If you have a box stall in your barn and are pressed for space during kidding time, transform it into two kidding jugs for your pregnant goats with these simple steps. This versatile, temporary arrangement will reduce the number of hay feeders, water buckets, and heat lamps you need to supply.
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It is easy to run out of space during kidding season!
As we slowly build our herd of dairy, fiber, and meat goats, we have to continually reassess how we are using our facilities. This year we have 13 does due to kid in the same week.
In addition to goats, we also have horses, and hence four box stalls. Our horses have blankets and two run-ins to use during the winter, so the stall space gets transformed into kidding jugs for a while.
Since we breed our show stock for winter (January/ February) kidding in Michigan, we need room to keep everyone inside, and out of the elements, for several weeks.
Kidding early in the year helps ensure all our market animals make weight for the area county fairs. We do kid on pasture later in the year as well.
Reasons to Use a Kidding Jug
For winter kidding, we set up a separate kidding pen, or jug, for each pregnant doe. We move them into their jug five days before their due date. This gives them time to become accustomed to their new home, nest, and relax before delivery.
Keeping the does separate from their herd mates allows them the safety of kidding without interference from other animals. We practice dam-raising on our farm and the close quarters helps promote bonding between the doe and her kids. For more on the benefits of dam-raising kids, click here to read my other article.
A kidding jug makes monitoring each pregnant doe easier. If you need to intervene, provide medication, or alter feed rations for a specific animal, they are already confined so you can do so with ease.
Benefits of Split Box Stall Kidding Jugs
Our box stalls are 12-foot square and when split down the middle, provide ample area for two large breed does to birth and care for their offspring.
The hog panel that we use to divide the stall allows the “roommate” does to see each other. This is helpful because, as herd animals, isolation in a kidding jug can be stressful at first. We try to pair does that get along as roommates for kidding.
Other benefits are that the hog panel divider provides a place to hang a shared hay feeder, clip feed troughs (so they are off the ground and stay clean), and stabilize a communal water bucket.
Due to the Michigan winter temps, we also provide a kid warming box and heat lamp in our kidding jugs. We make wooden warming boxes with two doors and a slit in the center for the hog panel, so offspring of the two roommate does in the box stall share this as well.
Having two does share equipment helps reduce cost and saves time doing chores, that’s why we love this set-up!
The hog panel divider is removable. When you need to clean the stall you can loosen the wing nut and move it. When the kids are a few days old and eating well, we remove the panel altogether and let the two does and their kids have free roam of the box stall.
Materials Needed for Making a Box Stall Divider
We trimmed the 16 foot-hog panel with bolt cutters to fit inside the stall. We cut out the top three crossbars to make room for the heat lamp on one end and the bottom six on the other end to make room for the water bucket.
The divider is secured on one side by passing through the front and back walls of the kid warming box. On the other side, it is secured to the stall wall with 2×4’s with a hole drilled in them for a threaded bolt to pass through, fastened with washers and a hand-tightened wing nut.
Materials Needed for Making a Split Box Stall Kid Warming Box
- 1/2-inch OSB
- Untreated 2×4’s
- Screws
- Drill
- Sawzall
- 6-inch hole saw
- Tape measure
- Heat lamp
- Wire
We kept the design for the kid warming box pretty simple by just framing the four sides like you would a wall out of the 2×4’s. The two sides are easiest with the top and bottom plate measuring 24 inches with a stud on each end and a stud in the middle.
The front and back of the box have a bit more going on. They both should measure 48”x48” overall. The top plate will span the entire 48 inches. The bottom plate for the front and back however, will consist of two 23” plates. The 2-inch gap will go in the center for the hog panel to slide through.
For the front only, you will also need to frame in your kid doors. We made ours about 10 inches wide by 12 inches tall.
Once you have the four sides framed, you can screw them all together. Then sheet the outside, and the top, with the OSB, the bottom will remain open. Just make sure that you cut the area out for your kid doors on each side of the front, as well as the 2 inch gap in the middle of both the front and back boards.
Lastly, using a 6-inch hole saw, drill a hole in the top for your heat lamp. It should be in the center, about 9 inches from the back of the box. The heat lamp and cord will be fed through one kid door up into the hole and secured in the middle with a screw and wire so that it cannot move.
Materials Needed for Caring for Goats in a Split Box Stall Kidding Jug
We use heavy duty carabiner clips to attach the hay feeder, feed troughs, and water bucket. A three gallon water bucket fits well and allows enough room for both does to drink. One doe will have the hay feeder on her side, the other will access the hay through the hog panel or from the top. Each doe should have their own feed trough.
Bed the stall with straw or shavings and have a great kidding season!
Mother, farmer, author, and teacher by trade… She loves tending to things and watching them grow!