we didn’t have to swing out a door to open them.
  3. Front porch in case mamas & babies were kept safe in their stalls but there were other goats on the outside that needed shelter from the rain. (We don’t get cold here in Arizona so they only need rain protection)
  4. Fully enclosed & bars on windows to keep potential predators out. (Even though we live in the city, we still get the occasional coyote around here)
  5. Tall enough to be able to house a llama or horse (if we get one in the future)

Dimensions of the goat barn:

Overall: 10ft x 16ft
Each Stall: 5.5ft x 10ft
Door Openings: 2.5 ft

Building the goat barn

In this video, Kevin and a contractor friend poured the concrete for the posts & then the next day they set the posts and started to build the trusses for the roof.

In this video, they put siding (YES SIDING) on the sides and back of the barn. We decided to compromise and do it this way to save money on the project and move it along faster. Also, we purchased 3ft pool fencing and used that as the “windows” of the barn. We put a 2×4 treated wood on the bottom to keep from rotting.
 

Finally, Kevin put plywood, roofing paper, and metal sheets for the roof, and then made 3 stalls with “C” channels and 2×6’s. (more details on this technique below) 

When it was finally done, we added hay feeders, water buckets & brackets, and feeders with these rubber flaps to keep out poop. 

 

Custom “C” Channels for that “Horse Barn Look”

In my search for horse stall kits, I came across websites like this. I would have bought their kits in a heartbeat, but all of the horse stall doors were 4 ft wide, way too big for what we were trying to accomplish in this small space. So we decided to build the stalls and doors ourselves. We searched around and finally found black “C” channels. Once we had those, the rest was easy. We purchased a bunch of 2×6’s and put them together. This last part was super fast because it really is as simple as screwing in the “C” channels, then slipping the 2×6’s into their spots. We felt like we were playing a game of Connect X. Even though we didn’t really need to put these planks on the sides and back of the barn (because we already had siding up), I felt like it just wouldn’t look like a complete stall unless there were 2×6’s on all sides. It hurt Kevin’s frugal mind to double up on the back and sides, but it honestly was probably better to keep goats from rubbing on them and bowing them out over time. See? There WAS a logical reason why it needed to be done;)

 

Where we purchased all of our supplies

4×4 posts, 2×4’s, 2×6’s, roof plywood, siding, 3ft pool fencing, stain, – Lowe’s

C channels, metal roofing, – (we purchased 1 3/4″ x 1″ C channels so that a 2×6 wood could fit in it — 2 by wood is usually 1.5 inches) HERE’s the direct link for the “C” channels.

For the frames around the sliding doors, we used the same C channels linked above.

Sliding barn door hardware – Lowe’s (online) We used three parts. Here, here, & here.

Sliding door bottom guide – $40 

Door locks – $13 

Door Handles – $13

Hay Feeder – $65  

Flat water bucket – $13 

Water bucket brackets – $20 

Double feeder (we put Sweetlix minerals on one side and Alfalfa pellets/grain on the other) – $13 

Rubber cover for double feeder (we searched at Lowe’s and found these things called “Stair Treads”. They work perfectly!) – $3 

 

Cost of our goat barn

We didn’t tally up every receipt, but we estimate it cost roughly $1700 total. After years of making shelters that broke, we were willing to spend more to make it last for years. We’re super happy with the end result, and we’re excited that we’ve finished it just in time for the birth of baby goats! 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT DANELLE

DaNelle started to take an interest in a healthier lifestyle after suffering from two debilitating chronic diseases. On a mission to create a farm of her own, DaNelle forced, or rather 'lovingly persuaded' her husband to purchase a ranch home on an acre of land and transform it into their very own urban farm. DaNelle blogs at Weed 'em & Reap where she writes about the sustainable backyard farming, traditional food, & natural remedies.

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Comments

      • Ash says

        DaNelle/kevin should make plans for the barn I would even buy them and I’m sure other people would too. Also should how you Guys should show how make those doors, there very nice. šŸ˜‰

  2. Kim Keeton says

    Hi there! We are looking to duplicate this barn. šŸ™‚ Did DaNelle have any plans that we can use for our permits?

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Kim-

      Sorry no plans as they just kinda winged it. Beyond what is written in the article and shown on the videos there isn’t anything additional.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  3. Sunde says

    Hello,

    The C Channel link is for a channel that is 3/4ā€ wide for the inner dimension. Did you all use one that was 2ā€ wide to fit the 2×6 boards? Or am I missing something? I have to order these online as they do not have them at a store near me. Just wanted to double check. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Sunde-

      DaNelle and Kevin bought a 1 3/4 wide C channel to fit the 2×6’s. The link has been fixed. It should lead you to the right place now.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  5. Elizabeth Williams says

    I looked at Lowe’s website and could not find anything that looked like the fencing that was mentioned in the article. Any ideas?

