Cattle Panels vs. Electric Fence

[V-NH]

Hello everyone,

I am finalizing my goat area. My wife and I bought three goats today that we're picking up in two weeks. I am still torn between using cattle panels or 4-5 strands of electric fencing. What are some of your opinions on the matter? I need to decide by Saturday, because that is when I am erecting the fence. Their housing is already taken care of.

Note that we have one neighbor right next door. We need to build something that they are extremely unlikely to get out of. I'm willing to put Fort Knox levels of effort in if necessary.

[dizzy]

A lot depends on the size of the goats, whether or not you're going to raise young, and whether or not they're polled.

Unless you're going to have 1 strand of electric almost touching the ground, some goats will just go under it. But, if you have it too close to the ground, then you constantly have to be checking to be sure there's nothing causing it to short out. Plus, unless you use a solar charger, if your electric goes out, so can your goats.

W/the cattle panel, if your goats have horns, they can and will stick their head thru the openings. If they're polled, it's not a problem. But, if they have horns, they can get their heads stuck. And, they'll fight you when you tried to get them loose. Plus, if you raise them, the kids of some breeds are actually small enough to fit thru the openings.

Best thing to do is to build your fence, then pour water in the enclosure. If it will hold the water, it will hold the goat.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Strands of electric fence NEVER worked for me in all the years I've had goats. I have used electric NET fence successfully with a HIGH POWERED charger.
Solar powers do not pack enough punch for goats.

If your new goats aren't trained to electric, they are going to blow right through electric strands, especially if they get startled, which is likely in a new home.

I vote for cattle panels with T posts every eight feet. I use those on the buck pens.

[V-NH]

They are trained on electric, but I think I will go with cattle panels. I just don't want my neighbors to come home with goats on their porch :P

PS: I put pictures in my "crossbred goats" thread.

[punchiepal]

You could also go with what our Tractor Supply calls "utility panels" as they are 4*4 openings. Only the babes can get their heads in them.

[Alice In TX/MO]

It's ok to say here that you are buying a truck so you can get goats. We are very understanding about motivation.

[motdaugrnds]

I can tell you what worked best for my large Nubians and why.....

We used regular "woven" field fencing, starting it 6 inches from the ground and stabilizing it every 4-5 ft around the entire parameter. (Goats are notorious for wanting to stand on fencing to reach across and get whatever they can; however, my large Nubians have never tried to jump this. Periodically one of our growing kids would get their "horns" caught, but it was quite rare.)

It is the INTERNAL fencing we had the most problems with in that we have always kept a buck and, at times, we have housed him in a different area from the does (with his own separate grazing pen). This is where I learned what to do and not to do with cow panels. The cow panels are nice but are "welded"; and a large goat standing on it will eventually break it apart. This taught us to place a few 2x6 boards about 2 ft up the fencing posts and again 3-4 ft up as it gives the goats something to stand on and, also, keeps them from rubbing their sides against it.

Another trick we have learned is to add some "welded" 2 x 4" holes wire to the existing woven wire at various places to keep the goats from sticking their heads thru. Example: We have an asparagus patch as well as a blueberry patch the goats would enjoy; so we simply added some of this welded wire to the "inside" of that field fencing in those areas to deter any nosy heads.

If money is no deterrent to your "parameter" fencing, I would suggest you add a second row of fencing about 4 ft from the first and plant some Lespedeza "shrubs" in between...to keep the goats from killing them. They are healthy for goats and will throw their seeds all over the pasture each year. Also, if you mow them down to about 6 inches from the ground the "fifth" year, they will come up from the roots and give you an impenatrable hedge between you and your neighbors. (I have one neighbor; and if I had the money, that is exactly what I'ld do. I planted some of those shrubs in the back and in the buck pen and they survive bad weather, throwing new browse material out every year.)

[V-NH]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

It's ok to say here that you are buying a truck so you can get goats. We are very understanding about motivation.

It's bad enough that I bought a truck. I also put $1,100 into it to get it to be inspectable!

[CarolynRenee]

We use cattle panels, and although they are more expensive than electric wires, the goats can't get out. There are goats that will go right through an electric fence. The cattle panels, however, will NOT contain kid goats. When we used electric fence, we used five strands AND trained them on a CONSTANT charger, not the Pulse charger (yes, I kjnow it can be dangerous). The pulse chargers didn't deter them enough, but once they knew they were going to be knocked on their butts from the constant charged fence, we switched to the pulse.

[Wendy]

I fenced in about 2 acres with cattle panels. It was expensive, but the goats can't go through it. For the kid pen & just got a roll of 1"x2" wire that was 2' tall & attached it around the bottom of the kid pen fence. People made fun of me for spending so much on my fence, but it was worth it. I used wooden posts every 16' with a metal t-post in the middle of them. If something happens, I can just replace one panel without having to restretch the entire fence.

[LFRJ]

Cattle panels will likely outlast the goats.
Cattle panels still work if there's a power outage.
Cattle panels can holdup against small limbs falling on them.
Cattle panels add value to your property or can be sold nearly at cost.

We've never lost a goat through our cattle panels. (our neighbors with electric had escapees all the time - ate the neighbors rose bush, the siding on their house, the canvas on the rag top BMW)....they quickly became unpopular neighbors.

The kids seemed to prefer to stay with their dams. Sometimes they'd hop out, but they'd hop back in just as quickly.
We do have one goat who routinely got her head stuck, but we found a solution that keeps her from sticking her head through and problem solved.

I've never dealt with electric fencing, and never hope to. I also never have to worry at night or when I'm at work, that the power is out and I have no fence. To each his own, but we've been very happy with panels.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Lespedeza is considered a noxious weed in some states. Check with your extension agent. It is invasive and can ruin a hay field.
http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwat...icleID=5134160