# Goats & electric fencing



## medic (Dec 8, 2010)

Okay I intend to place a 5 strand 48" HT electric fence. We are going to use the Fi-Shock SS-9000x dual power energizer. It's suppose to be good for 20 mile which is WAY more than we will ever need. I may make one of the strands a ground just to insure. I realize woven wire with a sttrand or two of hot wire is better, but the cost of the fence itself & the need for more posts makes it not an option. We will have 2-3 nubian milking does & at times a few wethers for meat but absolutely no bucks. Will this be sufficent?
Thanks Joe


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## TroutRiver (Nov 26, 2010)

As long as your strands are not touching grass. I used polywire netting this year and the goats got out all the time and did not respect the fence at all (I live on a vineyard, and they would get out and go straight for the grape vines...). Our charger was plenty strong enough but the netting was so close to the ground that it was impossible to keep it off the grass. The charge was so weak that I could touch the polywire and get shocked 2 or 3 times before I even realized I was being shocked. I imagine that the goats with all their hair could barely feel it at all. I will be switching to strands of wire for next year, and hopefully that will solve the problem.


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## yarrow (Apr 27, 2004)

The neighbors to our south started to replace all the old woven fence between us... put up a couple strands of electric as a temporary fix... life & more pressing projects have kept us all from doing anymore work on it.. It's now been 3 years and not a single break out from any of my does. (granted, it is a larger charger then you are planning on using, but all my nubians are very repectful of the hot wire and stay well back.. BUT.. there is never anything that LOOKS better to eat on that side of the fence, then what they have access to on our side.. I really think they would try the fence if they were ever lacking in browse.

susie, mo ozarks..


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## farmmom (Jan 4, 2009)

I'd personally go with more than 5 strands with the lowest one about 5-6 inches off the ground. Right now I have a temporary 5 strand up while I get stuff together to run a 9-strand high tensile. I have one Nubian doe that will crawl under the bottom wire. I rigged a halter for her with electric ribbon around the noseband and a loop of wire above her nose so she gets shocked on her nose when she tries to go under. They are very sneaky. Just keep a good eye on them, especially at first.


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

It *completely* depends on the personality of the goat. Strands of hot wire would not keep mine in.

I now use Electric Net.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_id=103


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I've learned that my goats only respect a fence if they're taught to respect it from a young age by their pen mates. I've got one goat that came to me as an adult and she literally gets out of any pen I put here in. (seriously, doesn't matter if it's 60" goat wire.) she'll jump it, crawl under/through it, eat it, or ride it to the ground.)))))

On the flip side, I've got one old doe that adopts every kid on the place so I put them in with her at weining time far away from their mamas in a pen with two strands of electric fence. (one about 8" high and the other at about 24" high) I feed them well and keep plenty of roughage in for them and they learn to stay inbounds of the fence. It's a life-long habit for them until they share the pen with the old escape artist and then they follow her. It's time for her to go........


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## HappyFarmer (Jun 17, 2006)

Even with our back up regular fencing electric is a pain in the neck. course where we have it situated under that treeline doesn't help.

When it's running properly it works great. Train them to the electric and they should stay a healthy distance away.
HF


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Realize that you make think 20 miles is more than you'd ever need, but it is not always the case. 

4 strands of electric wire around my 10 aces is 2 miles. Netting is more length if you stretch it out. It's not the length of the *fence*, but the length of the wire.

For my property, I was told to get a charger for 50 miles, rather than 20. Check around to what your local people say.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We use 3 strands of hot barbed wire with 4' orange snow fence on the outside. Keeps everybody in.
Done it with 4 strands of hot smooth wire and no snow fence too.
We have electric netting to divide the pasture.
http://script-host.com/self/archives/magots.jpg
Number of strands shouldn't affect the length needed since they are all hooked on at the beginning. If you hooked them end to end it would matter.


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

I agree it depends on the goat, and if they are taught to respect it. Most of our does will stay in 2-3 wires even when it is turned off because they have been "trained" to it and want nothing to do with it. We did have one alpine that would jump over but she would also literally climb out of panels/woven wire. We have another young doe that we put in not realizing that there was a problem with the charger and it was not working, that was her first time in electric and to this day she will occasionaly get out of it. It really seems like if it really makes an impression on them the first time or 2 then they are much more respectfull of it..


