# Question about goat fencing



## bradley

Hey folks, 

I have an unusual question about goat fencing, wondering if any of you can help. I have a 3.5 acre wetland where I graze goats during the summer months. It's very overgrown and shrubby so there is plenty of forage. It has a secure 5-strand high-tensile electric fence around the perimeter. However, there are a couple small areas within the fence that I would like to fence off, to keep the goats out - both about 10x10 square. 

I'm wondering if I could just use some 5' or 6' welded wire fencing or plastic netting for this, or whether the goats will bust through. Would they really care enough, since it's such a small area and they have plenty of food? Does anyone have experience with something like this, or general advice? 

Thanks so much for your help.


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## Mike CHS

We have 5' wire around our fruit trees and it's kept them off the trees so the same should work for your wet area.


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## sprocket

My experience with welded wire fencing is that they'll stand on it and break the welds.  I'd go with woven wire, if feasible.  I generally assume that if there's something to stand on, they'll most definitely stand on it, and that I should build it to either prevent standing or make it durable enough to withstand it.


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## sawfish99

Woven wire would definitely be better.  Stock panels would be the easiest, but more costly.  Don't bother with the plastic.


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## Southern by choice

welded wire...not good  This was just a divider... everything we have is woven wire field fencing. This has been replaced. :/


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## OneFineAcre

sprocket said:
			
		

> My experience with welded wire fencing is that they'll stand on it and break the welds.  I'd go with woven wire, if feasible.  I generally assume that if there's something to stand on, they'll most definitely stand on it, and that I should build it to either prevent standing or make it durable enough to withstand it.


I have welded wire fencing and I am constantly patching because like you said, they stand on it and break the welds.  Hind site is 20/20.

It would probably work for such a small area, I guess depending on how interested the goats are in what it is you are trying to keep them away from.


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## bradley

Thanks y'all, this is extremely helpful! I'm so glad I stumbled on this online community. You have probably already saved us a lot of trouble. . . 

maybe i can hit you up for one more piece of advice: do you think I can use T-posts to put in the woven wire? I'm reading that you need stronger anchor posts for corners, but since it's not the "main" fence. . . do you think that is necessary? 

Thanks!!


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## SheepGirl

We've used T posts for woven wire. We also used regular wooden posts.

With wooden posts, I feel that you can make the wire tighter, more secure. Mainly because it seems like you have more leverage when tightening the wire.





With T-posts, if you're just putting the fence up real quick, it will be very loose and won't take much for critters to go under or over it (of course whenever we use T posts, we use zip ties instead of wire to hold the fence to the post, since that's usually what we have on hand). When the sheep started going under the fence to go back to the barn they had lived at for 2-6+ years, we had to put in step in posts in between the T posts. You can kind of see it in this photo. You can also see how much the fence is sagging because of the pushing against it from the sheep and also because we didn't properly tighten it. Just wanted to get it put up because the sheep had to move in that night.










I just recently put in this new pen with my dad's help -- well, who am I kidding? My dad did all the work while I supervised   Okay, anyway, lol, we put in a wooden post for the gate, but otherwise we used T posts, even on the one corner. We did tighten the fence, however my grandfather was out there helping again and he put the wire on the OUTSIDE of the fence instead of inside  and Hank (my ram) started going under the fence AGAIN. The wire became loose and it is now being tied to the T posts with baling twine.





I guess what I'm trying to say is:
1) Use wooden posts if you can afford it. They are much stronger and will probably last a lot longer.
2) Do not use zip ties. When attaching woven wire to the T-posts, get wire you can tie it with. I think they make T post clips--so you could use those also.
3) When installing the fence, put the woven wire on the inside of the fence. Like this:


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## bradley

This is super helpful. Thank you so much. One final question, if I may - can you turn corners with the woven wire fence, or do you have to cut it and attach each side separately? Just trying to plan out how this is going to go. . .


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## sprocket

bradley said:
			
		

> This is super helpful. Thank you so much. One final question, if I may - can you turn corners with the woven wire fence, or do you have to cut it and attach each side separately? Just trying to plan out how this is going to go. . .


I've only made really long pulls (ie. the length of or longer than a roll) so we cut and attach each section separately.  I prefer to have mine tight and use a home-made tensioner made from angle iron and a bit of chain that we attach to the tractor (or probably a pick up truck even) to pull it tight.

The tighter you have it, the less it'll sag over time.  If you're going to turn corners, you're probably not going to be able to get it that tight.

I would also recommend an offset strand of electric in front of the mesh to discourage them from standing on it.


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## MDres

bradley said:
			
		

> This is super helpful. Thank you so much. One final question, if I may - can you turn corners with the woven wire fence, or do you have to cut it and attach each side separately? Just trying to plan out how this is going to go. . .


On our property, every corner is made with big wood posts - 8" rounds. Usually between 5-7 of them for each corner. I wish I had a picture.... but basically it is a post at the corner, a post 4' out on each side from the corner, and then horizontal braces, and on long runs, horizontal AND diagonal braces. We use LOTS of staples, and put them at intersections of the woven wire. That way it cannot slip up/down or back/forth. We also put wooden H-braces every 150' or so along the lines. The rest is T-posts with 5 wire clips per post. 

So, yes, we turn corners with the fence, because we have so much "wood" to anchor it to with staples that it is very secure. When we do end a line, it gets wrapped 360* around the post with lots of staples. So far, the fence has withstood 13 years of Oklahoma weather, including a tornado that took the roof of the house off. But the fence stood.


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## Southern by choice

Having a TIGHT fence will save you LOTS of headaches! 

We don't use the 8" posts some posts are 6" some smaller areas are 4"

Our fences hold Kiko Meat Goats and also LaMancha and Nigerian Dwarf Goats as well as Livestock Guardian Dogs (and 2 sheep  )

Corners






Small corners





Hand stretched fence with T-post for the long stretch, hotwire at the top





Fence stretching with tractor


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## mtocih

Southern by choice, I noticed that some of your corner posts were braced with angled posts.  I am not sure what animals you have that are penned in there, but I was wondering if they ever uses the angled board to jump out?  I am wondering if our goats will?  My husband just did one of our fences yesterday and did not prepare for the posts on the corners to lean any.  So was planning to brace them this way now.  Just trying to make sure it is the best idea.


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## bjjohns

Just a suggestion. Since you have high tensile electric down there, why not take a run off that to the area you want to fence, slap in some t-posts or fiberglass posts, and fence the area that way? We do -some- of our rotational grazing this way and it seems to work pretty well.


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