Goat fencing for the poor...

[dlangland]

I have read everything here on goats, but what I would definiteyl apprechiate advice on, is goat fencing. I have lived in town now for 3 1/2 yrs. but am once again moving to the country. On my last acreage, I inherited, as I have once again, 3 strand barbed wire. I tried numerous things last time around, even cattle panels I bought at a neighborhood auction. Good and bad to that. The only goat we had a problm with was our Alpine. Is that a breed thing? no mwtter how high I fenced, she'd throw her head down at an angle, put her legs out just so and she knew just where to position herself as she would run and jump any fence. I never had a problem with our Nubian goat, although she wa much taller and long-legged. I thought it was just her, but I have since read they are just a more passive breed. Then, with the cattle panels, the little bugger Alpine two times got her head caught int he rungs of the panels and I had to use a bolt cutter to free her, so I reinforced the fence with chicken wire. Yes. Everyone around her I have asked says it's a worthless cuse, just give up on goats, but I need something to put in back-40 to keep it eaten down. My new place is on the edge of a very small town which has a mow every 2 wks. ordinance unless I put out some animals so my back -40 stays classified as a pasture rather than yard. Although I intend to turn a large part of the pasture over for market gardening, I would appreciate any and all advice. Thank you. Deb

[sancraft]

There is an old saying that the only fence that will keep a goat in is one with a top on it. I have Nubian crosses and they got out of every fence we put up. I will be moving to our new land as soon as the rain stops long enough for them to deliver our cabin, so I to am interested in the answers you receive to this post.

[dlangland]

I honestly don't why I am so determined to have goats again, possibly because it's one of the only types of animals I can vet myself in confidence, and doesn't cost a fortune to feed in the winter since I am not a true farmer.

[Kasidy]

We have raised many types of livestock:horses, cattle, sheep, goats. And have rarely had problems with animals getting out. Our animals always have plenty of feed--pasture or hay. The fences are regularly inspected and maintained. And we get rid of any persistant offenders.
Of course, goats can be by their nature a special case. I make sure the fence I keep them in is very good quality from the time they are young, so it does not readily occur to them that a fence is something to be treated with scorn! I rotate the sheep and does a bit since the does do not eat the pasture grass down very well and the sheep do. Both species stay in just fine. Two pastures have five wire electric fence. One pasture has foot high horse fence on two sides and three foot field fence topped by three closely and tightly strung strands of barbed wire on the other sides. In the winter when the pasture is dormant and I dry-lot the animals, the goats are in a pen made of four foot welded wire cattle panels with old planks on the top and also shoulder high (since the goats like to rub along the fence. )
The only time I had a goat out (other than my niece not shutting the gate) was when I had a feeder next to the buck's fence and he jumped on top of it and then over the top of the fence! I moved the feeder and he stayed in just fine. I have had Nubians, Alpines, Saanens, Toggs and crosses of all of these over the years. And Suffolk sheep which are supposedly "hell on fences." With no problems.
Start out with young stock so you are not buying someone else's problem. And be sure whatever type of fence you put up that you build it carefully, from good materials, stretched tight if wire, with no holes anywhere and you should not have a problem.
I have gotten a bit nasty in my old age about goat stories. I don't know why if someone hears I have goats they seem to feel entitled to start telling me how horrible certain goats they have known in the past behaved. I got sick of listening to these sorts of tales and now I just stop them before they start and ask "Is this going to be a story about someone who was too lazy, stupid or incompetent to build a proper fence?" And I very seldom have to listen to the rest of their story!!

[gccrook]

I have used cattle panels with great success. I have mostly Nubians, and they are fairly passive. I have 2 Alpines that seem to want to jump more so than the nubians. A nice breed such as nubians or boers would probably stay in cattle panels just fine. For temporary, movable paddocks, we use electric netting from kencove.com. Works pretty good so far.

[dlangland]

See that's my thought. The only goat we ever had a problem with when I last used cattle panels was our Alpine. That's what I am hoping, if I can just stay with the right breed. Oh, she was a joy, it wasn't that. I was just afraid she would get hurt. It would be nice to use the panels, because until I get my garden worked up, they are easy enough to move.

