Goats and water

forphase1 · #1 12/20/12, 07:54 AM

Got a quick goat question. I've read that goats are not big fans of water and will stay out of it whenever possible. I question this a bit as I've seen the idiots standing out in the rain when they've got a perfectly dry stable to hang out in, but whatever. :-) The question is, can you use a body of water (in this case a pond) as a 'side' of your fencing, and the goats will not cross it. More details below.

I've got a small farm (15 acres) and am slowly getting it fenced in. This is being done as money and time allow. In the middle of the property is a small pond (about 3/4 of an acre or so. As I'm building my fence and expanding my goat pasture boundaries, can I simply use the pond as a part of my fence? I envision building the actual fence a couple of feet into the pond itself and then picking it back up on the other side of the pond, again extending a few feet into the pond. Would this set up work, or would the goats get into the pond and walk/swim around the edge of the fencing? Thoughts and advice appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. If it matters I currently have Nubians and Fainting goats. Thanks.

Backfourty,MI. · #2 12/20/12, 08:28 AM

Depends on how deep the pond is I guess & how bad they want on the other side.

We too have a pond about the size of yours & ours is very deep. We don't have it fenced but the goats go all around it but never even down to the water's edge. They will nibble grasses & such around the grassy top but I've never seen them stand in the water even a little bit here.

I would say your goats won't go in the pond but as sure as I say that they will prove me wrong & do it anyways.

Rockytopsis · #3 12/20/12, 09:22 AM

I have talked to folks whose goats do go in water and don't seem to mind it at all. My goats eat in the rain but avoid my pond at all cost. I have even seen vidos of goats swimmig with their owners.
Check this out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28140224@N06/2674171434/
and then there is the surfing goat.

Nancy

April · #4 12/20/12, 09:22 AM

I don't think my girls would go into a pond no matter what, but who can say for sure. Then again, I found this photo on the internet:
Goats and water - Goats

Minelson · #5 12/20/12, 09:39 AM

Wow April that pic is insane. My goats think that any precipitation is shards of burning glass.

thaiblue12 · #6 12/20/12, 10:11 AM

Some of mine when it is drizzling will stay out in it. Now if it starts to actually rain, they run for the barn since we all know goats melt in the rain!

We have a canal that runs along the West side of my property it is not deeper then 5 feet when it is really full and sometimes as low as a foot or so and my goats will not go near it. Once the water stops they will go in and around it clearing out the grass and weeds but if there is water in it forget it.

But they are goats and who knows you may get a weirdo who likes water

FunnyRiverFarm · #7 12/20/12, 10:33 AM

I know it would work for all of my goats...they won't even step in a puddle and won't cross any body of water unless they can jump over it.

where I want to · #8 12/20/12, 12:55 PM

It's all a matter of the goat's judgement. If there is something they want that is out in the rain, like food, they go out in the rain. If there is something they find scary in the shelter, they go out in the rain. If their little tummies are full, they come in out of the rain. They can also be totally influenced by the idea that one of the herd has something good that they don't. For instance, if one of the herd crosses the pond and looks to be eating something tasty on the other side, then the rest might decide that the water is not as scary as they thought and head on over. But I can absolutely guarantee that, once over, the pond will definitely be too scary for you to drive them back home.

Shayanna · #9 12/20/12, 02:11 PM

how true! when our particularly naughty goat that we no longer have would escape and walk around the marshy edge of the pond, everybody else would follow (and they could never seem to find their way back in--they wouldnt dare brave the marshy bits again!) . now that she is gone, no more escape artists.

forphase1 · #10 12/26/13, 10:19 AM

First, sorry for the bump of an old thread, but I'd like some more opinions. Thanks a ton for the ones I've already got. :-)

This past year I increased my goat pasture by a couple acres, but didn't enclose or use the pond. This year I'll have to deal with the pond. I'd REALLY like to use it as a barrier as that'd make the job much quicker, easier and cheaper, but certainly don't want the goats getting out. Mine seem to avoid puddles and the like, but those things are never a barrier either as they can jump them or go around them. If anyone else has any more thoughts or experience I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

wintrrwolf · #11 12/26/13, 11:11 AM

There is always an exception to the rule.
When it starts to rain here all my goats run for shelter, I do have 1 that if it is a slight drizzle she will stay out and nibble.
My friends that raised Kiko's have a pretty decent sized pond on one section it was fenced up to pond the goats did not escape but their LGD would, constantly. Now when we had the drought he had goats getting out and he had to move the fencing down to water. But of all 50 some goats not one was a swimmer....

Farmer Jayne · #12 12/26/13, 12:45 PM

I have Nubians and live on a lake. I wish now that I had gotten pictures, but last summer they all decided that the lake grasses were delicious. They would all wade up to their stomachs or go through the mud to get to them. We ran an electric fence across the water to keep them in. It worked. You do not want to touch an electric fence when you are standing hip deep. The good thing about it is that it kept our waterfront nicely trimmed.

Rockytopsis · #13 12/26/13, 04:43 PM

Your goats might not go in the water and get out but there is always the chance that something could cross the water and get you goats.
Nancy

Frosted Mini's · #14 12/26/13, 04:50 PM

I use a creek for one side of the fencing for one of the paddocks of my pasture. Nobody crosses it. I even had a calf in there that didn't cross it. You could try it, and see if it works. I would NOT use it as any kind of barrier between does and bucks, that's just asking for trouble...or anything they want to get to badly.

CarolynRenee · #15 12/26/13, 08:30 PM

My goats despise sky moisture, be it rain, sleet, snow or ice pellets. If there is a puddle, they will not walk in it. Occasionally a puddle will form right in front of the barn and they will jump over it....and it's a big jump. I couldn't coax them out in the rain or through a puddle with a tractor trailer full of grain.

LFRJ · #16 12/26/13, 09:11 PM

Am seconding RockyTopsis, who beat me to it. Might hold the goats in, but won't keep the coyotes and big cats out.

K Epp · #17 12/26/13, 09:53 PM

Mine ate jumping a muddy area out side the barn and run for cover at the first drop to fall, but some how manage to get out where the creek flooded and washed the fence out. I have fixed fence up to waterline. I picture them swinging like Tarzan over the creek. I agree I would worry about what can get in with them more than them getting out.

forphase1 · #18 04/21/14, 12:20 PM

Just an update, so far so good. I've not got my new area completely fenced in yet, but I've been letting the goats out in the new area in the evening. On the one side where I do have the fence extended into the water, the goats refuse to cross into the pond. I've even tempted them with food to see if I could get them to cross, but they refused. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to keep it this way, but I'm feeling pretty good about the effectiveness of water to keep my goats in the area.

wolffeathers · #19 04/21/14, 03:05 PM

Fence the pond when you get a chance.

We used a pond as a fence-line for about a year without any escapees. We just ran the fencing down into the water, deep enough we figured the goats would never dare venture that far into the water to go around it.

The goats never did.

A couple loose dogs, however, did easily swim down into the pond, around the fence, and right into the farmyard. They killed a trio of American Buff geese and the goats ran for the barn. Luckily, the dogs were preoccupied with killing the geese and never noticed the herd of Nubians booking it for the barn.

We won't fence that way again, if it's at all avoidable.

forphase1 · #20 04/21/14, 03:20 PM

The entire pond will be eventually fenced in as I continue to expand my pastures. This is a somewhat temporary fix, and a way for me to gain some acreage quicker (and cheaper) than if I had to run the entire line. I am concerned about predators, of course, and am sorry to hear about the losses you sustained in a similar situation. I really appreciate the advice...will have to get that gap in my defenses fixed too. Thanks again!