Unlike sheep, goats require a weatherproof shelter to protect them from the elements. When it starts to rain, you will witness people scurrying for cover from far and wide as they try to avoid the rain's apparent acidity. Your shelter does not need to be complex, but it should keep your goats dry and away from chilly breezes. You will need to create a raised floor to keep them off the ground in order to keep their hooves dry and prevent hoof rot if your shelter is in a location where heavy rains can seep through the floor inside.
Since goats do not have thick, woolly coats as sheep do, spreading out some straw on the ground of your shelter will provide them with additional warmth and comfort during the chilly winter months.
Although goats have a reputation for being escape artists, we have not personally observed many instances of this. We believe this is primarily because we provide our animals adequate stimulation and food, although excellent fencing undoubtedly helps. There are many choices, some of which are stronger than others. We utilize conventional 15 cm wire ring-lock fence on our land, either 90 cm high with two top wires or 120 cm high without top wires. This works well enough for our herd, we think.
If you have small children who are not yet weaning, they may be able to go through the ring-lock fence, but they normally stay close to their mother. This problem may be solved by adding chicken wire to the fence until they mature. If you are a breeder and you are keeping a buck or two, it could be a good idea to install an electric wire on the inside of the enclosure in case they start to push against the fence in an attempt to get to the ladies. It is best to keep the buck pens hidden from the does' view.
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