# Trouble fencing nigerians?



## Barnhog (Feb 28, 2012)

I'm new here, but I've been lurking for a while and learning alot. I'm currently in a delima with my current goat fencing and setup. Right now I have 2 nigerian dwarfs, one alpine doe, all in milk, along with 3 babies, and a buck and wether. My boys stay in the barn and they are going to have a outdoor run area, so they are not the issue. But my 2 nigerian dwarf does will NOT stay in my current 4-strand electric fencing. I have tried moving the wires closer, got a new charger, and NOTHING will keep them in! They have about 2 1/2 acres to be in, but they just charge right through/under and don't get shocked until their head is already through. They are smart enough to know not to go up and just touch it. My fence tester ready 6,000 volts. So I don't think that's the issue, but who knows. I have toughed their noses to it, tried a dog shock collar to enforce the fence, to shock them right before they charge through the fence (It works as long as you are there to do it.), and nothing will keep them in. My alpine on the other hand will stay in no matter what, and is perfectly behaved. My mom really doesn't want to have to re-do the fencing, she already poured way more than I expected her to into it, but I don't know what else to do. Is there anything else I can try, or should I just move solely to alpines? I'd really hate to but it's either that or keep them up in the barn with a small paddock. And is there anything I can do to teach my nigi doeling to stay in?


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

Strands of electric wire NEVER kept in my mini goats. We went up to seven wires.

We switched to electric net fencing.

Goats - Premier1Supplies


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

You could leave the electric up & put up welded wire fencing on the outside of the electric. That way the nigerians can't get through & the electric will still keep the big & little goats from rubbing on the welded wire fence & ruining it.

Cattle panels are really the way to go but they are quite a bit as far as cost goes & if you have a large area to fence they will cost a lot.


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Add in more grounding rods. If you can run a line of grounding rods, then string wire between them and clip your electric fence ground to the wire so that it is grounded through all of the rods, it will increase the zap considerably.

If your ground is dry, run deeper rods. 3 ft rebar pounded in 2 1/2 feet works well. Rebar is super-cheap to free, depending upon where you get it.

That is the only thing I can think of without spending more money on fencing. If that doesn't work, well, you'll have to spend more money.

My Minis stay inside my electric fence.....but they have PLENTY of graze and food on my 10 acres. There is nothing on the other side of the fence that they couldn't get more easily on this side of the fence. I don't know your situation.


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

Never known anyone who had any form of mini goats that were able to keep them in consistently.

You'd think being smaller they would be EASIER to fence in but I can keep a standard size goat in with 2 or 3 strands of electric as long as they are conditioned to it but I have friends with minis with 7 strand fences and the still get out!

But what CalianneG said is true for all escaping goats. Goats are less likely to escape if they have enough to eat, a clean dry place to lay down, clean water and enough square foot per animal INSIDE their enclosure.


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## mrs.H (Mar 6, 2003)

Sorry, no help here. We ran 5 foot horse fence. No escapes yet!


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

We only have NDs and don't use electric fencing. We just got regular goat fencing and haven't had any problems with them getting out except for the one time DH left the gate open. Fortunately, the goat pen is enclosed in a fenced yard, so they weren't hard to round up.


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## Ford Zoo (Jan 27, 2012)

I've got ND's and if they can fit their head thru, they are out in an instant. I havn't had to try electric with them YET, but learned the hard way with welded wire. They rub on it, break the welds, and get out. Took me days of watching to find a few holes. I wonder if you put up something affordable on the outside of the hot wire, more of a visual and something to slow them down? I've read of hog farmers using snow fence or welded wire outside of the multi strand hot wire to keep hogs in. Just a thought.


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

Hollowdweller said:


> Never known anyone who had any form of mini goats that were able to keep them in consistently.


We can, but we have a very unusual fence.

When we first got our NDs, we had three-board horse fence. We lined it with cattle panels but found very quickly that the goats could fit their heads through the 4"x4" openings and get stuck. So we lined the cattle panels with welded wire.

Sooo...we have a three layer fence of horse fence/cattle panel/welded wire, but we haven't had a single escape in 5 years. 

Of course, now that I've said that...:shocked:


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## Guest123 (Oct 10, 2006)

Our Nigerians have about 2 acres of pasture that I have divided into four seperate paddocks so I can rotate them. Around the outside of the whole pasture is 4 board wood fence lined now with cattle panels. I also used cattle panels for cross sections. I think it took around 120 panels if I remember correctly. Well worth it as they never get out...unless I screw up and don't latch the gates.


