What type of fencing is best for goats?

[swim]

Hi all and

from me to all of you. I have been reading here for along time and have been learning many things about chickens and love having my own. I have had chickens for a few years myself and think I am ready to move up to larger livestock. Goats

seem to be a small step in that direction and a huge step at the same time.

Here is what I am thinking about and need opinions from others who have goats. I think I will start with either Nubian or Boar goats. I am going to fence in about 6 acres with a fence across the middle to split the field, so I will have two seperate fields. How many gosts can I raise without having to feed to much extra in the summer months, with about 5 acres pasture and 1 being wooded?

The front boarders a road and the two sides are boardered by neighbors who have dogs.

The back will be in the woods that have coyotes,

so keeping out predators is just as important as keeping the goats in. I am leaning toward either welded wire with 2*4 squares and 4 feet tall with posts every 8 feet, or goat wire with 4*4 squares and 4 feet tall with posts the same. Please let me know your experiences with each, as far as dependabilty, how many years the wire will last, how well they do there job, and any other information that you have with these fences. Thanks for any helpful advise you have on the subject. Also one last question about posts, I am planing to use alot of cedar posts. How many years will the posts last in Tennesse's weather?

 

[beak]

I would go with something heavier than 2x4 welded wire. We had goats for a little while and they made short work of that stuff. Use 5' livestock fencing. That's the stuff that has progressively larger holes as you go up from the bottom. You can get a 300" roll at Home Depot for about 139 or so. Use double wood post with a horizontal bar at the corners so you can stretch it real tight. You can also get some of that heavy gauge wire they run at the top of chainlink fence when they don't use a top rail. Use hog staples to secure it to the fence. Then run a hot wire about 6" above the fence. Be sure to use 7' t-post pounded in 18". It's good to invest in a t-post driver. Will save you a lot of time. Just be careful you don't pull it up to high on the upstroke. That's the reason they put the white on the top of t-post so you can see where the bottom lip of the driver is. My son pulled one up too high and whacked himself on the head. Took 9 stitches and a chunk of money to the emergency room.

You'll be amazed how fast they can knock all the vegetation down. Don't scrimp on the fence. A good fence helps sell your house. A crummy fence just needs to be torn down.

 

[Jenski]

I too have been researching the goat thing, and all the farms I have visited are using livestock panels. These panels are very durable, and I have seen different types of posts with them. Goats will be very hard on fencing, as they do climb all over it.

Note, though, that these farms also removed the horns from their goats for safety reasons. This way they do not get their heads stuck in fencing. I have heard (and seen) the awful results of this happening, especially with dogs roaming about.

You mentioned Nubian and Boer ~ are you looking for milk or meat? Or both?

Since you're a fellow Tennessean, you might check out the website for Bonnie Blue Farms out in Waynesboro (if you haven't already). Gayle and Jim Tanner are just the best, and their dairy is a pretty incredible little operation. They have a farm cabin they rent out too, so you can stay over and learn a whole lot about goat farming from these friendly folks.

Good luck!

 

[Bassleg]

What is the best meat goat breed?

 

[cluckychick]

Quote:
Boer Goats are bred for meat.

 

[greyfields]

Assuming you can't pour cast in place walls about 16' high, which have only the potential to deter goats, then I suggest:

39" woven wire
3-4" dia wood posts at 10' OC
1 strand high tensile wire, electrified, at 48"
4-5" dia posts for all corner braces
then as big as you can afford for the gate posts.

This is a very good all purpose fence.

 

[swim]

Jenski
Today 9:23 am I too have been researching the goat thing, and all the farms I have visited are using livestock panels. These panels are very durable, and I have seen different types of posts with them. Goats will be very hard on fencing, as they do climb all over it.

Note, though, that these farms also removed the horns from their goats for safety reasons. This way they do not get their heads stuck in fencing. I have heard (and seen) the awful results of this happening, especially with dogs roaming about.

You mentioned Nubian and Boer ~ are you looking for milk or meat? Or both?

Since you're a fellow Tennessean, you might check out the website for Bonnie Blue Farms out in Waynesboro (if you haven't already). Gayle and Jim Tanner are just the best, and their dairy is a pretty incredible little operation. They have a farm cabin they rent out too, so you can stay over and learn a whole lot about goat farming from these friendly folks.

Good luck!

Many of the goat farmers in my area raise and sell boer goats, that is why I am leaning toward them. I would like to own some milk goats for personal use and maybe try selling milk share, but also be a good duel purpose animal. That is the main reason that I am leaning toward those breeds. Also with the area that I am fencing my budget would never allow for livestock panels. I do not plan at this time to dehorn them, but as time passes I may change my mind. I will also look into the Bonnie Blue Farms. Thank you for your help​

 

[pokachix]

I have seen dogs clear a 4' fence easily, barely skimming the top. With the dogs on one side & coyotes on the other I would have @/least 5' w/hotwire above that & @nose level for the goats. They can & will climb fencing, have watched my Cheve' do it! You may consider a LGD with that much acerage, would deter predators from trying to get past the fencing or dig under! Just my 2cents! J

 

[swim]

beak
Today 9:15 am I would go with something heavier than 2x4 welded wire. We had goats for a little while and they made short work of that stuff. Use 5' livestock fencing. That's the stuff that has progressively larger holes as you go up from the bottom. You can get a 300" roll at Home Depot for about 139 or so. Use double wood post with a horizontal bar at the corners so you can stretch it real tight. You can also get some of that heavy gauge wire they run at the top of chainlink fence when they don't use a top rail. Use hog staples to secure it to the fence. Then run a hot wire about 6" above the fence. Be sure to use 7' t-post pounded in 18". It's good to invest in a t-post driver. Will save you a lot of time. Just be careful you don't pull it up to high on the upstroke. That's the reason they put the white on the top of t-post so you can see where the bottom lip of the driver is. My son pulled one up too high and whacked himself on the head. Took 9 stitches and a chunk of money to the emergency room.

You'll be amazed how fast they can knock all the vegetation down. Don't scrimp on the fence. A good fence helps sell your house. A crummy fence just needs to be torn down.

This is a real consern of mine with using the welded wire, That it was not a heavy enough gage, and will not hold up with time very well. I do however like the very small openings for their safty as well as keeping out predators. Sorry to hear about your son. Have also been there dune that with the post driver, luckly only a bad headache and nothing more. We had our land appraised a few years back and the apprasier wanted to know if it was fenced or not, so I am with you on the good fence adding to the value of our land.​

 

[swim]

Quote:
What about 4 foot goat wire with 1 or 2 hot wires above that. 5 foot wire is very expensive, and I have only found it in the horse no climb fence so far.
Also on the LGD, it is a real possibility as many of the local goat farmers have them. One of my neighbors has a donkey to keep dogs and things out of their cow pasture. I wonder if a donkey would go good with goats, And witch is more efficent as far as feed goes. The donkey would eat some of the pasture and feed that is for the goats but I would have to buy dog feed for the dogs.