    Reply

  6. Larry says

    At what height do you mount the hooks for the water buckets and the plastic feed buckets?
    LOVE this blog! You have answered so many of my questions!

    Reply

  7. Shelby says

    Love this barn and want to make a version of it for our goats/chickens! Curious though if we could make this with a foundation of deck blocks, skid, or timber frame? We are in Vail, Arizona and our house is literally on a rock, haha! Trying to think of alternate methods than drilling into bedrock. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Shelby-

      Haven’t tried it before, but it should most likely work. You might want to talk to a contractor just to get an opinion before you start.

      Thank you and good luck with your barn!
      -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  9. Del says

    Hi DaNelle!
    I’ve just started watching your channel, and I love it! I’d love to get some goats and chickens in the future, but at the moment, I’ve got two dogs, one of them an escape-artist, who have been very been to chickens and other animals in the past.
    I was wondering what you do when you have multiple does with kids in the shed. Do you let all the mamas and kids together, or only mamas and only kids, or only one family at a time?
    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Del-

      DaNelle has individual stalls in her goat barn. She keeps does with their own kids.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  10. Sarah says

    Hi,
    We are considering building a goat barn/shed and wondering how big we need to make it. We have 4 Nigerians a and 1 Alpine. We have a small budget and don’t want to waste money on space we don’t really need. We are in Minnesota so this is primarily for the winter.

    Reply

  11. Stephanie says

    Hi DaNelle – I love your new barn so much! It looks amazing.

    I wanted to ask if you might reconsider selling a registered buckling out of Stella in the future. Mini Nubians are becoming kind of popular in Texas and theyā€™re the breed Iā€™ve chosen to focus on for my small herd. Iā€™d love to bring in a buckling with Luna and Stellaā€™s milk lines. Thanks!

    Reply

  12. ashley says

    Do you have the quantity of how many of an item we would need to buy? Example Sliding barn door hardware how many would we need and how much do you need of all the other iteams?

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Ashley-

      DaNelle created 3 stalls in her barn, so it is dependent upon how big you are making your own barn. This is just a basic overview of what she did and not very specific because they just built it on the fly and made it up as they went.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Mary-

      Nope, there are no plans. Kevin and DaNelle just made it up as they went.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  14. Leah says

    Hello, i was wondering if DaNelle and whoever else may run this is planning to make one of these for the buck penā€™s little house. thank you!

    Reply

      • Leah says

        Sorry, I suppose I was being confusing… what I meant was: will DaNelle make another of these website pages with the measurements and all of the buck house?

      • Bobbi says

        Hi Leah-

        Sorry to misunderstand you. At this time she is not planning to, but if she has some time later in the year she may.

        Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Abby-

      DaNelle films with a Canon G7x Mark ii and a 6d mark ii. She uses Adobe Premiere Pro to edit, and she gets all her music at Epidemic Sound.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  17. Bobbi says

    Hello-

    The inside of the stalls (including the doors) are about 7 ft.

    Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

    Reply

  20. Samantha says

    Oh man, Thank you guys! Just when I was going to give up on my self-made ‘stall walls’ that constantly break.. you show me C Channels šŸ™‚ I have no idea why this has never occurred to me. Question: did you secure the 2×6’s in any way once they are IN the channels? If not, I’m thinking this would be especially good if they could be changed out if one got broken or very worn?

    So many great ideas – we appreciate all that you do! Such simple things that no one ever tells you about goat life!

    Reply

    • Bobbi says

      Hi Samantha-

      Nope, DaNelle and Kevin just slid the boards in. This way they can remove them easily to change the height of the stalls, or as you mentioned, replace boards when needed.

      Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)

      Reply

  22. Judy Bare says

    Itā€™s incredible what you have done in just one acre! Congratulations to you and your family! I admire you. Thank you for sharing your life and the ups and downs with us.

    Reply

  23. Jolinda Daley says

    You either read my mind or noticed all the screen shots I was taking of the goat barn build. Thanks for this blog! It is exactly what I was looking for. Iā€™m in love with the design and it inspired my design for a building I want to build on our property but with modifications for the cold and snow and blizzards we get. Thanks for all the info and pics!
    ā¤ļø You guys,
    Jolinda

    Reply

  24. Angela & Ric Pennington says

    Hello, Danelle!
    We have watched your YouTube channel for several years, now. We are always excited to see new posts! We recently purchased some land and got goats and chickens, ourselves. We love the new goat barn and were very excited when you posted this product list and the links. However, I cannot for the life of me find the C Channel that you used at Lowes. Is there a key word you used because c channel does not bring anything like yours up. Just smaller aluminum c channel 1/2″ – 3/4″ wide at largest.
    I hope you can provide some help with this…I know you get a million requests, but we are so impressed with your new barn!!
    Thank you so much,
    Angela and Ric

    Reply

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