# Best way to fence in goats?



## plumcreekfarm (Jan 23, 2008)

I want a secure, economical, fence. I have about 1000 feet to fence. Ideas?


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## Tsadiyq (Jun 28, 2007)

:baby04: 

I want to know too :0)


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## uncle Will in In. (May 11, 2002)

I had about 30 goats in a pasture field that had 4 barb wires streched tight on T posts. The bottom wire was about six inches off the ground. I ran another barb on insulaters about six inches above that. The next regular barb was about 8 inches above the the hot barb. The two barbs above that were spaced about 9 inches apart. I guess that is really a total of 5 barbs. I had the hot barb on stand out insulaters. Goats are too smart to get burnt more than once. Keep an eye on them for a few hours to start. <> UNK


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## Ken Scharabok (May 11, 2002)

Old saying about a goat proof fence. Build the fence and then throw a 5-gallon bucket of water against it. If any water gets through, it isn't goat proof.


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## woodsman (Dec 8, 2008)

I went with 5 foot field fence. It's well stretched and even my biggest buck didn't try to jump over it.


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

All of my goats can shinney through barb wire and jump 4' fencing. Electric doesn't even slow them down. I went with 5' wire. You have to weigh economical against them getting out.


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## jd4020 (Feb 24, 2005)

Welll, generally I don't use barb wire for my fences. Since I have raised regular milking goats, it's too much of a risk for cutting the udders. I would urge you not to use barb wire either.  Goats can get tetnus very easily.
I have used woven wire with an electric wire running on top and another electric wire just down where they can't push on the fence. Worked well. Goats love to rub against the fence, thereby pushing it over.  
My fences for the past 20 years has been heavy cattle panels and panels from old corn cribs (my fil had them laying around from one he tore down) -no electric wire on thiese. They are 5 feet tall and keep the majority of my girls where they are supposed to be, although, I've had a couple who could jump them when startled & scared. (like when the lawn mower goes by the pen)  I keep the wire that holds the panels together neatly turned so there are no sharp edges for cutting anything--especially tender udders. And nothing that would allow them to get up on so they could jump out easier as well. That's all I've ever used for my girls.


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

Ken Scharabok said:


> Old saying about a goat proof fence. Build the fence and then throw a 5-gallon bucket of water against it. If any water gets through, it isn't goat proof.


That's exactly what I was going to say....


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

I've got an eight strand barb wire fence that has been very effective. A kidd can sometimes get under one of the gates, but he/she is quick to yell if they can't get back to Mom.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

We had barbed wire and it never worked. Now matter what the goats eventual reck it enough to get through. Plus I have had a bloody goat to many times because of pushing their head through it and then they cant get free and rip up their head and necks. We torn it all out of here and will never allow any barbed wire again. 

The cheapest way if you dont have much cash is field fencing. But have those poles close together and that fencing pulled tight.
Thats what has held our goats for years. 
We have had a few fence destroyers that wouldn't quit tearing up fencing and they became dinner. All the goats we have now dont tear up the field fencing.

Most of our goats have horns and only the horned ones have ever succeeded in tearing apart field fencing. The majority of our horned goats dont do that and live quite well with the fence.

The only goat proof fence that is guaranteed, an 8 foot solid concrete wall.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

woodsman said:


> I went with 5 foot field fence. It's well stretched and even my biggest buck didn't try to jump over it.


This is what I did,plus couple strands of Barb Wire on top,never had a Goat out.

big rockpile


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## DayBird (Jul 26, 2004)

cattle panels, posts every 8 feet, 4 1/2 feet tall with an electric tape on top and a hot wire about a 1 1/2 feet from the ground on standouts...


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

We started out about five years ago with field fencing which is now sagging and begging to be replaced with goat fencing. It costs more, but keeps in young bucklings where field fencing won't.


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## Cheryl in SD (Apr 22, 2005)

DayBird said:


> cattle panels, posts every 8 feet, 4 1/2 feet tall with an electric tape on top and a hot wire about a 1 1/2 feet from the ground on standouts...



He's got the right idea! We put 6 foot high woven wire fence, reinforced with horse wire, stapled to the ground, they still got out. Add a hot wire 12-15 inches off the ground & now EVERYTHING (goats, chickens, dogs, cats, geese) all stay right where they belong.


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## chamoisee (May 15, 2005)

Woven wire reinforced with New Zealand electric fencing, two strand 6" inside perimeter, works extremely well. Put one strand a little above the top line of the fence, 6-8" in from the fence itself, and the other a little less than a foot from the ground, also positioned so that the electric wire is 6-8" closer to the goats than the woven wire. In this way, you can ensure that they won't push on, stand on, or test the fence, because they don't want to get zapped. You shoudl train them to the fence when the ground is damp. If people can't keep goats in, they usually haven't applied enough thought to the caprine psychology.


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## Guest (Mar 23, 2009)

Just my 2 cents but I'd not use barbed wire with goats..too many injuries with that..

I used woven wire..5 feet tall with two strands of electric INSIDE and OUTSIDE..one was for the goats and one for predators.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

DayBird said:


> cattle panels, posts every 8 feet, 4 1/2 feet tall with an electric tape on top and a hot wire about a 1 1/2 feet from the ground on standouts...


The OP asked about something affordable...around here cattle panels are over $30 each..for 1k feet of fence line that would add up to a fortune.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

PlumCreekFarm, You'll get alot of responses if you go to the goat forum but Barbed wire isn't going to work for goats.
What kinds of goats you have also makes a difference. We have Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy goats so we use 4 foot high welded wire fencing but that won't work for most full size goats, especially if you are going to house a buck.
Also how many goats, if they will have pasture or just a penned area makes a difference too because a bored goat WILL find something to do or get into or out of. Also some are better jumpers than others.