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## Barnhog (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks for all the reply's. Right now they are fairly content during the day, they have over 2 acres to roam in, and a 3 sided run in shelter, but come around 6 pm (I milk at 6:30am&pm), they are out of there. :shocked: They are getting out on the side towards the barn. I would like to add some "real" fencing, but that is going to cost a lot. I'll look into some more grounding rods and maybe some panels around the escape zones. Their barn and pasture are not connected, and cannot be because our driveway is in between. I put them up in the barn at night, and lead them to the pasture in the morning after milking.


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## luvzmybabz (Sep 8, 2008)

If possible it you might try evening milking around the time they escape they may be wanting to go to the barn? I have one smallish (full size breed) wether that wiggles in between pens as there is one 6 inch section cut out of the cattle panel so he ends up going through a 12"X6" hole I say smallish but it is amazing to watch him get through there have been contemplating trying to get a video to show people what they mean by, If it doesn't hold water it will not hold goats. We purchased cattle panels and increase size of pen a little more when we get our taxes.

Now I have had some issues with two-legged varmits taking fences down but everyone knows where the food is so they stay close, they have never even gone itno front yard area.

Do you feed your goats after putting them in the barn for the night?


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## Barnhog (Feb 28, 2012)

I'll have to try that. And I feed the does on the milk stand, while I'm milking. I tend to bottle the babies while they are in the pasture, but once their internal clock tells them to escape, it's hard to keep them in long enough if they were already out to bottle them out there. And I do think they are escaping to go to the barn.


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## mabeane (Jun 5, 2010)

I have only used combination panels with my NDs and have no escapes. NDs do not need a large area so perhaps you could use combipanels within the 2 acre piece and move every couple of days. Four panels are easy to move with two people.


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## wintrrwolf (Sep 29, 2009)

I always found my nigi and pygmy were the escape artists, my standards respected the wire. Only once did my Saanen go through the wire and that was when the neighbors dog attacked. My Mini goats are more apt to finding a way out of anything! You can run your gound wire along the same posts as your hotwire. TSC has a help center that shows you that...you should get a better zap to any area they try, plus you might consider battens in between ...make it harder for them to push thru the wires.
How to Install an Electric Fence | Tractor Supply
scroll down to almost the bottom of the page


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

Mine (pygmys) get out nearly every day from some new hole they find. I am tempted to just leave the gate open and make it easier for them (not really, lol). They tend to stay right around the barn but eat all the brambles and yummy greens from the woods surrounding it. When I show up they run and duck back under, then come up to the gate as if I didn't see them. No matter what I do, they find a new spot. We are going to run a strand of electric near the bottom.

The only time I had a problem was when ******, Boar/Angora wether, was jumping the fence and coercing them to crawl under for adventures. He was a bit more adventurous and would go up towards the road, taking them with him. Poor Sammy sheep can't climb under and can't jump over, so they just left him baa-ing his fool head off inside the fence.


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## KareninPA (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm in the same boat! When we first got our Nigies, my husband added lines to our barn paddock, from 3 (we only had horses before), to 9 strands. We had a couple of initial escapes while they were learning, but no escapes for 2 years now. Then I put electric netting around another small area, and that works great, but I had always wanted to rewire the 2 horse pastures for the goats (they LOVE being with the horses). So I started with the small pasture (maybe an acre), spent 2 days doing it. I have 3 strands below my knee, and the 3 girls keep going under! They're fine as long as nothing draws them out (usually feeding time when I'm in the barn getting it ready!) but they can't be trusted. I think I'll try the extra grounding rods for more zap. I was trying not to spend money, but if I have to, I'll put woven wire around the outside. It'll be worth it in the end - they're so happy out there and they get so much more exercise! Meanwhile the horses would respect a single strand of dental floss, darn goats!gre:


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## KareninPA (Jan 7, 2010)

Another funny thing - our chickens are free range, but we cut a tiny hole in the gate to their coop pen area so the goats couldn't get to their food - but - our smallest Nigie wiggles herself through!!! Shocking. It's like 8 x 10"!


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## mammabooh (Sep 1, 2004)

KareninPA said:


> Another funny thing - our chickens are free range, but we cut a tiny hole in the gate to their coop pen area so the goats couldn't get to their food - but - our smallest Nigie wiggles herself through!!! Shocking. It's like 8 x 10"!


I had to make my little chicken door 5 1/2 inches square, because my full-grown Nigerian Dwarf could fit through it before that. I started with it about 12 inches square, and kept making it smaller until she could no longer fit. It's so small that the chickens have to shove their way through it! I should find the picture I have of it...it's just ridiculous how tiny the hole is now.

Edited to add...here ya go...a picture of Miss Mudge sticking her head into the coop. Believe it or not, SHE could fit through the opening too before I made it smaller (she's a Lamancha/Toggenburg). I was astounded. I was in there one day, and she just squeezed herself right in there to join me!


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