Space for Goats & Sheep

[ShadowsFIAL]

I am planning to build a 36'x36' pen for goats, and a second for sheep. How many animals could I keep in there with them staying happy and content. I have seen numbers anywhere from 15sqft to 50sqft. They will have a 12'x10' foot barn area, and then a 12'x16' covered area to relax under. I plan to let them out to graze on my land on the weekends when I am home, otherwise I will be feeding them hay and feed, I might partition the pen so that I can rotate them. Not sure though. Any advice? I am also thinking about doing electric fencing for their pens, as well as around the entire property. I am thinking of doing a 6 wire, with the first three wires being 6" apart, then 8", then 10". then 12". I am thinking we will be planning on 10 goats. One buck and the rest does. The sheep probably about the same. My husband wants Myotonic goats, I want one or two nubians, and then we have friends and family who we told that they can bring one goat out haha. As for the sheep, I really want border leicester, painted desert, or blue faced leicester; In order of my preference. We plan to have a two rows of rabbit cages at the back of the barn, probably two or three feet out, and then the entire length of the barn(24'). How does this sound? Is this enough room for 10 animals? All offspring will be sold or butchered so we don't plan on housing any more than that.

 

[cassie]

I once had 5 goats in a 25 x 25 foot pen and that was adequate. I would not use regular electric fence wire for that corral though, but that is my opinion. If you want to go with an electric fence check out the electric fencing made for poultry. I have never used it but I think it would serve to keep the goats in and the predators out.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I think that should be ok for the number of animals you are planning, but you will know better based on the behavior of the animals and the cleanliness of the pen. If your own gets dirty way too fast, you may have to expand it a bit.

I think the best fencing for a goat pen is wooden post and rail fencing with a roll of metal fencing to reinforce it so the goats don't get through. I think wire fencing with electric may be better suited to a large grazing area where the goats will not be standing on or testing the fence as much.

Remember that goats don't really graze. They actually prefer brush to grass. So if you have an area like that you can include in your grazing area, they would love it. They will destroy trees though so don't include any you want to live in their pasture!

 

[ShadowsFIAL]

I once had 5 goats in a 25 x 25 foot pen and that was adequate. I would not use regular electric fence wire for that corral though, but that is my opinion. If you want to go with an electric fence check out the electric fencing made for poultry. I have never used it but I think it would serve to keep the goats in and the predators out.

I think that should be ok for the number of animals you are planning, but you will know better based on the behavior of the animals and the cleanliness of the pen. If your own gets dirty way too fast, you may have to expand it a bit.

I think the best fencing for a goat pen is wooden post and rail fencing with a roll of metal fencing to reinforce it so the goats don't get through. I think wire fencing with electric may be better suited to a large grazing area where the goats will not be standing on or testing the fence as much.

Remember that goats don't really graze. They actually prefer brush to grass. So if you have an area like that you can include in your grazing area, they would love it. They will destroy trees though so don't include any you want to live in their pasture!

The only problem with the wooden post fencing is that the ground there is full of large rocks, and sometimes you can't get through it, so I doubt I would be able to make a wooden post fence. that was what turned us towards the electric, not to mention the area is bad for coyotes, and I had heard that the electric will deter them. I was thinking about talking to my husband about extending it to a 36" by 60" pen if we could. That way if we don't have a chance to let them out they still have plenty of area to run around. What kind of shrubs and trees do they like? I could plant some and fence them off and at times remove the fencing so that they can have a nibble. I thought about planing a permanent fruit tree in each area and fence it off so that they can have yummy fruit once a year. The land is pretty much just all grass to be honest. There are no trees, so we will be planting everything as we go.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

Have you considered a high tensile net fence? You may check out Stay Tuff fence. It's actually really economical when you sit down and do the math. They make fence with 12" vertical spacings which is suitable for goats.
www.staytuff.com