How small of an area can a pygmy goat get through?

[chicken 86]

I am going to make a chicken coop but the door needs to be small enough for a chicken to get through but not a pygmy goat.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Good luck with that! lol! Once the goatie figures out there is a reason to go in, he will. If a full sized chicken can get in, a determined pigmy goat can get in.

 

[Lady in Blue]

My pygmy goat ---an adult can and does still get thru the "holes" in the cattle panels!!! She is such a brat!!

 

[zzGypsy]

put a measuring tape around it's ribs behind the front legs... that's the size hole it will fit through, or maybe a bit less. might have to sweeeeeze and push, but they'll do it if it means treats.

ETA; might try making it narrow enough for your chicks to barely fit throuth, ignoring the fluffy feathers. normal height, just narrow. little goats tend to be wide, so I'm thinking if it's narrow enough, that'll stop them. at least narrower than their shoulders or hips.

 

[carolinagirl58]

I had a full sized goat once that figured out how to wiggle through the holes in regular field fencing. When she begun to teach her kids and all the goats how to do it, I got rid of her!

 

[chicken farmer 1997]

i put goats in with my chickens and they wall went to bed together.

 

[carolinagirl58]

OK....this might work. I have an electric fence that separates my pasture into two. The chickens go right through the wire but the sheep get zapped. You could fence in the area around the chicken coop with a few strands of hot wire to keep the goatie out.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
Ha! I see you had the rubberized goats!

one of mine goes sideways between the bars of the 6 rail gate... it's not more than 7" gap and she climbs up there wedges herself in, lays sideways and wiggles until she's through. wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it in action.

 

[Illia]

Someone mentioned electric fence - That's your only truly safe bet.

If the coop is where the goats can get to it, there's no stopping them in trying different things.

 

[carolinagirl58]

Quote:
Ha! I see you had the rubberized goats!

one of mine goes sideways between the bars of the 6 rail gate... it's not more than 7" gap and she climbs up there wedges herself in, lays sideways and wiggles until she's through. wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it in action.

It was amazing to watch!! She started doing it when she was a kid. Every day she'd get a bit bigger and have to work a bit harder, but she kept it up. Even as a full grown boer goat, she kept doing it. she'd stick one leg through, then her head, then pull her other shoulder through. I don't see how on earth it was even possible for her to go through that hole but she did it!! It annoyed the heck out of me every day catching that goat and putting her back.