Building Plans for Horned Goat Feeders

Both Adult and Adolescent or Doe Feeders

These horned goat feeder plans have been developed over six years to minimize waste while feeding multiple horned goats and keeping them from entering the feeder. This feeder design can be easily customized and is meant for use underneath a shelter. For outdoor feeders, keep the corner posts long as noted below and refer to the instructions for roof construction in the next lesson.

After implementing this feeder design, I had to reduce my feed amounts, especially in winter. During the packing season, I fed my goats heavily to keep weight on my packers. However, during the winter, I had to cut back and use less feed due to the reduced waste. My goats were getting too fat! Since then, I have reduced their winter feed to half a flake per goat in the morning and evening. It took a day or two for them to adjust, but now they eat everything, including stems. This design has nearly eliminated waste and has also saved on feed costs!

The design for the horned goat feeder plans:

The horned goat feeder design maximizes the number of goats that can feed at once while minimizing waste through multiple features. The design is also easy to clean and restock with feed. This design maximizes space by feeding more than three goats at once, and the width is ideal for allowing dominant and subdominant goats to feed across from each other. This prevents one alpha goat from dominating an in-line system or single feed area.

Additionally, the dividers limit goats to individual stalls, allowing them visibility to escape incoming dominants. The multi-sided feeder design provides feeding opportunities for at least three goats and up to eight or ten goats depending on herd dynamics. This feeder system uses minimal materials and provides the greatest feeding opportunity for many goats. This design is not intended for commercial use but is ideal for smaller herds.

The plans offered provide a full materials list, a list of required tools, cuts to make, and assembly instructions. Images are also included showing assembly and measurements. The plans are straightforward and easy to follow. These are the best horned goat feeder plans for residential goat owners.

Waste minimizing features of this design include:

• The waste-minimizing features of this design include a 4-inch gap below the feeder where goats can reach underneath and feed from the nutrient-rich chaff that falls through the utility panel feeder floor.
• Crossbars over the goat’s horns force goats to maneuver slightly to enter the feeder and keep their heads in and down while they feed. The crossbars are not so low as to inhibit a quick escape if a dominant goat comes in.
• The combination of the crossbars and dividers keeps goats from jumping into the feeder and soiling the feed.
• The middle divider keeps feed accessible to goats while making it uncomfortable and inconvenient for any baby goat that tries to jump in.
• The open-top design makes placing feed inside effortless and is easily compatible with roofing or slot-feeding designs.
• Finally, the compact low cube design of this feeder makes it easy to clean by tipping it up and propping it with an object. It is then easy to pitchfork feed that has fallen through the utility panel and actually recycle good feed from underneath.

Ultimately, these are the best horned goat feeder plans to date for feeding multiple horned goats at once. The plans are available online, and you will have a login for your account, which will give you access to the plans and any other courses you purchase. This way, the course materials and videos are always there for you to access.