# Welded wire and barbed wire for goats?



## knuckledragger (Jun 6, 2007)

My neighbor to the north has a fence that consists of 4 strands of barbed wire. We are trying to fence for Nubian goats and, I was going to fence up to his fence and tie into it. I have a good amount of leftover welded wire from another project. I was wondering if I could put welded wire (not woven wire) immediately on the other side of the barbed wire (back to back, flat up against it) to keep goats in. I figured the barbed wire would keep them from rubbing up against it and breaking the welds.

Would this work?


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

I would be afraid they would rub on it anyway and get cuts or stand on it like goats do and break the welds anyway. We haven't had much luck with welded wire as they tend to break it down standing up on it. I guess you can try it and see and if it doesn't work, put up a hot wire on the inside to keep them away from the fence.


----------



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

Woven wire works better. 

The barbs won't stop the rubbing.


----------



## prairiedog (Jan 18, 2007)

I don't like barb wire for anything too many nasty accidents


----------



## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Not for Nubians. I ended up using cattle panels. Nothing else would hold them. They stood on welded wire and shredded it. The barbed wire might work but you will have cuts to worry about disinfecting all the time and eventually they will stretch out the barbed wire and it will sag. Woven wire will work if it is not in the areas where they gather and stand on the fence, like around their water, food or the gate where you come into their area. I went with cattle panels because I could handle them myself and not have to stretch wire. Your best bet might be to run a hot wire along the fence if that wouldn't be too expensive. I wonder if you could use a shock collar on a goat they way you do on a dog? That way if you put the collar on the "lead" goat and they get shocked the first time they touch that fence, the rest of them might never go near it 

Good luck!

Kitty


----------



## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

For Nubians I would use cattle panels. Like the others have said I would also not use barbed wire for goats especially, they rub too much.

We started with welded wire & have started using cattle panels but we have Nigerian dwarfs & mini nubians so they aren't as hard on the fencing. Although they do still rub we have wood poles from small downed trees run around our welded wire fencing at the right height so when they rub they are actually rubbing on the wood rails.


----------



## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

I can see using cattle panel for stalls, but I can't imagine how anyone could afford to do a whole pasture in cattle panel.

We have hotwire along one line to keep the goats off. Only problem is you have to remember to check it once in awhile. If something grows into it or gets bumped into it or they just break it, then, of course, it's dead.

One of my goats got a pretty nasty rip on a teat once jumping threw barbed wire. Nasty stuff.

Whatever you do, if it's on the fence or on the neighbor's side of the fence, check with the neighbor first.


----------



## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

mary said:


> I can see using cattle panel for stalls, but I can't imagine how anyone could afford to do a whole pasture in cattle panel.
> 
> I found used hog panels that a plant nursery had used for their plant benches on craigslist for $15 apiece. They aren't the prettiest fence in the world, but they hold my Nubians! The guy I got the panels from is in SW Georgia so if anyone wants his phone number, PM me.
> 
> Kitty


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

mary said:


> I can see using cattle panel for stalls, but I can't imagine how anyone could afford to do a whole pasture in cattle panel.
> 
> We have hotwire along one line to keep the goats off. Only problem is you have to remember to check it once in awhile. If something grows into it or gets bumped into it or they just break it, then, of course, it's dead.
> 
> ...


I would love to fence in a whole pasture with cattle panels. We saw a pasture recently, the man raised Boers, and he did a whole 80 acre pasture with beautiful treated wood posts and no climb panels. I can't even imagine how much that cost him.


----------



## 6e (Sep 10, 2005)

AuntKitty said:


> mary said:
> 
> 
> > I can see using cattle panel for stalls, but I can't imagine how anyone could afford to do a whole pasture in cattle panel.
> ...


----------



## Caprice Acres (Mar 6, 2005)

You must have well behaved goats if they don't jump hog panels. I can practically STEP over them myself, lol.

I would use woven wire, maybe with a strand of electric to keep them from ruining it. We don't have the electric strand yet, and regret it all the time as our 4-6 year old high quality redbrand 'goat fence' gets beat to heck by goats itching, standing, and attacking it. 

I use cattle panels exclusively for the bucks right now. I couldn't afford to do whole pastures. Usually the only fencing that gets really abused is the stuff that is right around their food, water, and housing I find. The stuff out in the pastures is in great shape. 


If anything, barbed wire woudn't be a hazard to the goats - but a hazard to their containment, IMO. They LOVE to itch on the barbed wire, and would bend and pop the welds on the welded wire within a couple months is my bet. 

The main rule is, "If it won't hold water, it won't hold a goat". With goats, the fencing is one of the last places you want to skimp, IMO. I'd put up woven wire behind the barbed wire, if it would be too much work to take down.


----------



## Blue Run Farm (Feb 14, 2011)

Personally, I'd avoid barbed wire. I've seen too many injuries from it. And especially with Nubians, I'd worry about one of them getting an ear caught and shredded. Call me crazy, but I've seen stranger things happen. Plus, a smart goat may figure out how to squeeze between the strands and get loose into your neighbor's field. I have had good luck with both electric to keep goats off of welded wire and love cattle panels for a smaller area. With electric, make sure you use a strong enough charger to give a good zap and it should pulse as opposed to a steady charge. With the steady charge, many animals will figure out that it's "worth it" to get the one zap and then they can lean on the wire all they want without getting zapped again as long as they are in contact. I learned that one from the horses, but I'm sure it goes for goats too. Good luck with whatever you decide!


----------