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

A 12 foot tall solid concrete block fence with razor wire at the top and it being 3 foot in the ground, and that will only hold them if they have no desire to escape,

I find that the combination hog/cattle panel (60" tall, and smaller holes on the bottom Like a hog panel) is fairly good, or the dog kennel panels that have about 4" square holes and about 5 1/2 foot tall, but have had bucks figure out they could jump up on it and push unit the post bent and then jump over.

the electric fence about 4 hot wires with a ground wire in there as well, kinda works if they get taught correctly but I have a few that will just go through it like it is not there.


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## plumcreekfarm (Jan 23, 2008)

Too funny farminghandyman. We actually have boar goats. We were leaning toward 36'' of mesh wire with two strands of hot wire on top. They will be on pasture with a large pond in the middle.


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

plumcreekfarm said:


> Too funny farminghandyman. We actually have boar goats. We were leaning toward 36'' of mesh wire with two strands of hot wire on top. They will be on pasture with a large pond in the middle.


Put one of those wires on standouts 16 inches high or so like someone mentioned, it will keep them from scratching which is one of their favorite and most destructive activities...


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

Affordable will usually equal not working! I am using cattle panels. Yes, they are more expensive, but goats like to stand on teh fence & they like to eat on the other side of it. I have had Pygmy goats, Lamanchas, & Nubians & have not had a goat get out yet unless I leave the gate open. I get the panels at Tractor supply which is the cheapest place I found. There are different panels. Cattle panels, hog panels, goat panels, combination panels. Cattle panels are the cheapest out of those at least around here. I am putting my posts every 8 feet. Alternating wood with metal. This is working great & should last a very long time. Another benefit is if you need to fix it, you can replace one panel instead of having to splice in fence & re-stretch it.


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## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

what about electrified high tensile, 7 strand?


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## toomb68 (Mar 16, 2006)

i use redbrand sheep and goat field fence. we have never had a goat get out. it isn't cheap, but it works for us.....


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## mamagoose (Nov 28, 2003)

I know it sounds crazy, but we actually kept a few mature goats in with 2 strands of the electrified tape last summer and fall and will do so again soon for at least another year. After culling hard, we had to move the rest in a hurry due to a CL outbreak. They do have a large area, more than enough grass and browse and they aren't jumpers or crawlers *so far*, but now have kids at their sides, so it will be interesting. We can't really depend on only electric full time, year-round here. (We also live a mile from anyone else in any direction and a few hundred yards from the public road if they were to get out.) Though not cheap, 4" panels are the cream of the crop for goats.


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## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

i generally like field fence with a strand of hot wire about knee height to the goats. i've also used alternating hot/barbed wire and it worked fine.


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## mylala (Jun 3, 2008)

I have mine in 4ft. fixed knot fencing...they have never gotten out. I know a guy who keeps his in 4ft. electrified netting.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

We have barbed wire (5 strand) w/ 3 rows of electric on 5- standoffs that are placed and mid shin level, knee level and mid thigh level. The barbed wire was here before us. Any new wire was the non barbed 5 strand horse wire. We have 165 ac. and the goats are in just 20+- ac. We are going to get them into an 80ac. section soon.

We have one section of fence us that is just 5 wire electric w/ fiberglass poles as we are cross fencing it. They don't challenge it. rebar would be good for that as well. 

Electric is the only thing I know of that will keep them off a fence. We train them by shoving them into the fence once and they never do it again. They can push through or step down most everything else. We have horns so I don't want them to strangle. I had a got get caught and killed in a cattle panel. Shoved her head though and couldn't get out. I didn't have bolt cutters at the time, they were in DH truck at his work and the goat died before we could get her out.

Cattle panels would be the best w/o electric but as mentioned before they are really expensive and do still have trapping issues.


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## 4runner (Mar 26, 2009)

The best way to keep goats on one side of a fence is to convince the goats that you really, truly want them to be on the other side of the fence.


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## billooo2 (Nov 23, 2004)

lasergrl said:


> what about electrified high tensile, 7 strand?


That should work as long as the charged wires nd grounded wires are strtegically placed.

Also, a person from soil conservation told me that they are finding that 7 strand needs corners that are double braced.

I use either livestock panels (for smaller pens) and livestock fencing with electric to keep them from standing on the fence......about 12" off the ground, one at the height of their noses, and one on top of the livestock fence.

I plan on trying some 5 or 7 strand high tensile on an area that I plan to fence this summer.

I jhave found that the hardest ones to keep fenced in are the "baby" bucks during the rut. I have had those little critters clear 5' livestock panels.


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## RosewoodfarmVA (Oct 5, 2005)

We have about 3 miles of fencing on our farm, all of it 47" woven wire with one strand of barbed wire about 5 inches on top. Posts are cedars or any tree in line, often the posts/trees are 15 feet apart, but when we plant a line of posts we shoot for 12'. Woven wire is pushed with our toe all the way down, then nailed and streched TIGHT, did I say tight? Be sure, no matter how tight you stretch it, the goats will show you just how much in can be stretched! Then we put the barbed on top, not the heavy 12 ga but the cheap 15 ga as it stretches tighter and the barbs are sharper. We just use the claw/ball of the hammer to gauge the height of the barbed, it's about 5 inches. We then go back inbetween each post with a scrap of the barbed wire about 10" long, twisting it around the barbed wire then down and around the top strand on the woven, this prevents them from walking down the fence or jumping through the gap between the woven and barbed wire. 

Our fence works, we've never had a single escape in 8 years!


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