Goat fence

MePreach · #1 02/18/07, 10:30 PM

I am wanting to get a few goats and wondering what kind of fence will work? I dont want to have trouble keeping them in so will electric work or what would you recommend ? I will be fencing in about 3 acres

prairiecomforts · #2 02/18/07, 10:59 PM

I use the 5 ft. combo panels. They come in 16 foot lenths. We don't have electricity by the barn - so this is what works for us. It is a little expensive - but if you ever have to move, they are portable.

vallyfarm · #3 02/18/07, 11:29 PM

Prarie has it right, but you can buy 330' rolls of fencing for a lot less money. Just make sure you go with the 4x4 spacing. Otherwise heads will get stuck. I put some "paige wire" as it is called here, also feild fencing over 15 yrs ago, and have yet to mend or tighten it yet. Still looks like new too. More money up front, but will keep your critters in, AND keep other critters out! Mike

**mygoat** · #4 02/19/07, 10:27 AM

If you are sure where you want to perminantly fence, go with the rolled fence. The panels are good for buck pens. My two mini bucks destroyed a chunk of fencing between thier two pens, so we had to put a wood panel up. Some of my fencing was the 'feild fence' which has the larger holes, and my goats would get thier heads stuck so I ran some snow fence on it with electric ties and it works ok to keep thier heads out. But it's just more trouble. Definetely get the 4"x4" squares, it'll keep small babies in, keep goat heads in, and keep bad critters out. You could get the field fence and run a couple lines of electric at the top and bottom.

lots of people run electric fencing for goats easily. You need lots of lines though. I believe it's like 5 lines really close to the bottom, then a few more evenly spaced up near the top.

white eagle · #5 02/19/07, 12:19 PM

It depends on what type of fencing you want to use. Some folks using cattle panels which can get very high in price if doing lots of land other use field fencing which is cheaper but have to make sure to space the T post correctly or the fence will start to sag or the goats will try to climb it. Only time a goat will get head stuck in fencing is it your goats has horns on them. Goats that are disbudded will not get head stuck.

Jim S. · #6 02/19/07, 02:01 PM

Cattle panel here is $21. I use regular old field fence. Red Brand here is $184 a 330-foot roll. (That'd be $441 worth of panels.) The small box fence is HIGH DOLLAR compared to regular field fence (and that has shot up high enough), with some of the small box going for over $300 a roll (last I peeked at was $325). So I just use the field fence.

Interestingly, in 16 years I have found that not every young kid will get stuck in the fence, that it is almost like a personality trait. If they do, I use a piece of PVC pipe duct taped across their horns to stop that until they outgrow it.

I have contemplated trying to select against the trait, to see if it could be done, but haven't got that far yet. Preople who disbud have no troubles, of course. It is definitely a minority that do it in my herd. Not enough to justify the added fencing expense.

I'm guessing it will take you about three 4 20-rod (330-foot) rolls of fence to do your 3 acres, provided it is flat, is basically square, and has 4 basic corners.

There are some cool electric fencing supplies here that I'd like to use for temporary paddocks some day when I get rich enough:

http://www.premier1supplies.com/goats/species.php

toomb68 · #7 02/19/07, 07:44 PM

i agree with the field fence...i did use red brand goat fence and it has worked well. but it ain't cheap. i may explore electric for future fencing needs. i think you are gonna need more than 3 rolls....more like six.

stewart4pack · #8 02/19/07, 08:08 PM

I'm a true believer of HT High Tensil Fencing Very inexpensive and will last 30years or more. Fewer Line Post, farther spacing up to 100' between line post. Startup might be a little pricey but for sure the cheapest way to fence in goats, cattle, etc.It can be electricfied 5 wires or less.

**mygoat** · #9 02/19/07, 08:14 PM

Oh, I wanted to mention that the redbrand 'goatfence' is good stuff... and is VERY expensive. Almost all our fencing right now is redbrand goatfence. my next pasture growth will probably be with electric, as it will probably end up being cheaper overall. Now, what is REALLY expensive is those dang t-posts. Especially when you have to space them every 8 feet. Oh, and my advice is to do every corner, and 'every once in a while' on the sides of the pen, put in some wood posts. Also, the gates should have wood posts. Oh, do you plan on keeping a buck? He'll have to be separate from your herd for most of the year untill you want kids, so you might want to make a buck pen, too. I'd do field fence and electric for his pen.

Good luck!

prairiecomforts · #10 02/19/07, 11:11 PM

Gosh - I just re-read this and can't believe that some people are paying $21 for a cattel panel!! That's just crazy! I can get 16 ft long by 5 ft. high combo panels here for $16. And these are the good sturdy ones. Actually last spring I waited until Runnings was having a sale on them (just happens once a year) and went and bought 10 of them for $13 a piece.

DixyDoodle · #11 02/20/07, 03:57 AM

Just curious, when you guys say "cattle panels" what exactly are you referring to? The only panels I can think of in my area are $60 a pop. Anyone got a pic of them?

I wonder if anyone has had a problem with goats digging under fences? One gentleman I know that has a gazillion goats had to put a wood block at the bottom of his fences because some goats were getting their heads under and lifting the fence up enough to sneak under. Is this normally an issue?

toomb68 · #12 02/20/07, 04:58 AM

go to tractor suppys website, you can see them there.....

waygr00vy · #13 02/20/07, 07:16 AM

I have had goats try and go under, but only if the fence was a little weak or there was a tiny gap on the bottom in a spot. I think cattle pannels are the way to go for a buck pen, very sturdy, i use the horse no climb for my smaller pens and regular field fencing for the pasture perimeter. I used to have a goat who would get her horns stuck on occasion, I have sold her and haven't had a problem since. It does help to run a strand of hotwire along the bottom of any fencing, since they like to rub along it and it will get bent and lean. I have horrible luck with hotwire, so I don't trust having an entire fence with it in case it goes out. I had a friend with a hotwire pen. One night it wasn't working and some dogs down the road went right through, her goats still thought it was on and wouldn't go through it, 6 were killed

stanb999 · #14 02/20/07, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MePreach

I am wanting to get a few goats and wondering what kind of fence will work? I dont want to have trouble keeping them in so will electric work or what would you recommend ? I will be fencing in about 3 acres

Go with electric it will cost less than half of those other fences. Use a 7 wire. Space them like this.

Get a strong charger and it will keep them in. I also like to use barb wire for the bottom three ground wires. It really adds to the safety if the fence is down for some reason.