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## medic (Dec 8, 2010)

CaliannG said:


> Realize that you make think 20 miles is more than you'd ever need, but it is not always the case.
> 
> 4 strands of electric wire around my 10 aces is 2 miles. Netting is more length if you stretch it out. It's not the length of the *fence*, but the length of the wire.
> 
> For my property, I was told to get a charger for 50 miles, rather than 20. Check around to what your local people say.


I understand that the miles for the fence is the sum of all the strands. But is a 20 mile rated not enough for at the most a 1/2-3/4 ac lot. There are other energizers i was considering but I liked the 9000 due to dual power.


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

More important is the joules. I have a six joule charger. More joules is better for goats. More ZAP!


http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/goathouse.htm

High-tensile, smooth wire, electric. Probably, the most effective and economical goat fence is a smooth wire, high-tensile electric fence, so called "smooth wire" because the wires aren't barbed and "high-tensile" because it is constructed of high tensile wire that can be strung extremely taut without breaking. Due to the greater tensile strength of the strands, high-tensile wire can be pulled tighter than standard electrified wire, which tends to sag over time.

High tensile, electric fences require strong corners and end braces. Five, six or seven 12 Â½ gauge high-tensile wires are recommended for goats. The bottom wires of the fence should be more closely spaced than the top. Wire spacings of approximately 6, 5, 5, 8 and 10 inches are common. In areas where there is relatively even rainfall and some green vegetation most of the year, it is recommended that all wires be hot. Ground return wires are recommended where there is low rainfall, stony and dry soil conditions or where the ground is frequently frozen or snow covered. It's a good idea to install switches so that wires can be grounded when the grass is tall or other situations warrant.

The charger (or energizer) is the "heart" of the electric fence system. It converts main or battery power into a high voltage pulse or "shock" as felt by the animal when it touches the fence. In the past, electric fence chargers shorted out easily. Today's chargers are low impedance, meaning they are designed to effectively shock though vegetation and other foreign materials touching the fence. A 4,000 volt charger is sufficient for goats. The number of joules needed depends on the length of the fence, the number of electrified wires and the severity of conditions. A joule is the amount of energy released per pulse. As a general rule, 1 joule will power 6 miles of single fence wire; 4.5 joules is usually adequate for 20 to 50 acres. Lightening strikes can damage energizers. Surge protectors and lightening arrestors are recommended to minimize energizer damage.

Poor grounding is the leading cause of electric fence failures. An electric fence must be properly grounded so that the pulse can complete its circuit and give the animal an effective shock. It is important to follow manufacturer's instructions for grounding electric fences. A minimum of three ground rods should be used for each energizer. It is estimated that 80% of electric fences in the U.S. are improperly grounded.

An electric fence is a psychological barrier rather than a physical one. Animals must be trained to respect electric fence. Once trained, they should respect the fence even if it is off for any reason. A voltmeter measures the charge the fence delivers and is an inexpensive but useful tool for trouble shooting electric fence problems.

Electrifying one or more wires in a conventional non-electric fence will prevent stock from pushing through the fence. New fences will last almost twice as long if they have electrified offset wires attached to them. All single offset wires should be set at two thirds the height of the animal to be controlled. An electrified scare wire approximately 7 inches up and 5 to 7 inches away from the fence will give a coyote a strong shock and keep him from returning.

Temporary fences, also electric, go hand-in-hand with improved grazing management. There are various materials available for temporary electric fencing: light weight smooth wire, polywire, polytape, rope and flexible netting. Wind-up and reel systems are easy to move and install. Temporary electric fencing has the advantage in that it can be moved when weed pressure becomes too great on the fence. Cost and ease of use are the primary considerations when selecting temporary fence materials.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Mileage doesn't always mean zap. I've seen same brand chargers with identical miles on the shelf. One is rated for small animals and the other is rated for predators and large animals. The latter will deliver more zap.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

You MUST remember that in every length of Hot Tape or Hot Rope, there are 5-11 strands of steel wire....this DRASTICALLY increses the amount/distance of wire you are charging!! By 7 or 11 TIMES!!

I keep my goats in with 7 strands of thin white hot rope on those round fiberglass rods spaced at 8' apart.


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## Creamers (Aug 3, 2010)

My goats laugh at anything less than a 100 mi Zebara charger around my 15 fenced acres. lol.
I use 3 strand and if hot enough, it works well. A 10 mi, 30mi and 560mi simply did not do it - this new one is 6 joules, and it works
well.


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