On concrete floors provide 5-6” of bedding.
On dirt floors provide 3-4”.
In winter a manure pack can be built up.  As the lower layers decompose, this will provide a source of heat for the goats. (McKinney)  

Type of Bedding

Lbs. of Water per lb of bedding

Wood
Tanning bark	4.0
Dry, fine bark	2.5
Pine chips	3.0
Pine sawdust	2,5
Pine shavings	2.0
Pine needles	1.0
Hardwood chips, shavings or sawdust	1.5

Corn
Shredded stover	2.5
Ground cobs	2.1

Straw
Flax straw	2.6
Oat straw, threshed	2.8
Oat straw, combined	2.5
Oat straw, chopped	2.4
Wheat straw, combined	2.2
Wheat straw, chopped	2.1

Hay
Chopped, mature hay	3.0

Shells, Hulls
Cocoa hulls	2.7
Peanut shells, cottonseed	2.5
Oat hulls	2.0

(Sheep Handbook)

Rutger's 1996, organic goat dairy budgets, based on amount of milk given in a 100 goat herd

Table 79 Costs and Returns for Dairy Goat - 1500 lbs Milk/Doe, 100 Doe Herd

Table 80 Costs and Returns for Dairy Goat - 1800 lbs Milk/Doe, 100 Doe Herd
Table 81 Costs and Returns for Dairy Goat - 2100 lbs Milk/Doe, 100 Doe Herd

U of Maryland Sample Meat Goat Budget //sheepandgoat.com/spreadsheets/meatgoatbudget2004.xls
 
West Virginia University meat goat budget (can be adjusted for dairy)  Meat Goat Budget
 
Wisconsin Business Wizard: State of Wisconsin Business Wizard

Gives information about going into business in WI, what state, federal and local licenses, permits and regulations apply, application forms, state resources available and other business information.

 
Wisconsin Dairy Goat Enterprise Budget (Excel document) and Suggestions for use (PDF)

Easy to fill in and it calculates everything for you.http://www.cias.wisc.edu/economics/dairy-goat-enterprise-budget/

Key Financial Performance Measures For Farm General Managers http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/ID/ID-243.pdf
 
Cost of producing a hundredweight of milk spreadsheet  http://cdp.wisc.edu/wk1/costcwt9.xls

Wisconsin Dairy Artisan Network:  http://www.wisconsindairyartisan.org/become.html  

Information on regulations regarding the opening of a milk or cheese processing plant, writing a business plan, conducting market research, marketing your product, financing your business.

Farm Business Planning http://www.luresext.edu/goats/training/farmmanagement.html
 
Goat Farm Budgeting http://www.luresext.edu/goats/training/budgets.html
 
Small business loan calculator (Fixed rate) http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-calculator-loan
This will enable you to calculate monthly payment, total interest, average monthly interest, # years to pay off so you can compare loan offers.

Type of feeder	per adult goat	per kid
Grain: For feeding all penned goats at once from a trough type feeder or feed bunk	16-20”	9-12”
Hay: For free-choice eating all day	8-10”	3-4”

           (Adapted from The Sheep Handbook)

Trough feeders must have a bar above them to keep goats from backing up over them and defecating. (Langston, Training Manual, Nutrition 27)

See plans for making feed bunks and feeders at the Plans page

Measurements useful for fencing:

1 rod = 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet

1 acre = 160 square rods, 4,840 square yards or 43,560 square feet

¼ mile – 1,320 ft or 80 rods

½ mile = 2,640 feet or 160 rods

1 mile = 5,280 feet or 320 rods

General fencing links:

Information from Tractor Supply Company:

On-line fencing calculator http://www.tractorsupply.com/content/knowhow/fencing/fencing_fencing_calculator

How To Install High Tensile Fencing  http://www.tractorsupply.com/content/knowhow/fencing/fencing_install_a_high_tensile_fence

How to Install Electric Fencing: http://www.tractorsupply.com/content/knowhow/fencing/fencing_install_an_electric_fence

Information from Kencove Fencing:

This website has many diagrams, and videos along with  information on planning and installing fencing. Their catalog is full of good information.  http://www.kencove.com

Kencove: Charger Troubleshooting Diagram http://www.kencove.com/fence/19_Charger+Troubleshooting+Diagram_resource.php

Kencove: Fence Troubleshooting Diagram
http://www.kencove.com/fence/18_Fence+Troubleshooting+Diagram_resource.php

Kencove: Fundamentas of Electric Fencing http://www.kencove.com/fence/22_Fundamentals+of+Electric+Fencing_resource.php

Kencove: Installing high tensile fencing http://www.kencove.com/fence/82_High+Tensile+Fence_resource.php

Information from Premier Fencing:

website has a lot of specific information on fencing for goats, with installation instruction, cost per foot etc.   http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?species_id=2:

Temporary, Semipermanent and permanent fencing options: http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?species_id=2

How-to videos  http://www.premier1supplies.com/videos/index.php

Instruction pages: goat fencing, goat supplies, feedbunk design, general fencing information, how to set up a good goat handling system and more: http://www.premier1supplies.com/instructions.php

Information from Gallagher: http://www.gallagherusa.com/:

The following charts tell you how deep to sink anchor and line posts into the ground 

The strongest way to put posts in is to have them driven in by a post-hole driver.  Farm fencing companies have the equipment to drive the posts and they are far stronger, especially when stringing high tensile electric wire.  Hand driven posts simply do not hold.  A fence post driven by a post hole driver, is driven into the ground without digging a hole.  This lends tremendous stability to the post.  (Van Zealand)
 
Hand dug, the wood post hole should be twice the diameter of the post. The posts go in the ground large end down.   The hole must be filled and tamped down tightly after the post is inserted.
 
If you want to set a thick post in concrete, use a hole twice the diameter of the post.  To set a thin post in concrete, dig the hole four times the diameter of the post.  To add stability to a wood post which will be set in concrete, drive galvanized nails into the bottom section of post before putting the post in the hole.  Then add the concrete.  Use a 1- 2-4 concrete mixture: 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, 4 parts gravel.   (Storey, 510)

Shed Width	Baled Hay (tons)	Chopped Hay (tons)	Loose Hay (tons)
24’	2.0	1.9	0.8
30’	2.6	2.3	1.0
36’	3.1	2.8	1.2
40’	3.4	3.1	1.4

(Sheep Handbook)

What is stored	Cubic feet per ton (2000 lbs.)	Pounds per cubic foot
Hay
Loose alfalfa hay	450-500	4.4-4
Loose non-legume hay	450-600	4.4-3.3
Baled alfalfa hay	200-330	10-6
Baled non-legume hay	250-330	8-6
Chopped Alfalfa, cut 1/12”	285-360	7-5.5
Chopped Non-legume 3”	300-400	6.7-5
Straw
Loose straw	670-1000	3-2
Baled straw	400-500	5-4
Chopped, Straw	250-350	8-5.7

          (sheep handbook)

1000-2000 Btu/hr. per 1000 lb. animal weight  (Sheep Handbook)

(Note: Heat is not normally needed in goat housing, but it may be used in separate kid barns in harsh winter weather to bring the body temperature of babies to a functional level.  Extreme cold prevents them from eating and stresses their immune system.  Heat is also welcome to thefarmer, who spends long hours bottle-feeding newborns in harsh weather.)

Board feet (fbm) = thickness (in inches) x width (in feet) x length (in feet)
 
(Example:  You have a 1 x 4 x 10.  How many board feet is that?