goats escaping :(

miraclethaw · #1 08/01/14, 05:46 PM

Hi, y'all. This is my first post here. I'll make an introduction post soon but right now I need some advice.

I have two nubian does who were born in very early spring this year. They're absolutely beautiful and normally very good, sweet goats. I even just went away for a week and my partner took care of them with no problems, no escaping, no fence jumping, no head butting for grain. However, sometimes they jump over the fence. Our fencing is premier1 electronet. I think it's 36 inches high. The farmer I bought the goats from has kept goats this age (these goats' mothers!) penned in it no problem. Voltage is not an issue. They can simply jump right over it. This only seems to be a problem after I've been spending time with them and it's not enough, they want more attention, so I leave the fence and they jump right over. I used to walk them on leads (or even without leads sometimes, just around the property, they've never ran far, whenever a loud noise happens, they come to me to protect them) and every time it was time to go back in the pen, they were having none of that. I think letting them go without leads was perhaps a mistake and trained them to think this behavior was okay. I used to think it was because they wanted tastier things outside the fence, but it just rained and the grass is really lush and they're on a new section.

Our set up is that they have a shed to go in and I move the fence leading out of it to various parts of the yard, trying to rotate it. I know this isn't the best set up.It's meant to be temporary up until we have money for permanent fencing and know where we want everything on our land to be. I wanted to buy goats this year because my favorite farmer is retiring and this stock is the stock I fell in love with. The doe I had been planning on buying passed away, and I wanted does related to her. Also, the farmer I bought them from is who I learned to farm from and is very reliable (CAE/CL testing, very attentive, organic grain and hay, on top of parasites, etc). Getting goats this year was somewhat of an emotional decision, but I like to think that besides having a fence they can jump over, I am managing all right taking care of them. They have access to nice hay all the time, gmo-free grain, free choice minerals, and they get lots treats like pine branches and grape vines, and a lot of brushing and attention. I'm very scared of not being a good goat owner. I love my goats and want them to have good happy lives.

So, anyway, I'm frustrated. If I buy more feet of fencing, will it help them calm down, with more space to roam? We currently have about 200 feet that I move frequently so they have fresh pasture. I want to get another 164 feet when I can. I also need to get more posts to prevent the fence from sagging at all, but they can still get over it. They are actually terrified of pavement because they associate it with big loud scary cars and whenever they escape, they go straight to the front door to come get me, or to where I am on the land working, so I'm less worried about them getting hurt than I am about them destroying things. I am also hoping once I breed them, they calm down and stop jumping over. What can I do? Is there a way to punish a goat?

Money's tight right now because our main source of income comes from teaching and it's the summer, so no paychecks coming in. Within a month, I hope to have more fencing. I'll make an introductory post, but basically, I'm 22 living on ten acres in SC with my very best friend (partner) trying to homestead and eventually move off the grid. A lot of our land is wooded, but a good acre is clear. I'm new to having my own goats, please be gentle with me.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 08/01/14, 07:17 PM

It's too short. I've used various height of electric net, and you need a taller one. They make a 42 inch fence.

I will warn you that after a goat learns to jump a fence, you're going to have a problem. I had a Nubian that would clear just about everything short of six feet. She didn't stay here long.

You could try longer posts and hot wire strands above the electric net. Premier1 carries a 68 inch post.

CAjerseychick · #3 08/01/14, 07:22 PM

Yes its too short. If I come up with cheap alternatives I will post them. (when we had a dwarf the fencing that contained the standards couldnt contain him either, but mostly he stayed with them, he was skittish and shy and only came out of the fencing for grain- like when we needed to vet him)...

Piper_Scout · #4 08/01/14, 07:31 PM

Fencing goats is really hard, especially when they're young. When we first got our Pygmies, they were <1 year old, and Mr.Max pretty much immediately figured out he could get over their 5 ft. high fence by standing on top of their Dogloo and using some sort of jump/ricochet/climbing maneuver against a tree. At least he's mellowed out with age, or else I might have gone crazy! lol You're definitely not a bad goat owner if you're having problems keeping them in.

The fence is probably too short. 4 ft should work though. I would suggest getting some welded wire cattle/hog/goat panels. They cost about 20 bucks for a 16 ft. panel (4 ft high). Get some bolt cutters and cut them in half and they're pretty easy for one person to manage. $250 would get you 200 ft of fence that you could move around as needed, but even if you don't need them for goats anymore, they're always useful. If you don't need them for goats you could cover them in plastic and have a hoophouse.

Having more space will probably help, but if they know they can get out, they'll keep doing it. When we moved here it was too cold to put up cattle panels so the half of the fence was just pipe fencing they could slip under. They had two acres so they didn't figure out they could get through until spring, but then there was no keeping them in. I think it took them so long to figure it out because the unfinished part was the side farthest from the house. Maybe if you got enough electric and cattle panels, you could set up a permanent pen where the cattle panels are on the side closest to the house and barn, and electric on the rest, but they might keep jumping the electric since they know they can now.

Good luck!

miraclethaw · #5 08/01/14, 10:53 PM

Thanks for the advice! I'll work on getting something taller soon. I wish I had known before purchasing this fencing, but it's worked in all previous experience I've had with it. I definitely don't want the goats to be such a hassle I want to get rid of them. Do you think they'll calm down once bred?

Alice In TX/MO · #6 08/02/14, 07:01 AM

Goats will do what they want.

We'd just be guessing.

