Deep bedding for goats

What is the difference between deep litter and shallow litter? First of all, your labor costs. If you thoroughly clean your goat housing every 10 to 14 days, this is a fine bedding method that is essential in warm to hot weather. By winter, you can switch to an alternative method - adding a top layer of litter in the fall and general cleaning in the spring. 

it should be especially emphasized that deep bedding for goats is contraindicated in the warm months, since in this case it will provide a substrate for the breeding of flies and other parasites. In the winter, creating deep litter adds an element of warmth as the organic matter composts, providing a benefit during cold weather. 

Despite their fur coats, goats are prone to respiratory problems, and the cold, wet environment in winter can make these problems worse. When it's cold from an icy floor, goats will not sit on loungers, but will crowd together to keep warm - an additional risk factor for the transmission of respiratory pathogens and parasites. Therefore, from the very beginning, a shed for goats is designed to be quite spacious: 2 square meters for adult animals, for a goat with offspring it will be approximately two and a half to three square meters, for a kid up to 12 months - 1 square meter, in extreme cases 70 sq cm. And the barn is made high, so that the windows are no lower than one and a half meters from the floor, or better yet, even higher. This way the goats will not break the windows with their horns and there will be room for deep winter bedding. 

While there is still debate among goat farmers about whether deep litter causes foot rot, it should be noted that this truly dangerous and painful disease is caused by a bacterial infection, most often by the organism Dichelobacter nodosus. This bacterium thrives in damp and unsanitary conditions, which properly managed deep litter does not address. And if the goatsfoot rot , then it should be treated regardless of whether you transfer the animals to deep litter for the winter or not. 

Let us remind you that foot rot in goats is treated with baths with the recommended solution of copper sulfate or zinc sulfate, hoof trimming and antibiotics (oxytetracycline, penicillin or tetracycline ). Treatment is prescribed and carried out by a veterinarian. 

Now on to how to start deep bedding for goats. Clean the floor thoroughly, rinse, then again with a diluted bleach solution, again with water and let dry completely. Next, sprinkle the floor with lime, while in summer the floor in the goat shed/shed is covered with diatomaceous earth. It is important to use granary lime (crushed anhydrous calcium carbonate obtained naturally from limestone, the so-called calcined one), and not slaked lime, which is dangerous and caustic (slaked lime should have a warning label on the packaging). Calcined or granary lime - gray, slaked, also known as construction lime - white. 

The most common bedding for goats is pine shavings or straw. Pine shavings are aromatic and absorb moisture well, but they are more expensive and tend to stick together tightly. Straw is cheaper, less messy when dry, and easier to remove (with a pitchfork) if the layer starts to smell bad. Between these two options, choose the one that suits your finances best. 

Lay the first layer at least 15 cm thick to ensure sufficient insulation and absorption capacity. Next, start gradually adding new layers on top of the first, using the “olfactory” test. If an unpleasant odor begins to appear, add dry materials. As each layer is added, the waste (manure and urine) will decompose along with the bedding material, generating heat as it decomposes. 

Finally, we emphasize: if you use the deep litter method, the shed should have good ventilation, and the layer of litter should be crumbly and dry, without a strong ammonia plume.