Nigerian dwarf goats are escape artist! Better than Houdini!

[natyvidal]

Hi everyone. I have a buck and two does ND goats that are finding ways to escape from their pen and their daytime pasture. This is becoming a big problem since they get into the chicken run, and are eating my ornamentals, etc., and I haven’t been able to start my veggies garden or fruit trees because of them!



Obviously the fence I had installed it’s not working to contain them. It’s a simple no climb fence. (Pictures) Heavy wire and I’ve seen them, especially the buck, push against the fence rubbing their body against it. They have pulled or mess up part of the fence in their pen and they get out under it! I already tried to fix it but it didn’t work.



Question: Should I electrify the

fence? Solar? Should I put some treated wood boards across the weak area of the fence between the posts, on the inside? They are about 10 feet apart. The fence was nailed on the outside of the posts.



Pictures: first two: Hansel, Gretel and free ranging in the wrong side of the pasture!



Third picture: fence



Any suggestions? Advise? Thank you ahead of time.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You will need to run a strand or two of electric fence wire around the inside perimeter to keep them off it. About a foot off the ground. It's the only thing that will stop them completely.

 

[natyvidal]

Wow! Cool. That’s easier than I thought.
Will solar work? Or battery? Or electric from the house?

Thank you.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Any should work. We use electric because the maintenance is less. We haven't tried solar, and it's been decades since we used battery. So whatever works for you. We don't keep ours on always. It's usually off for most of the year. When ours start to get too chummy with the fencing we put it on. Usually one zap will work and they will stay away from the fence for a while.

Without electric goats will rub on fences which stretches them out and ruins them eventually, and they will climb them sometimes. We used to just have an electric fence, 3 strands, and it worked well for more than a decade until we could afford to buy welded wire to do the whole pasture.

 

[natyvidal]

Ok. Thank you. Very helpful. I see them all the time rubbing against the fence that’s what messing it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yeah, the stinkers will use the fence as an itching post. Dragging their sides along it. Goats, you gotta love them, or they drive you bananas, or maybe it's both.