[okgoatgal2]

since you have 3 strand barbed wire, is it in good shape? if so, start about 6 inches from the ground, run electric wire. between the barbed, run electric. at the top, run another electric. get young goats, teach them the fence bites, and they should stay in.

that said, if you can afford field fence, put it up, and run a strand of electric about goat knee height to keep them off of it.

[creeklady2000]

pallets work great and they are ussually free Ihave used them for goats horses pigs sheep they are great and portable

[dlangland]

You are so very terrific. I thought of that. I had to have a farmer mow my pasture last weekend to comply with the yard vs. pasture ordinance. I thought I don't want to make any waves right off the start in my new locale. I am actually happy I did. I know the goats we had in the past never favored the already existing tall stuff, and even though he couldn't get very close to the fence line it will make it easier once we start fencing. You are all so terrific. I am not poor aside from the fact of trying to pay utilities and all this gas for traveling back and forth. But no one has addressed my original question. electric fencing, although I would rather not go there...how much would that raise my electric bill? I know it's revelant to a person's area, but I just mean, a little, a lot??? Thanks for your help.

[Marcia]

I've had Am. alpines for many years and have no problem keeping the does confined with two strands of electric tape (bucks are a different subject!). As a previous post mentioned..."start with young stock and don't buy someone else's problem"!! Goats are very smart, quick learners and most definitely don't enjoy getting shocked :-)! Keep them happy and make sure that the grass is not greener on the other side and you'll have no problems. BTW...electric fencing is not expensive at all. Good luck!!

[cowpatty]

Electric fencing is what we have to contain our cattle as well as our goats. We've never had a problem (knocking on wood now ) with either group getting out of the fencing. We did have to attach a strip of wood to the bottom of several of our gates to keep the goats from coming under the gates when they were smaller.

As far as the cost of electricity for the fence, it's very nominal. We have a barn with lots of lights, refrigerator, microwave, radio and various other electrical tools used frequently, along with 40 acres of 5 strand electric fencing (top 4 strands are hot), as well as 3 permanent cross fences with 3 strand hot wires.

Our largest electric bill to date has been $12 and some change. Most of the time it's around $9 a month.

If we ever do have a problem with a goat or a cow that won't stay in the electric fence, then we will remove that animal from our herd and get another one. So far, we have 9 assorted breed and aged goats.

Hope this helps...

[Kazahleenah]

When I had my farm we had cattle. goats and buffalo. only the goats kept escaping, so.... I placed them in with the buffalo and whattya know???? they NEVER escaped after that!!!! Try electric fence!!!!

Kaza

[LittleJohn]

I have three strands of electic fence that is little more than knee high and the only time I have trouble is if they get hungry some of the smaller ones will run through it. But than I have Nubians

[lgslgs]

Ours stay inside the electric fence (7 strand high tensile, 3 of them hot). The fact that they have plenty of everything they need or want inside the fence sure helps.

Of course, that doesn't stop Sandy from inspecting and puzzling over the gate latch. You can see her wheels turning as she tries to figure out how to work the latch so she can come up on the porch and hang out with us. She's most interested in the latch when she's PMSing and is extra clingy, but giving her extra brushing and attention usually settles her down.

Sandy's been teaching her young wether pal Buster about gate latches, and has him working on cracking the puzzle as well. The other 6 are content to leave Buster and Sandy to all of the technical stuff.

We've got a great set-up here. The goats have access to 15 fenced acres during daylight hours. At night, they go in the 1 acre secure pen, located inside the fenced 15 like the hole in the middle of the donut. (Double fencing to prevent escapes, and the dogs can patrol the entire donut section.) The fence for the 15 acres comes right up to within a foot of the back porch - close enough for us all to enjoy each other's company, but not so close that anyone can nibble on the house. The section of fence by the porch is 3 board with welded wire, and then it goes to the 7 strand as it leaves the immediate back yard.

I just love having things set up so everyone can be so close to the house. We can sit at the kitchen table and the goats are only about 9 feet away. They watch what we're doing in the house as much as we look out and se them. Every trip to the garden (fenced OUT of goat land) or the garage gives us social time with goats and calf. Gives then all another reason to be content staying inside their fence.

