new goat fencing

[centexguy]

I need to build some new fencing. My Boer goats have really been hard on the regular field fencing I put up a little over a year ago, they like to lean into it as they walk along scratching. I would never have thought they could break woven field fence. Im thinking about using 10 strands of barbwire or maybe this "new" hi tensile field fence the guy at the feed store showed me. It looks pretty stout and its not as expensive as good 4x4 field fence,i think he said $300 for a 660ft roll. I think Ill need some help to roll that out.

Im just looking for ideas, opinions, tips... anybody know about this kind of thing? Impress me with your knowledge.

[AnnaS]

I have six strand electric around the garden. It is the only fence my dairy goats really respect. They get through or over three strand electric, and four strand barbed. Three foot woven wire with a hot wire on top will contain them if they consent- but they can jump over it or lean it down.

[drgnldy71]

The people we got our wether from said that the chain link fence works real well too. I guess though if you've got them jumping over you'd have to build it pretty tall.

[plowhand]

I use the high-tensile type field fence. I like it. I try to put it up with good, stout corners. I also put a post every 12'. It seems like a lot of exspense,but I've had 650 lb. heifers use the fence for a back scratcher and it stayed up, and stayed tight. An older neighbor taught me two things about fencing; use plenty of posts and keep the wire tight. He is one of the few people in this area that used barbwire for his fences that kept his cows in. I put a heavy corner brace in, using posts made from sections of light-poles or once and a while I'll used a good creasoted railroad tie. I put a brace betwixt the post and use a wire with a piece of board as a clamp to help hold my brace together. Then I lay out my fence line, and measure off and put a post every 14'. I cut a piece of 1x4 to 14' and then nailed it to a short plow handle. It made a real handy tool to measure off my posts placement. I've tried different styles of wire and different heights. I now use 36" Red Brand field fencing. I put 2 strands of twelve gauge barbwire on top,space to give me about a 51' high fence. I can get buy using a 6' post this way. It helps a little because the 6' posts seems to cost a little less. If money were no option I'd prefer a 5' fence, but I can get by with the shorter fence just as well. I'd also recomend the 4x4 spacing if you are going to have horned goats. It gets old getting hung goats out of regular field fencing.

[caberjim]

I fenced in a second goat pasture and used 3 strands of electric with an over-sized charger. Bear in mind these are full-grown dairy goats who are well acquainted with electric fencing. Top wire is eye level, the middle is shoulder level and the bottom is just under the belly.

If they are really trained to it, they are not going to challenge it or even get very close to it. No need for the bottom two wires - they are too big to squeeze under anything below 2 foot in height. The middle and top wires are placed so they can be seen and not create space enough for a goat to consider putting a head thru.

I foolishly left too big a space where it went over a dry gully and one squeezed out under it. She got zapped pretty hard on the way out and has not tried it again. I will be making a permanant correction for that this weekend. Other than that, the 3 wire pasture is just as effective as our 6 wire pasture. Half the effort and half the cost.

I would not put kids or babies in it - they could easily escape.

[mary,tx]

Another option would be to put a single strand of hot wire inside your current fence. That keeps them from pushing on the fence, because they'll run the other way when they get zapped.
mary

[Cygnet]

Most of the time. Goat horns don't conduct electricity very well and you occasionally get a smart goat who figures this out and learns to hook his horns under the fence and break the electric wires.

Leva

Originally Posted by mary,tx

Another option would be to put a single strand of hot wire inside your current fence. That keeps them from pushing on the fence, because they'll run the other way when they get zapped.
mary

[mary,tx]

I didn't think of that because none of mine are horned. Usually when one brushes up against the hot wire, she doesn't know what hit her, and they ALL go running toward the barn. lol.