# Goat keeps getting head stuck in fence- advice



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Our boer doe, 6 months, keeps getting her horns stuck in field fencing. Daily- has anyone made a harness or something? Hate to lose her, but she may be drawing cougars. Anyone want to trade for hornless boer?


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

Get a stick or odd piece of PVC pipe, about 10 inches to a foot long.

Grab your duct tape.

Duct tape that stick across the horns real good.

No more worries. The stick will eventually fall off later, or you can remove it when the goat gets a clue. 

We've had pix posted of this, here, too.


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## chris30523 (Jun 11, 2005)

The PVC works but be aware they never "get a clue" I have one doe who is sooo stupid...She keeps the PVC or she stands with her head through the fence till someone finds her. :shrug: One of her kids is the same way. I didn't think stupid could be inherited LOL


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## Jim S. (Apr 22, 2004)

Chris, mine musta went to college, cuz they do get a clue. I have had very, very few instances of stuck goats.


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## stacygoats (Nov 24, 2005)

I've used the PVC pipe sucessfully, in fact I have a 7 month old boer doeling that will probably get hers today. It always seems to be that 6-7 month age when their horns have grown to just the right length to get stuck, where in the past they've gotten away with sticking thier head through the fence. They do learn, but some take longer then others.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

You may want to consider banding her horns after fly season.


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## Karenrbw (Aug 17, 2004)

We always seem to have a couple with the same problem. It always seems to occur at the same age - right when the horns are just big enough to fit through the fence. In a few months, the horns grow and become too wide to fit through. 

We have had a lot of luck with the duct tape/stick method. A large dowell rod works well too and wouldn't have any sharp corners to catch another goat. If the horns are spreading in nature, zip ties work better than duct tape. Put two on each horn in a x shape.

We had one that got caught daily as a young kid. This year, her buckling was getting caught all the time. I pulled him out of the fence, he ran across the pasture and stuck his head in the opposite fence. We sold them both. 

If you have other horned goats on the property, it wouldn't be a good idea to band her horns. The horned goats would beat her up without a way to defend herself.


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

The pvc duct tape method WORKS! No more goat head in fence. (7 months, too) Save a goat's life- thanks, folks.


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## Skykomish (May 28, 2008)

Can someone show me how to do this? I have a doe who always gets her head stuck in the fence. Do you just stick the pvc on the back of her horns and tape around them? Doesnt seem like that would work bc her horns just barely fit through at the widest point, so they'd still fit through with pvc on them that was the same width. Or do you put a really long piece of pvc on them? :stars: *confused* maybe a picture would help??


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

The PVC pipe should go lengthwise across the back of the horns and be a few inches longer than the horns are wide at their widest point. This makes the head too wide to fit through the holes in the fence.


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## Sweet Goats (Nov 30, 2005)

I have only had to use the PVC with one goat. I think they all learned from it.
It is funny to watch them at first, they try do get it off.


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## nehimama (Jun 18, 2005)

There are some "stickhead" photos towards the end of this thread:

http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=197398&highlight=stickhead

NeHi


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## Goaty (Aug 18, 2020)

InHisName said:


> Our boer doe, 6 months, keeps getting her horns stuck in field fencing. Daily- has anyone made a harness or something? Hate to lose her, but she may be drawing cougars. Anyone want to trade for hornless boer?


If her horns are long enough try teespring a piece of half inch pvc across the width of her horns slightly larger then the largest width of the hole in the fence with duct tape or gorilla tape in a figure 8 pattern. It worked for us.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

How about not using field fencing for goats. Because well, they get their heads stuck in it.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Original post from 2006


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