Lynda

[b3hummers]

I am also in the same situation as Deb. How to keep the little critters in? I have 2 pygmy does. One is almost 6 months old , we have had her since she was a day old. The other one is probably 3 months old. We have only had her for about 2 weeks. The problem is Baylee stays in the fence (Our first goat), but Buckiee escapes, not exactly sure how. I'm thinking over the top. Our fence was here when we moved here. It is a red wire top fence with large square openings, smaller at the bottom, larger at the top. It stands 3 feet high. Along with that it also has 1" opening chicken wire around it which also stands 3' high. Above that there is 1 strand of barbed wire about 6" above the top of the other fence. This would not be a problem, but Buckiee took off on us the first day we had her, so she NEEDS to be penned up. She is at the point that when she does get out she stands next to the fence by Baylee. I don't think she will take off anymore, but I don't want to take any chances. Any comments and ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Melissa

[Jen H]

My electric fencing raises my bill by $5 a month. That's nothing compared to the electric costs for the well pump and shop.

I swear by the electric fencing. Wet the goats down and either bait the fence with peanut butter on some foil or physically touch their noses to it (that means you get shocked too, so be prepared for it). It only takes one time for them to figure out the fence is scary. Also, make sure your gate latches require at least 2 motions to open or you'll find them getting out that way.

My goats won't leave the property. They just run straight for the apple orchard.

[bill not in oh]

Hi Deb
Don't give up!! LOL
[generic statement 1] Goats are the single hardest species of livestock to fence in.
[generic statement 2] The first step in fencing them in is to be sure that you minimize their MOTIVATION to escape - plenty of good pasture, browse, water, space and company.

That being said, goats are very smart and pretty curious beasts so fences are usually necessary to keep them from roaming. The posts in this thread all have good clues about keeping goats in - glean the ones that are best for your situation and budget and use them.

My personal opinion FWIW is that five to seven strand high tensile electric fence is the best barrier for livestock and predator control. It's the least expensive fence to install (except possibly free pallets) and one of the easiest to maintain. The key is to understand how and why it works and to do it right the first time. My perimeter fence for the most part is 5 strand with a hot wire at the bottom (8" from the ground) strung tight enough to keep a goat from going under without getting whacked several times. Second wire (8" above #1) is a ground wire originating very close to the system ground. Third is hot (8" above #2). These three wires (attached to the right charger) will keep pretty much any animal from trying to escape under the wires. Any attempt will be met with a FULLY grounded zap that is quite unpleasant - I know from personal experience (regularly). The fourth wire again is a ground (10" above #3) the fifth a hot wire 8-10 " above #4. The combination of 2-5 discourages climbers.

The main thing to understand about electric fencing is that it is a psychological barrier, not a physical one. The animals have to learn (preferably from a very early age) that the fence represents an unpleasant experience. Then it will work. I contain pigs with electric (2 strands, both hot). Once they get popped on their snout 2-3 times as piglets they aquire a great deal of respect for the fence for the rest of their lives. When moving them from one paddock to another, I usually have to withhold their feed for a day to get them to cross where the fence USED to be LOL.

There's a really good [IMO} book written in mostly non-technical language that is a great reference for someone making decisions about fencing - Fences for Pasture and Garden by Gail Damerow (available at public libraries)

Hope this helps - good luck

Bill

[lgslgs]

On our seven strand fence, 2, 4, and 6 are hot. Strand 1 is cold, and it's purpose is to make it very hard to easily duck under hot wire two without touching it.

Strand 7 is cold. Our fence goes up and down over steep slopes, and if we wanted to make sure that if we trip the odds are fairly good that we don't grab a hot wire. Hot strand 6 is close enough to 7 that a goat will hit it if they try to stand up on the fence - but nobody's tried much of anything after the first nose zap.

We chose 7 because we have a big feral dog problem in the area. So far we've kept all but really small joyriding puppies out - and the goats or our dogs will send them packing.

Lynda

[DayBird]

Does anyone use an electric fence that isn't high tensile?

[Ellie5]

Creeklady1000-There's a farm the next town over from me who uses wooden pallets for their pasture fencing. It looks really nice; rustic looking. Who would've thought?