The Frugal Homesteader Pt. 4 (Small Animal Shelter)

Today's article in the series “The Frugal Homesteader” is a DIY answer to a quick and easy animal shelter. This shelter can be made for animals small and large and it can be modified, scaled up in size, or turned into a shed or greenhouse. The possibilities are endless. And, best of all, it is insanely affordable, especially if you have a few things like pallets already lying around. You might even have enough materials lying around to complete this project without going out to buy anything at all!

If you've read the previous posts in this series, you know that I have goats. Well, If you've read my name Hive account@goatgarden you've probably figured that one out. And, you may or may not realize that we are actually pretty new to the whole goat thing. As mentioned in The Frugal Homesteader Part 3 (Electric Net Fence), we are using the electric net fence to put the goats where we want them with the ability to move them around as desired. Then we put them in the barn for the evening, safe and sound. The problem we were having was the thunderstorms popping up, sometimes without much warning. Having no shelter for the goats required us to get them into the barn during the day to wait out the storm. Then, back outside when the storm passed. This can be very inconvenient when you have other things to do, or worse, you are away from the homestead to run errands, go to church, etc.

Keep It Simple

My goal was simple. Make something affordable and functional. I already have the pens in the barn, and I feel better having the goats in the building at night. I just needed something to keep them dry when the rain showers come out of nowhere. Goats don't need much, but they do need protection from the elements.

Materials

So, I headed to the local farm store with my 9 year old daughter, who is always up for a trip to the farm store, where I bought a 16 ft. cattle panel for around $20 USD. I also bought a small package of curved pipe strap sections (made for securing metal pipe to a structure) for $1.99. Then we were out the door and headed home. By the way, if you don't have a long flatbed trailer to lay the panels flat, you can arch them in your pickup or trailer and transport them without causing damage to them.

Once back at the Garden of the Goats, we gathered a few more items together.

6x8 tarp (previously purchased at WalMart for $2.66)
Pallet
Screws (8 was all I needed)
Fencing staples
Zip ties
Hammer and screw gun (as with nearly every project around here)

The Process

The first step was to cut the cattle panel in half, setting one half aside. Then I had my daughter hold the panel section up while I secured it to the side rail of the pallet with the pipe strap sections and screws. (Pipe strap is not a secure or permanent fastener. I just used this to keep the panel in place until I could get the fence staples hammered in.)

The second step was to arch the section of cattle panel and secure it to the opposite side, again using pipe strap sections. I then secured the cattle panel with fencing staples on both sides. Note: Be careful while securing the panel. Wear safety glasses, gloves, hardhats, and all of that safety stuff. There is a bit of tension in an arched cattle panel. You could seriously lose an eye if it gets away from you.

Next, I found a piece of welded wire fence and attached it to one end of my arched structure. This step isn't entirely necessary, but it did give something to which I could attach the excess tarp. If only making one shelter, you could use the other section of cattle panel.

The final step was to cover the cattle panel with the tarp and attach it to the panel with small zip ties.

And, there you have it. A small shelter that should keep my little guys dry. It was simple and affordable, not to mention giving my daughter some ownership in the project. The awesome thing about this type of structure, however, is that anyone with a little creativity can do a whole lot more. I have seen sheds built with two or more panels and a little lumber, greenhouses, chicken houses, and the list goes on. A quick internet search will give you all kinds of ideas. I will leave you with a picture of my Wisteria which is growing on a trellis built with the same idea.

What about You?

Have you been inspired? What will you make?

If this has helped you, please Upvote, Comment and Resteem! Thanks!

-Kerry