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Monday, March 4, 2013

Fabricating our first goat shed...Completed!!

This has been a long over due posting and often requested. It is good to see the growing interest in goat rearing as a commercial pursuit. There is high level of optimism in goat rearing and probably right so. I do have a word of caution to the eager-beavers though. The economics of goat rearing are attractive but the big assumption most people make is on the sale price. Please research your local animal markets and sales channels for prevailing prices to confirm your project's economic feasibility. Exaggerated sales prices will escape most folks like us (smaller goat operations). At smaller scale of operations, most will not have the leverage to exploit retail rates and channels for lack of significant volumes. Larger abattoirs often show reluctance to work with small operations as well. With that said, there is still profit margins to be had if you are willing to reset expectations to a lower rate.

My recent travels had prevented this posting for a while and without further ado, here is a peek into our goat shed construction. Hope you enjoy it.

A 80ft x 25 ft shed was constructed to accommodate 100 goats + 180 kids. Columns being erected at a distance of 10 ft.


Truss and columns are ready for the roof to be fixed




Sivaganga gets pretty hot during summers. In order to combat the temperature, Galvalum sheets were fixed . They are a little expensive but worth the investment. This type of roofing sheet is more effective than asbestos or tin sheets in lowering ambient shade temperatures.


Shed vertical are being erected.
 
 

10ft x 10ft cubicles were made by putting chain link fence between the cells. Eucalyptus timber was used for floor reapers.  In hindsight, ensure your reapers are wide and sturdy. Inspect daily for cracks or damage since animal (young) hoofs can get stuck in gaps.


All set, ready to use! Soon after construction, the shed was put to use by our first herd of sheep. More on the sheep experiences later. 


We came across some hi-tech (and expensive) designs during our research but decided to scale down the complexity for our first project. It would be good to hear from readers who decided to employ interlocking rubber floors or decided on in-ground hollow brick structures. This structure, as it stands will house our first two herds. You may have also noticed that while the structure is self containing, we have also secured the perimeter of the premises. This allows us to periodically release the animals into the 'yard' while keeping them contained. More to come later on our initial experiences with sheep, until then keep grazing.. :)


33 comments:

  1. Shed looks good. Thanks for sharing. How high is the floor from ground.
    When you get a chance, please post a photo with the goats in the shed to see the partitions and feed stalls.

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  2. Can you please throw more light towards the cost of the shed including the perimeter fencing?

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  3. HI NAKUL SIR ,

    YOU DID A GREAT JOB ,NICE WORK AND ONE SUGGESTION PLEASE TRY AZOLLA AS A SUPPLEMENT FEED FOR YOUR HERD PLEASE CALCULATE THE COST OF FEEDING AND FCR RATIO FREQUENTLY THANKING YOU SUNDAR

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  4. Dear Kaustubh,

    Had been grazing on your blog for this post since about a month :).
    needless to say, very informative and motivating.

    However, 'the Economics' are missing. sorry for asking too much information, but you are the one who spoilt us. :D

    And yes, In'sha Allah, sooner or later i'am entering goatery too.

    Thanks a lot & regards,
    Mohammed Muneeb

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  5. Dear Hi Tech farmer,
    good to see the hitech shed.
    have you made any arrangement to collect the goat urine,because goat urine is good liquid manure.

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    Replies
    1. No, we do not have any provision to collect the urine. Do you have any ideas ?

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  6. How much did it cost per sft? Just the truss, columns & sheet if you have individual calculations...

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  7. Please explain us the economics of developing this shed!!! it will be greatly useful for us waiting for ur reply!!! tanx in advance

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    Replies
    1. The cost of construction would be dependent on the material, design, location and the prevailing labor rates in the area you are planning to fabricate your shed. A range of Rs 250 - 350 per sq ft would be an accurate estimate for a good quality shed.

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  8. Hi Savera,
    Nice info and thanks for sharing. As you said we have to monitor the floor for cracks and damage, for this why cant we go for slatted floors. Whether it is expensive, and what is the cost incurred for this construction
    thanks
    venkatesh

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  9. Hi,
    Nice information, thank you so much for detailed explanation.Can you please let me know like...I'd seen some stalls were constructed above the ground level? is there any reason for that ? is it mandatory to construct like that? if yes, can you please explain with how much height from gorund we have to consider?

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  10. Sheds are constructed 4-5 ft above ground to make collection of manure easier..

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  11. very interesting art of the shed. And you have fence on the each row of the cells so that the goats can settle on their place. Next time put the photo with the goats on the shed.
    Raleigh Fence

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  12. very good view
    please tell me how much it will cost to construct the shedd

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  13. Thank you for sharing the details of the shed. What is the total height from ground, and the raised platform. Did you cover the sides to reduce heat and cold winds. Would love to see the pictures of sheep inside the shed :)

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  14. hi , nice shed iam also planing to build shed 50 x 25 ,plz help me out
    whats the height minimum required from wooden floor to top
    how many reapers reguired for 50x 25
    now a days some plastic repers also in market do u know price of them

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    Replies
    1. Please reach out to us directly and we may be able to discuss specifics around your dimension requirements. We have not used plastic reapers and it would be be good to learn more.

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    2. have built your shed? did you use wodden one or rubber one?
      please share this info.

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  15. Do it yourself timber Sheds are indeed great solution. All of us should certainly try it as one can save a lot of money and it can be a great experience to construct your own shed. Thanks for sharing your inputs.

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  16. hi
    Nice to see all these shelter shed picture,high technology good to study , i m a farmer of odisha but here in odisha there is no such type of equipment for doing shed ,i m going to built a 100 goat shed ,so please help me doing such great sheds.if u help me to built such type of shed i'll be very greatfull.my contact subodhpradhani83@gmail.com,pls mail me and my mob no 9853476063

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  17. Goat Farm in Tamilnadu
    http://www.boergoatsindia.com/

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. very informative share..the shed construction plan is very good and appreciated your good work.

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  20. hi I am planning to construct a shed for 150 goats but it would not be a raised platform kindly share your email id so that we can communicate.

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  21. I am planning to start a goat farm with 100+5 goat in Odisha. Can anyone help me to design a shed and prepare a tentative budget associated with it.

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  22. I am planning to start a goat farm with 100+4 goats in Odisha. Can anyone help me to design a shed and prepare a approx budget associated with it. Also the total cost and material details.

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  23. great source of info. Can you share the detailed plan of the shed?
    Keep it up.

    Thanks,
    Bhairav

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  24. Hi , i am interested for forming of Goat , fish , poultry ,DAIRY ,
    Could you please let me know from where i can get the training? also about government subsidiary & financial help ,

    my contact details : Mohd Arif 09911857959 , arif.purchase@yahoo.com

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  25. i am interested to start a goat farm in distt. aligarh U.P can you construct a shed farm for 100 goats , i want it in a systematic manner , if yes than what would be the approx. cost ? my mail id is ravi3871@gmail.com

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  26. This is a very wonderful post . thanks for sharing this post information. it is a very nice blog information.
    Goats farms shade work in India

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  27. I'm planning to construct a new goat farm 60*36.. How much reapers needed fir this slatted?

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  28. Fence Contractor Edmonds. To find out about us visit our site or call us at tel:425-620-3484.

    ReplyDelete