Goat Fencing

[ihavechicks]

What is the best type of fencing to keep goats in. My husband is ok with us getting goats, but doesn't want to pay an arm and a leg for the fencing. Thanks!

 

[codieshell]

I have mine in a electric fence

 

[Bunnylady]

Mine would run right through an electric fence, if they wanted to badly enough. They climbed welded wire, mashing it down. What worked for me was welded wire to keep them in, and a hotwire to keep them off of the welded wire.

 

[cassie]

I once knew a goat who was pastured with a pony. She would nudge the pony over to the fence and when he was close enough she would jump on his back and vault over the fence. The fence also had a pulsating charger. Meaning it had a strong charge followed by a milder one. She would stand by the fence with her head cocked listening and when she knew it was the mild charge she would bolt through. I had one buck who would NEVER approach anything that even looked like an electric fence. One day he peed on his head like bucks do and then while he was standing in a mud puddle touched the fence with his broad wet nose. The charge knocked him off his feet. It's a wonder it didn't kill him but that was the first and last time he touched that fence.

 

[res]

I use electric mesh fencing for my Boers. 100% success rate - never an escapee, even when the buck is on one side and does in heat on the other. You can sometimes find Powerfields brand on Amazon for $85 per 165' and you can ALWAYS find it at Premier1Supplies and FarmTek, but their prices usually run closer to $1 per foot. It comes with posts already set in the mesh, you just walk along and push them in. Premier1Supplies is an AMAZING resource for all things relating to goat containment. Order one of their catalogs - it is literally like an electric fence handbook - SO MUCH information.

You definitely need a good charger for any electric livestock fence. I have a 1-acre lot fenced with electric mesh, and it stays HOT with a Parmak 6v solar charger. That charger has been in use 24/7/365 since December 2010 - so almost SIX YEARS - and will still hold a charge and zap the heck outta anything that touches the fence. It was a pricey purchase, but worth every penny.

The other 3 acre lot has TONS of cross fencing in it, so I have a 50-mile AC Parmak charger on it. It generally reads in the 17-18 volt (or joules???) range - WICKED freaking HOT! It shoots sparks out a good 1/2" or more when you hold the gate handle near the gate hook. I am NOT touching it to see how much it hurts!

The great thing about electric mesh is that it is portable - you can easily move it around, and it deters animals on BOTH sides of the fence.

 

[res]

OH!!! HUGE HUGE HUGE thing if you do go with electric!

DO NOT go cheap on the charger - and DO NOT get ANY charger labeled "continuous current". That type of charger is being heavily advertised on Amazon, usually an off-brand and SUPER cheap. You have to look REALLY close for the label stating continuous current - the ads read like a normal fence charger - it is not labeled "continouse current" in bold print. Continous current WILL KILL small animals and livestock - it is equivalent to sticking your finger in an electrical outlet - it "grabs" you and won't let go.

What you want is LOW IMPEDANCE. This type of charger sends out pulses that shock but don't hold. An animal has the ability to escape the shock with low impedance, it doesn't hold them.

 

[DutchBunny03]

If your goats have horns, make sure they will not get their horns stuck in the fence. I have seen to many owners keep using the same fence after they have had goats break horns or necks on it. Use a small spacing, which will prevent kids and horns from getting stuck.

 

[ShrekDawg]

This thread is really useful, thanks

 

[politicalcenter]

I have several different fences for my goats. We have chain link fence that was already there. I also use a 2" x 4" fencing and regular field fence. The field fence is the least expensive but the chain link is the best. The 2x4 fencing also works well. Goats have a habit of pushing on fences. So any place that is loose goats can push under. They will also climb on anything close to the fence and go over the top. I don't put anything they can climb on close to the fence and I have even taped a piece of PVC pipe to the horns to keep them in and from hanging themselves on the field fence. In some places i place a stiffener on the bottom of the fence to keep them from going out through the bottom. All fences should be pig tight, bull strong, and horse high. Make your first fence good enough to keep the majority of your goats in. If just one escapes he won't go far. He will just stay outside the fence and cry.

 

[Pedal Tulips]

Lessons learned. We have a netting electric fence. It worked great until one day we forgot to turn it on and one of our goats horns became stuck. I had to cut her loose and she lost her baby that night. A few months later we tried again. This time we had 2 7 week old goat kids inside and they spooked and ran right into the fence, one got stuck and I had to cut her out. =). I am not too happy with my fence right now. First I have to figure out how to repair it and try try again.