Electric fence and goats.

[ozark_jewels]

Just an example of electric fencing holding goats. These girls are impatiently awaiting their daily barley ration(they are all getting ready to kid), and yet they don't come to near the fence...they know it bites. There is lush eating on the other side of the fence, but it keeps them in their small maternity ward. It is four strand of 14 guage wire, stretched tightly by hand and charged with a Taylor Brute 8 charger(8 output joules) with six 6' ground rods evenly spaced and driven into the ground about 5-3/4 feet. It also contains kids on the other side(you can see the fence on the right) with five strands.

If you are considering a large amount of fencing on a budget, electric fencing, installed well, may just be a good way for you to go.

[KayJay]

I know I've said this before, but, you have such beautiful goats, Emily.

[fishhead]

What's the span on the fencing? It seems pretty far unless I'm not seeing some posts in between the T posts.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by fishhead

What's the span on the fencing? It seems pretty far unless I'm not seeing some posts in between the T posts.

No, its all T-Posts. On that front stretch(a shorter stretch), the posts are much more widely spaced as the shorter stretches are easier to stretch tight. On the rest of the fence(you can see it going up the hill), the stretch between posts is somewhere between 16' and 18'. The trick is a little training for the goats before just turning them loose in the fence. They know its hot, so they don't try it.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by KayJay

I know I've said this before, but, you have such beautiful goats, Emily.

Thanks...thats just the pregnant does though...thats when their *easy* to keep in shape!

[topside1]

Emily, are you feeding straight barley? Currently I'm mixing barley with other grains/pellets and I was afraid add more than 10% into the mixture....Love electric fencing. If the answer is yes, than can I feed straight barley to my milkers. I doubt I would but just needed to ask....

[cjb]

What are you using for gates?

[topside1]

I just use regular gates with pieces of hog panel attached to the bottom half of the gate. I use plastic wire ties. The panel is attached just to keep the young kids under a month old in the pasture...Basically the gate is not electrified...Emily and others I'm sure will respond with their own systems.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by topside1

Emily, are you feeding straight barley? Currently I'm mixing barley with other grains/pellets and I was afraid add more than 10% into the mixture....Love electric fencing. If the answer is yes, than can I feed straight barley to my milkers. I doubt I would but just needed to ask....

Hi John.
Yes, my milkers get only rolled barley on the milkstand. They love it, its cheaper than oats, and they are milking up a storm. They also have alfalfa hay available, but they are spending every minute of the day out browsing right now and barely touching the hay. I love the way they look on the rolled barley. My dry does get barley, my working bucks get barley, and my kids get barley and alfalfa pellets or hay. I feel so much better about it than sweetfeed, and they are doing really well on it. My 67 milkers go through about 250 lbs of barley a day. And the rest of the dairy herd(dry does, bucks, kids), about 50-100 lbs a day. Last year I was mixing barley/oats/corn/BOSS to feed my milkers. This year I'm getting the same production and health out of the straight barley...so I'm satisfied.
My Boers with kids are getting barley and browse.
The Barley here is $10.00 a hundred lbs.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by cjb

What are you using for gates?

Anywhere there is likely to be a crush at feeding time, I use cattle panels or regular stock gates. If kids are in that area, I use cattle panels or a stock gate with a hog panel attached to the lower half as John mentioned. The adults don't go through a plain stock gate. I usually use cattle panels with a post on either end and in the middle. Its attached firmly to the post in the middle and on one end, but the other end swings free with just a hook or wire to shut it.
For bucks, its cattle panels all the way. My bucks don't run with the herd. A buck running with a herd of does is a happy buck, and electric fence will keep him in as long as their aren't other does or fighting bucks on the other side. When I run a clean-up buck in the late breeding season, whichever buck I use stays nicely in the electric fence with the girls.

[topside1]

Emily, thanks for the feedback. That's why I quit buying oats and have shifted to barley. Corn is going up to, feeding our animals economically is getting tougher and tougher. When I run out of the mixture I have on hand I may just shift to straight barley, not mixing this and that together. Keep it simple, always works for me....TJ

[topside1]

$10.70 per hundred here...

[christij]

Originally Posted by ozark_jewels

Hi John.
Yes, my milkers get only rolled barley on the milkstand. They love it, its cheaper than oats, and they are milking up a storm. They also have alfalfa hay available, but they are spending every minute of the day out browsing right now and barely touching the hay. I love the way they look on the rolled barley. My dry does get barley, my working bucks get barley, and my kids get barley and alfalfa pellets or hay. I feel so much better about it than sweetfeed, and they are doing really well on it. My 67 milkers go through about 250 lbs of barley a day. And the rest of the dairy herd(dry does, bucks, kids), about 50-100 lbs a day. Last year I was mixing barley/oats/corn/BOSS to feed my milkers. This year I'm getting the same production and health out of the straight barley...so I'm satisfied.
My Boers with kids are getting barley and browse.
The Barley here is $10.00 a hundred lbs.

Are you still offering free choice on the pellets to the girls when they come out of the milking room? I bet you are saving a ton of time by not having to mix the feed anymore! I am out of alfafla right now so I am giving some pellets at night when I put everyone up.

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by christij

Are you still offering free choice on the pellets to the girls when they come out of the milking room?

No, thats where the alfalfa hay I mentioned comes in. We bought a load of hay in February, so we are feeding that instead of pellets. But the girls are browsing all day now and I'm actually feeding very little hay at this time. I expect they will start eating more hay as the summer wears on and the quality of browse goes down.

[yarrow]

Emily, where are you buying your barley at? I asked at Hirsch's (in thayer) a couple years ago, they didn't carry it. Haven't asked again. $10 per 100 isn't a bad price.
susie

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by yarrow

Emily, where are you buying your barley at? I asked at Hirsch's (in thayer) a couple years ago, they didn't carry it. Haven't asked again. $10 per 100 isn't a bad price.
susie

Heck, its cheaper than oats and healthier than sweetfeed! The only place I can get a steady supply of rolled barley is Wakes feed in Willow Springs. I always call ahead and be sure they have what I need bagged. I usually buy two tons at a time. Sometimes more.

[yarrow]

Hmmm... sounds like I might be needing to start making runs to Willow Springs!!!
susie

[cjb]

what's a cleanup buck?

[ozark_jewels]

Originally Posted by cjb

what's a cleanup buck?

A cleanup buck is a buck that is run with the herd after all the handbreeding is done, to catch any doe that *might* come back in heat. This is to guarentee you don't miss a heat and end up with a dry doe all year.

I keep my bucks separate and handbreed everyone to the buck of my choice, but after all thats done, I pick a buck and let him run with the herd until the does are close to kidding. Had three does out of 100 that needed to be caught by the cleanup buck this year.

[holleegee]

How much did your electric bill increase from the electric fence? We have the chance to "rent" the neighbors 10 acre pasture but it isn't fenced, I think electric will be the way to go.