# Barbed wire for goats? does it work?



## critterluv (Jan 17, 2008)

I just recieved the 2 meat goat books I orderd today and I have some questions, In Storys Guid To Raising MEat Goats it says that you can use a 9 strand barbed wire fence for them, first strand 3 inches from ground and 4 inches up the next couple the 6inches.

We just fenced our pasture last year with 5 strands for our horses so this would be the easiest and most inexpencive way for us. WE also have anouther 3.5 acres we just bought that I would like to use for goats. I was thinking of also puting a strand of hotwire about 20 inches from the ground as well. Has anyone ever used this? What are your thoughts?


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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

Well I was told if it dont hold water it wont hold a goat...I have square wire for mine as barb wire and their eyes. Some people have good luck with the barb wire but mine just crawl thru it. Good luck


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

critterluv said:


> I just recieved the 2 meat goat books I orderd today and I have some questions, In Storys Guid To Raising MEat Goats it says that you can use a 9 strand barbed wire fence for them, first strand 3 inches from ground and 4 inches up the next couple the 6inches.
> 
> We just fenced our pasture last year with 5 strands for our horses so this would be the easiest and most inexpencive way for us. WE also have anouther 3.5 acres we just bought that I would like to use for goats. I was thinking of also puting a strand of hotwire about 20 inches from the ground as well. Has anyone ever used this? What are your thoughts?


The thing to do is make sure the pasture is big... If they are gitting plenty of browse they will stay. If it gets sparse they will try to get out. Simple as that.

What I do is use barb and electric like this...


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## woodsman (Dec 8, 2008)

I don't know about your goats but mine will jump over a 4' fence and by the time you're up to enough strands to make it up to 5' the cost, depending on quality of the barb wire would approach/exceed the cost of a field fence. In addition I wouldn't want them to injure their hanging parts while they try to negotiate between the strands or over the top.


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

Four feet tall won't keep my Nubian in.

Barbed wire won't keep goats in and damages udders.

Barbed and electric might work, but I haven't tried.

I use electric net fence.


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## Va. goatman (May 12, 2006)

The new fence I just put in up on the mountain is 6 strands of barbwire and one hot wire I couldn't use field fence it was to heavy for me to handle alone they been in the knew area about 2 weeks now with no prob. But its about 3 acres of brush so there happy for now Now if I could get that last 8or 9 acres fenced


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

woodsman said:


> I don't know about your goats but mine will jump over a 4' fence and by the time you're up to enough strands to make it up to 5' the cost, depending on quality of the barb wire would approach/exceed the cost of a field fence. In addition I wouldn't want them to injure their hanging parts while they try to negotiate between the strands or over the top.





Alice In TX/MO said:


> Four feet tall won't keep my Nubian in.
> 
> Barbed wire won't keep goats in and damages udders.
> 
> ...


Barb can hurt your animal... This is true. But any stock should be trained to electric if you have it. They won't cross a really hot wire. Period. The main reason I have the barb is for the preditors. It slows them down enough for a good helping of electric. We also have bears... They will rip up just smooth wire even if it's hot. 

I've never had them try to jump it. They just don't seem to want to. :shrug:

I have stock fence in the winter area... It's kinda small and the snow shorts the electric. The reason I used the barb and hot is because the terrain here is very hilly (NEPA Mountaintop). If I used wire fabric I'd need to use a dozer first to level out the low and high spots.


P.S. the barb it's self wont keep in a goat IMHO. They walk through it like it isn't there. To the comment about delicate parts... My goats will climb on and knock down Hawthorn. They love it. The thorns will easily puncture a tractor tire. But they do it unharmed. It's still is unnerving to watch tho. I don't like to cut it. It bites. lol


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

If you choose barbed wire, use electric as well, as Stan said. They will eventually challenge barbed wire alone and yes, I have had two does lose their udders on one side due to being so badly ripped open on barbed wire.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Barbed wire is not going to work well at all. They will get through it easily, but only rarely will they be hurt by it. I'd like to amend the "if it won't hold water" theory and say, "if it isn't airtight..."

And I respectfully disagree with Stan's statement about the size of the pasture.  A lot of it has to do with the attitude of the particular goat. I have had goats who will sit contented in any size pasture and not try the fences. I've had other goats who I can turn out into 5 acres of grass, clover, and scrub brush and they STILL make a beeline for the nearest fence to see if they can get over it. And when one goat gets out, then they usually ALL get out. Like teenagers, they all follow each other down the path to mischief.

My wife calls goats "the devil's livestock". They have no fear of God and no regard for man. They are going to be as contrary as they can get away with. 

I eat the fence jumpers. Life's too short to spend any time at all trying to get your goats back up in the pen.


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## nomad7inwi (Nov 30, 2005)

I agree it depends so much on the goat. I have a doe that has an attitude. If there is anyway possible to get out of her pasture, regardless of size she will get out even if it means stepping on another animal's back to get out, or climb a lilac bush. She has escaped her pasture to eat the siding of the house. I have another goat that I could leave the gate open, and she may or may not get out. Its just not in her nature to roam. The escape artist would be meat (and still could be) but there is much affection for her. What is finally keeping her in is electric netting with 1 line of electric rope about 6 inches inside the netting as a scare wire. It does not hold water but it does hold her. barbed wire would not hold her, and she would have damaged her udder if we used it.


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## RosewoodfarmVA (Oct 5, 2005)

We use 4' field fence, 6 inch spacing, with a strand of barbed on top. Never have had a single escape. Neighbor raises cattle with a 6 strand barbed fence...I've seen his cows rub through the fence and bow the wires enough to get through. Once he had a calf out in our yard, I went to chase him back over to his yard, the calf just scampered over to the fence and went straight through it! 

Barbed is OK for cattle if it's tight, like banjo string tight, but field fence is the only way to go if you want them to stay in and you want a fence that will be good for many years without working on it all the time. In my experience electric isn't very good for goats, they will test it all the time and just when you make a trip somewhere and a tree limb shorts it out, they'll all get out. One fellow near here has 6 strands of electric, and still they will challenge it and get out from time to time. Plus the kids can sneak out, with woven field fence they can't.


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