Different kind of fencing question

[CritterLover]

I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around this one and could sure use some help. I have a small pen I use for quarantine for new goats and I have two new ones coming Saturday. I feel like the livestock panels that make the pen are too short for these girls and I want to make it taller. The problem is, my original idea of running two strands of smooth wire around the top may not work because the corners are simply T posts and we have sandy loam. If we try to pull the wire tight all we will accomplish is pulling the T posts over. I'm invisioning the nylon stuff that old lawn chairs were woven with to make the seat abd the back, more of a visual barrier than a physical one. I don't have time to electrify it (and don't really want to since we climb over it). Does anybody have a better idea or can you see what I see with the nylon webbing stuff?

Thanks!

[Scrounger]

I did the same thing for a temporary pen. I went ahead and used two strands of barbed wire on the top. You don't have to stretch it tight for it to work. Smooth wire will work also.

[Jim S.]

Hmmm...no wood corners posts? My goats would be over that in a jiffy.

You could do that, or your could get PVC pipe that will fit over the tops of the posts. Cut slots in the pipe, then use your nylon or whatever.

Alternately, you could just cut in half additional cattle panels and use wire or zip strips to attach them to the PVC extensions, making solid panel all the way up. That's 6 feet high, then.

[fishhead]

You can secure your corner posts by placing another post outside the corner and then fastening the top of the corner post to the base of the supporting post with wire. That will keep them from leaning inward.

[CritterLover]

Fishhead, I think after we get these 2 out of the pen, that's the plan. Its just with full time jobs and two days to do it with the days getting shorter, I needed a quick fix for the weekend. I hadn't thought about adding additional panels to the top though. I like that idea, too. I have Boers and none have proven to be escape artists. Hopefully these two new ones will be content to stay in, too. The 2 dairy mixes I have, that's a different story. Once little miss Lilly figured out she could go over, there was no keeping her in the pen and she went to the pasture early! My pasture fence is 5 feet and she doesn't even attempt to jump it.

[CritterLover]

Jim, luckily, the T-Posts are taller than the existing panels so I have room to add on height, just not sure what the best material to use. I worry about the wire looking crummy since we can't get it tight...

[Bearfootfarm]

I've added height to fences using masonry twine or "Intellitwine" temporary electrical fencing since as long as they SEE something there, they wont try to get out.
If they are climbing, it might not work, but if youre just worried about them jumping it then all you need is a visible barrier rather than a structural one

[CritterLover]

That's what I wasa thinking, too a visual barrier I figure if they see something up there, they won't try to jump it.

I went out at lunch to Walmart and got polypropylene webbing for redoing lawn chairs. Its 3 inches wide and blue and white. If nothing else, they'll see it, that's for sure! Its a shame they only sell it 30 feet at a time...

[Nancy_in_GA]

If your goats are anything like ours, I'm afraid they will just nibble and tug on the lawnchair webbing until it is in tatters. But maybe if they are busy nibbling and tugging they won't think about jumping over. I never can predict what goats will do

[gccrook]

I have used yellow nylon rope (3/8) and it seems to work just fine. They seem reluctant to jump when the fence looks higher, even though that rope would likely just pull down with them if they tried.

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by fishhead

You can secure your corner posts by placing another post outside the corner and then fastening the top of the corner post to the base of the supporting post with wire. That will keep them from leaning inward.

I used a battery drill once, and drove the support T-post at an angle, then drilled through them both and bolted them together. There are also those T-Lok brace brackets, but man those things are high for a cheapo like me. Anyway, that was on an electric cross-fence, and it held for like 10 years til I took it down.