Squeaky McMurdo · #7 08/02/14, 10:55 AM

My adults will stay in 3ft fence. Kids....not so much

gila_dog · #8 08/02/14, 12:39 PM

Tho expensive, livestock panels are fairly easy to put up and make a goat proof fence. There are threads on this forum that go into the details. One thing to add to your list of worries is that if your fence won't contain goats it won't keep dogs out either. And dogs are the #1 goat predator. Livestock panels will make a dog proof fence too.

miraclethaw · #9 08/02/14, 03:07 PM

True. My goats are currently only about 5 months old themselves.

We have some livestock panels. We used it to build their pen in the barn and an alley way leading out of barn and to build a round bale feeder sort of deal. We're going to slowly buy more as we can. However, our current set up is meant to be temporary (3-5 years) until we get our house built and more of the land actually cleared, so we're trying to avoid installing permanent fencing right now.

I'm not sure that dogs could easily jump OVER the fence as goats can, and it's got about 4000 volts going through it, which seems to be a decent deterrent. We have dogs who scare off other dogs, but I would like to eventually get a livestock guardian dog.

Pony · #10 08/02/14, 05:06 PM

We use 4' woven wire. It's always worked, with the exception of one buck who is no longer with us. He was in rut, he was determined, he cleared 6' of fence like a gazelle. (Scared me half to death!)

I don't think you can "punish" (I assume you meant "discipline") them by say, oh, scolding or withdrawing privileges. BUT they are creatures of habit, and will respond to positive reinforcement.

Once you get them fenced into an area that includes lots of trees to climb and browse, they'll probably settle down. I don't know whether it's pregnancy or age/maturity, but the girls do tend to mellow out. I raise Nubians, too.

Good luck with your wonderful caprine cuties!

p.s. We wouldn't be hard on you. We've all had our learning experiences and growth opportunities with goats!

miraclethaw · #11 08/02/14, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pony

We use 4' woven wire. It's always worked, with the exception of one buck who is no longer with us. He was in rut, he was determined, he cleared 6' of fence like a gazelle. (Scared me half to death!)

I don't think you can "punish" (I assume you meant "discipline") them by say, oh, scolding or withdrawing privileges. BUT they are creatures of habit, and will respond to positive reinforcement.

Once you get them fenced into an area that includes lots of trees to climb and browse, they'll probably settle down. I don't know whether it's pregnancy or age/maturity, but the girls do tend to mellow out. I raise Nubians, too.

Good luck with your wonderful caprine cuties!

p.s. We wouldn't be hard on you. We've all had our learning experiences and growth opportunities with goats!

Thanks so much! I did mean discipline. I wish I had trained them better when they were younger. I would take them in and out by turning the fence off and lifting them over it, since we didn't have a decent gate. Now they just have no respect for it.

I was outside today, and it's always evening that they do this, and they just jumped over the fence constantly without me even giving them any attention. I went to check the mail and walked back to find them on the porch destroying everything. I'm locking them in the pen now every time I'm outside which is frustrating for all of us, but I need to be able to work in the garden and take care of other animals without goats running around.

I'm going to call premier1 on Monday and see if I could possibly exchange the too short fencing for some sort of discount on taller fencing. I can't live like this with them. It ends in me near tears every day because I can't keep them in and I spend like an hour chasing them around.

I'm not keeping bucks and I probably won't be for a number of years! I know I can't handle them yet.

Pony · #12 08/02/14, 05:43 PM

You hang in there.

Keep us posted!

PNP Katahdins · #13 08/02/14, 06:50 PM

The Premier people are known mostly for their sheep but they also have goats, poultry, and horses. When you call, ask for their goat fencing specialist.

Peg

Squeaky McMurdo · #14 08/03/14, 12:53 AM

Rudy, my 8 month old mini Nubian buck is surprisingly the one of mine that is the most respectful of fences. He'll stay behind a 2ft puppy corral and even two ropes strung at his shoulder level and just above the ground. This will probably change when he goes into rut and/or gets older with higher testosterone levels, but it's nice for now when I want to let him browse the front yard or a friend's yard. He hasn't even got into my garden despite a plastic rabbit fence. *giggle*

Alice In TX/MO · #15 08/03/14, 08:00 AM

Now you've done it.

He'll be out tomorrow.

miraclethaw · #16 08/04/14, 07:11 PM

Well the goats will now climb over livestock panels when locked in their pen. I'm alternating between locking them in and letting them out for short periods.

We're buying posts and wire to make the fence taller ASAP.

Alice In TX/MO · #17 08/04/14, 07:44 PM

We've all been at that level of frustration.

I fear that when you lifted them OVER the fence when they were younger, they learned that is what you do with fences. They are incredibly clever.

miraclethaw · #18 08/04/14, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

We've all been at that level of frustration.

I fear that when you lifted them OVER the fence when they were younger, they learned that is what you do with fences. They are incredibly clever.

Yeah, I agree with that. I will know to never do that with a goat again.

CAjerseychick · #19 08/05/14, 12:03 PM

yeah, def been there , sorry...

someone posted awhile back,
that if you dont have enough mischief in your life (its some old country sayin) ...
Get a Goat!

hang in there, ours were driving us nuts til our septic guy did us a real fence (woven wire, posts, 5 ft high, with a special wire tightener and all) it was expensive but worth it....now all is peaceful on the homestead
(well now we have a fox but thats another thread entirely)...
on goat level anyways

MDKatie · #20 08/05/14, 12:56 PM

I use the 35" Premier net and (knock on wood) have only had 1 goat kid ever jump over it. My does are very well behaved, but they are Oberhaslis which are known to be pretty calm. The buck kid that kept jumping out just never touched it, so he didn't realize it was hot I guess. I haltered him and stood on the outside of the fence, then pulled him forward until his nose hit the fence. He got shocked the one time, and never got out again.