It’s been a crazy 1.5 months but I’ve been busy with the construction of the goat house, now nearing completion. This primary income-generating building is also a multi functional structure to house animals (goats, sheep and chickens) and generate energy/nutrients for plants/animals (deep litter, BSFL, worm bin, water storage – approx more than 3,000 gallons of rain water). It costs me about RM 57,000 for both construction labour and materials. It’s a painful investment but nevertheless, necessary, given the multiple functions it serves apart from its primary holding capacity of a maximum of 50 goats/sheep and ~1,200 chickens.
This structure is also able to house a maximum of 4 volunteers in the attic (2 comfortably), should the need arise in the future. There is also ample space in the attic for storage of miscellaneous materials for farm work. The siting of this structure has been a challenge since day one. As the farm consists of about 70% steep hills and 30% flat land, putting a structure permanently in the ground is not easy. I have to think real hard and the decision made has to be calculated carefully.
As per permaculture consideration, I’ve chosen to put this at the highest point of the farm on a hill, bordering very closely with my neighbour (unfortunately that is). The idea is that energy storage and distribution would be made easier with this hill top position, thereby facilitating movement of compost, manure and water downhill to every area of the farm. There would be a couple of permanent paddocks radiating from this structure for the chickens to do rotational grazing.
The goat house is primarily an over designed concrete structure with safety concerns in mind. As it’s perched on a hill slope, I’ve undertaken to ensure that all the concrete footings are connected with reinforced concrete beams. The hanging concrete beams upon which the floor slats sit are also further reinforced. The idea is to facilitate future maintenance in the event any wooden pieces of flooring require replacement.
The materials used are a mixture of new and recycled. Thankfully, I was able to obtain some insulated steel metal deck roofing from a decommissioned mushroom growing facility. This helps keep the structure cool. High elevated roofing also helps maintain a good airflow through the entire structure.
For the next few years, this will be the central hub of revenue-generating activities, around which other supporting money-making activities take place. An almost RM 60,000 investment in this pandemic crisis with diminishing funds and absence of financial assistance is a painful pill to swallow. However, it has to be done. The idea here is to build well once and for all to cater to decades of future needs without needing to resort to expensive maintenance later. Labour and material costs will only go up, hence the spending has to be now.
