Inside: A simple and effective pallet goat shelter that is large enough to hold more than two or three goats. It will keep off the rain, snow and cold! Read more about Raising Goats on our resource page!
Pallets are a tool that anyone can use for so many projects. They are so versatile. They can be taken apart completely and each board used separately. Or they also can be left intact and used as a whole. Whichever way you decide to use your pallets, if you haven’t found a way to take them apart without a lot of difficulties, check out my video on how I take my pallets apart.
Previously, I used pallets to build shelters for my goats that worked great! They kept the goats all warm and snuggly all through the cold winter months. You can see that single sized pallet goat shelter here (← You can read the 7 reasons I find these goat shelters to be the best option.)
That shelter fits 2 goats comfortably and actually, my two wethers and buck, spent the winter all snuggled up nicely. But my two does haven’t accepted Zoe, my pygmy fainting goat, into their clan, so she is pushed around quite a bit.
And this summer, when I had five kids, 2 does and outcast Zoe, all crammed into a smaller shelter, dodging the summer hail storms, I realized that I needed to build a larger shelter for my family of goats.
You can find a lot of articles here on A Life of Heritage that will teach you about goat care and be sure to check out The Goat Health, and Information Bundle–it’s full of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will get your new (or old) goat herd off to a terrific start!
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Goat Management Binder
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Building a pallet goat shelter:
So, first I had to find the right sized pallets. When I did, I laid them out like I thought I would like them to be and made sure that the roof line would work properly. With the potential for heavy snow loads on the roofs, I want my roofs to be slanted enough that the snow will slide off quite easily.
After I knew how I wanted it all put together I actually took the pallets partially apart. In our area I need all the boards close together so that the wind and snow don’t blow through and pile up inside.
I pulled all the boards on one side. I then needed to make sure that all the nails on the boards were removed.
After removing all the nails, I screwed all the boards back on, but without any cracks. Then I added boards from other pallets I had taken apart to make a solid wall.
I attached the two pallets together like this:
I added 3 boards to hold the roof and smaller boards to screw the roof onto.
I had to add boards along the bottom of the end pallet to be able to screw down the roof.
I think it’s also very important to have a few helpers to add some beautiful homecoming decorations. 🙂
I put the board across the front to tie it all together and give it strength.
Although I made the frame of the pallet without any cost, the roof had the most cost. But it was worth it. It is strong and will stand up to the weather and moisture.
The pallets I used on the sides were about 4 feet. I found a 5-foot pallet to enclose the front. The goats seem to like the security of it being enclosed more.
Here is the completed double sized pallet goat shelter!
You can also read more about building goat shelters: How to Build a Goat House, How to Build a Quick Shelter of Pallets, DIY Wood Goat Shelter
If you are on a journey to self-sufficiency, you may be interested in our free resource page for homesteaders. It is password protected and updated weekly. So take a moment and sign up below. You will receive an email shortly and will be able to download and print all the helpful resources.
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Jamie @ Medium Sized Family says
Looks great! I love how you were able to put it together with simple materials.
Delci says
Yes 🙂 that’s the best way to go!
Joyce says
I like that it is moveable. Instead of having to rake and shovel it out in the spring, the shelter can be moved and just spread the compost out. Great!
Delci Plouffe says
I’m glad you liked it! I hope it’s useful to you if you build it!