I know there's a better word than "airlock," but here's what I did and why: My goats have been driving me out of my mind by crowding to the gate when they see me coming--I couldn't open the gate without some of them escaping every time. Sometimes they'd knock the feedpan or water over as I tried to enter. So I took some fence panels dh had made (like cattlepanels only made of salvaged pallets broken down, ripped into slats) and put them together on the outside of my gate. Now I can enter one gate, close it behind me, and then if the goats escape when I open "their" gate, they are contained!! It works great and as an added bonus I can use this small pen to feed the kids their grain separately, so I know they are getting what they should! Just thought I'd share my solution, because there must be other goat keepers out there who are being knocked down by their goats at the gate!

Elizabeth

-- Elizabeth in e tx (kimprice@peoplescom.net), May 16, 2001

Answers

I've been trampled by a dozen crazed Nubians many times. Another trick is to have the gate open toward the goats so that if they push against it, the gate will close. You just have to wedge yourself in the gate so the whole herd doesn't break the neck of the one goat that gets her head through first. Your idea sounds great.

-- Skip Walton (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), May 17, 2001.

Hi Elizabeth,

That's a great idea. I've been thinking of building something similar. My goats ususlly shoot out and then the dog rounds them up and brings them back in or if they're really hungry they turn around themselves and follow me.

It's amazing how strong they are. One day my biggest doe (they're all Nubians)came up behind me ducked her head between my legs and lifted me on to her back!! My hands were full so I couldn't hold on to anything. Halfway to the barn I went over backwards!

I made a little flower garden on the way to the pen with low rock walls and gravel paths. It's looking lovely this year. But now the daylillies are getting big one doe just makes a mad dash for them! I'm afraid they'll never get to flower if I don't do something to stop her.

I was thinking of a double gate like yours set under a roof. Kind of like the lytch gates you see at the entrance to old churches in England. I've been wanting to try my hand at Timber Framing using pegged joints. Something that size would be an ideal starter project. A thatched roof would be nice but the girls would probably kill themselves trying to climb up and eat it!!

Thanks for telling us how your idea worked out. You've added to my inspiration.

Pauline NC

-- Pauline (tworoosters-farm@altavista.com), May 17, 2001.

Elizabeth -

Cool idea! Never thought about using it other than for birds. Something else to put into the file for 'things I'll have to incorporate'!!

Trying to get all the 'best of the best' ideas for BEFORE we build anything, lol

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), May 17, 2001.

I double gated our dog pen for the same reason. Makes it easier getting all of em on the lead for the walk to the house.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 19, 2001.

Just for interest sake, the term is 'sallyport', an inner enclosure of the castle that could be blocked off with the troops inside it when they were going through to do battle, so that the invaders could not overpower them and charge straight into the castle.

I had one for my dog yard for the same reasons!

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), May 19, 2001.

I used one of these for years at a petting farm I worked at. It was great because visitors could go in and usually the goats, sheep, etc., couldn't get out. (There were, of course, exceptions to that rule!!) In my own barn, I enter through the grain/milking room, so I just close the outside door behind me and if any goat gets through, she's still contained. I only have a few animals, so it's not so much of a rush. I trained all of them to the sound of grain in a coffee can, so if any of them gets out, I just rattle the can and they all come running. This comes in handy when I'm not there and my children accidentally let the critters out. My 8 year old can put them back with ease with a rattling can of grain. My grandfather used to whistle the same song every day when he fed his pigs. If the pigs got out, he'd just whistle the song and they'd all come running! My cat's name is Moonshadow and if she is still out at night when I want to go to bed, I just whistle Cat Steven's Moonshadow and she comes in for bed.

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), May 21, 2001.

I walk out into my side yard, which then goes into the barn, my side of the barn. I have my milkroom and feed room, all but one of my pens can be fed from my side of the barn. After feeding, the girls have much less interest in comming through the doors. Doors opening in towards the goats are a must! The milkers (with the exception of first fresheners who are new) are very well mannered, coming through the door and jumping up on the milkstands to be milked. I do have to grab a first fresheres collar now and then. Grain of course is the insentive! They can and do wander off into the side yard after milking, but all wear collars and come to their names when called. I have culled does for both being timid and for continuing problems in the milk room.

Now.....trying to get OUT of the kid pens without some coming with you is the worst! Along with lambaring large pens of kids where all the nipples need to be used, on just a couple of kids, I simply put the lambar up against the cattle panels. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 21, 2001.

Hello there. How about a style? We have them in the countryside of england for public footpaths through fields. They are four slabs of stone, narrow enough for a human to get through, but not for an animal, because they can't get their body aroung the curves. goto yahoo.com and tyoe in "styles" or "stiles" to see website with pictures. The construction is kind of hard to describe in words.

-- Craig J. (tobermori@yahoo.com), July 14, 2001.

I would love to have a stile, and where I grew up (Sweden)I've seen several different types, but I can't think of one that would admit a human but not a goat! It would be very nice:o) but i think even a labyrinth wouldn't faze my goats. The trouble is that three of them are quite small and agile. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Elizabeth

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), July 15, 2001.