Planning ahead for fencing/pasture management

TroutRiver · #1 02/15/11, 01:25 PM

Sorry this is going to be a long post, I’ll try not to make it too long. I’m looking for some advice/help brainstorming from some of you more experienced folks.

I am starting to think ahead about my plans for this spring/summer and how I will be grazing my goats. I have 3 dairy does and later in the summer will most likely be grazing most of their kids too (kids are due in late May). So this is a very small/home scale operation. My partner will be away for the summer so I am trying to design a system that will be easy for me to manage/rotate by myself. We had some problems last year that I would like to solve before I start grazing the goats this year. Last year was our first year with the goats, so aside from a general knowledge of the theory of rotational grazing and pasture management (I am a college student studying sustainable ag) it was very much trial and error.

The main problem that I’m trying to solve is fencing. We used electric netting fencing last year. I know that some people have success with this, but we did not. The netting did not hold a charge, even when we tried a stronger charger. It grounded out in too many places because it was so close to the grass, and did not deliver a shock strong enough to keep the goats in. They also figured out that the bottom strand on the netting (the one that touches the ground) was not electrified, so they would lift up the bottom strand with their noses and go right under the fence without getting shocked. I cannot afford to put up a solid fence big enough to manage a rotational pasture, so I am thinking about using strands of hot tape instead of the netting. Anyone have experience with this? I have heard that 4 strands is reliable for keeping in goats, I’ve heard that they need 6, and I’ve heard that strands of fencing don’t work at all, only netting (which is unfortunate since the netting didn’t work for us). Any thoughts?

For those of you who use rotational grazing, could you give me an overview of your setup? Fencing, how often you move, general pasture management techniques that you use, etc?

Has anyone here experimented with following milking does with wethers and bucks on a pasture rotation (moving the does when the paddock is about half grazed, and letting the boys finish it)?

Minelson · #2 02/15/11, 04:29 PM

My goats free range for the most part. But I remembered seeing this on the Fias site. Maybe you will find it helpful

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/fencing.html

motdaugrnds · #3 02/15/11, 10:43 PM

Well, I am guessing the acreage you want to fence in is rather large; yet I'm wondering, since you only have 3 does (more with kids this year), why you need to fence in an area so large that would require electrical fencing? (Nothing wrong with electrical fencing and rotational grazing; just wondering why you need it with such a small herd.)

We have a small herd too (only 3 does and 2 bucks). The total size of our homestead is only 6 acres. We set up 2 grazing/browsing pastures (both about 2 acres each in size). We use one most of the time, cutting the other for stored hay (winter eats). Since our herd is small, we have not seen a need for rotational grazing as they simply cannot eat the grass down enough to harm the pastures. Plus, with the bushes & tree leaves they can get to, they have plenty of food all year around.

As for fencing, with our homestead being so small, we invested in enough woven field wire to completely run the parameter. This holds our goats in without any need for electrical wires.

I hope our experience helps you decide what might work on your place.

LFRJ · #4 02/16/11, 01:39 AM

We went with cattle panels for our four dairy goats. They will likely outlast our goats and many many generations beyond. They're expensive, - $32 per 16 foot panel, but they hold our goats with no problem (unlike our neighbors who are always fiddling with electrical wire and wandering out looking for their horses after each electrical outage). The panels are held into place with heavy gauge t-posts and are relatively easy to move around and reconfigure unlike field fencing, which is a more permanent fixture. I'm in my 40's and can drag one into place and hook them to t-posts with zip ties all by myself if I must.

We haven't had our goats long, but the panels have held our goats just fine with no escapes, AND held up to some tree limbs that fell across them during the numerous wind storms we get. This spring/summer we will be using the ten panels we have reserved to quadrant off smaller areas for our brush eaters to get moving on during the day. Should be ample area for four goats. In fact, we're hoping to move the little herd slowly along the perimeter of our property so they can eat down a path after which we can put up permanent field fencing. In time, we hope to have our entire property completely fenced in, and are hoping that our brush eaters, enclosed in the cattle panels, will do much of the clearing for us. That's the plan, anyway.

lilachill · #5 02/16/11, 06:46 AM

I have had luck with my electric netting. Perhaps a call to the company that made it might help with the grounding out issue.
We have also used cattle panels, clipped together at corners (Baling twime works in a pinch). Metal posts or convienient trees at the corners or sides, support the panels when my goats stand on the panels.
I used the net and panels around the outside of my grazing pastures and at the edge of the wooded areas. They loved the brouse and my fence lines look great. I pull around a little shelter for rainy days too.