# Goat jumping fence  - how to configure electric fence?



## msjuris (Dec 22, 2010)

My escape artist doe has decided to renew her efforts.  We have a 20' X 60' X 4' woven wire pen and a sloped yard.  She found a low spot in the pen and has figured out that she can jump the fence at that spot.  She is the only one who can jump the fence.  However, if she gets out, her BFF will run and jump into the fence until they are reunited.

My husband decided that a hot wire around the top of the fence would deter the doe from jumping over.  However, without the doe actually touching the earth, there is no ground and thus no shock.  

We bought the Zareba .05 Joule/6Volt  3 mile low Impedence Solar Powered Electric Fence Controler and already ran the wire along the top of the fence.  We haven't installed the fencer or the ground wire.  Any suggestions on how to configure the hot or ground wire to ensure a shock when the doe is in mid air would be appreciated.  

Thanks, again.


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## patandchickens (Dec 22, 2010)

Saying this from horse and sheep experience not goats, but just making the fence taller in that location would probably be more effective. A hotwire will not keep true jumpers in (not the electrified-ness of it, anyhow... the sight of something ill-defined and hard-to-see-clearly up there will discourage some animals, but in that case it does not have to be electrified).

Electric would be more appropriate IMO if she was climbing the fence, or jumping upwards and then clambering over the top of the fence. In both of those cases, as long as the fence mesh is well-grounded, the animal gets a zap even if it's just touching fencewire not soil at the time it hits the hotwire.

You can use 2x4s and some fence mesh (could even be plastic snow fencing, it just needs to look like something's there) to extend the fence higher in that location. If it can tip inwards a little bit, so much the better in terms of deterring jumping animals. Just wire or screw the 2x4s to the existing fenceposts so that they stick up the right height, and add your extra mesh.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat


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## msjuris (Dec 22, 2010)

Can the actual fence serve as the "ground"?  The bottom of the fence was sunk into the ground only by about 2-3"  If I ran the ground wire from the 6' spikes to the fence and then to the conroller, it could serve as the ground and hopefully she would get a shock if she touched both the fence and the top wire.  Big "If"  

However, just having the extra wire along the top might just prevent her from trying to jump any way.  Maybe I could just run a second wire between the top of the fence and the "hot" wire as an added visual deterent.

Thanks 'patandchickens'


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## ohiofarmgirl (Dec 22, 2010)

try putting one at nose level on the inside of the fence. pretty soon they'll be all 'hey whats that?' and then get a good hard zap right on the nose. thats how we keep ours in.

if that doesnt work you might also try putting the electric out a bit from the fence with the idea that sure they can jump up and over but jumping FAR and then up and over is a trickier thing.

i'm sure you'll get some other ideas too. 

i know its awfully frustrating - just hang in there until you've got it figured out.


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## msjuris (Dec 22, 2010)

Well I went out and unleased my escape artist.  I had her leashed inside the pen for the past 2 days.  She could get to food, water and shelter, but couldn't get to the low spot on the fence to jump.

We have just one strand of the wire strung around the top of the fence, its not hooked up so she won't get shocked if she hits it, but she hasn't tried to jump over yet.  Hopefully, the added visual of that one wire might be enough to deter her from trying to jump it.  Hopefully it will deter her long enough for me to finish installing the fencer.


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## glenolam (Dec 22, 2010)

Unfortunately, I highly doubt the mere presence of the wire will deter her.  Even if they are exposed to electric fencing 24/7 (like mine are), they will test the lines from time to time to see if they are live or not.

There's really no way to ensure a line that high will shock her if she's in mid air.  If you try to hook it up to the fence itself, you'll end up shorting your line and make the entire thing worthless.

I have a larger area for my goats and had to buy the biggest 50-mi charger out there because mine constantly got out.  Makes me wonder if the 3 mi one would even shock them...have you gotten an output for it?  I bought one of those $11 fence testers from TSC and mine reads over 5000v in every location of the fence which is exactly what you want.  If your 3 mi charger is only putting out 2000v or something under 5000 you may want to return it and either get a stronger one - and put an additional wire nose height throughout the inside of their pen - or just make the fence higher in that area (which may be cheaper to do anyway).

ETA - You could make the nose-level wire hot and make the wire at the top of the fence non-electrified (I think you were getting to that in a previous post).  If the charger you already have is pushing out the appropriate voltage, that'd be the best way as adding a line is going to decrease the whack she would get had you only had one line.  She'd get hit by the nose-line and not even try to jump over it because she'd think the top is hot too.


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## patandchickens (Dec 22, 2010)

msjuris said:
			
		

> Can the actual fence serve as the "ground"?


Certainly, as long as it is reasonably well grounded AND the animal touches both at once. They will if they are climbing the fence; they won't if they are sailing over like deer.  

If you really want to put an electric "wire" up there rather than making the fence taller in that spot, may I suggest you use electric tape instead of wire, because it is much more visible and therefore more of a deterrent. Put a twist in it every 3-4 feet or so (that is, if your fenceposts/insulators are 12 feet apart, put 3-4 twists in the tape between insulators), which is more than you'd usually do just to shed wind and prevent flapping but seems to make it a bit more obvious to animals.

Pat


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## KinderKorner (Dec 22, 2010)

I have escape artist goats too.

An electric wire on top with work only if they are climbing up. It won't shock them in mid air.

I use 2"x4" 4' high fencing with electric tape on top. As someone said before tape is much better. Just being able to see something up there may keep some goats down.

If they are sailing over without contacting the non electric part of the fence then I suggest putting an electric strand about 1-2 ft inside the main fence. This will keep them backed up enough to not be able to jump the distance over.

Good luck. 

I got electric on mine now. They don't jump over anymore. But you have to maintain it! Keep it tight, keep it on, they will no when they have a chance to escape.

Now my goats don't jump over. They just dig out. 

I have a goat out right now that hasn't been in for over a week. She will literately dig under. It's harder-impossible on the 2"x4" fencing. But she has figured out the little bit of chainlink I used in a place is more stretchy and she can dig and squeeze enough to get out. 



Eh. Goats. I've never been able to keep them in more than a month or so at a time. They eventually bust something down, dig, jump, climb. Then you have to fix it again. It's an on going problem.

Of course my escape goat was a pet that lived inside for months and she doesn't understand that she has to stay with the other inferior goats now. I really don't have trouble with the other goats, except the occasional fence repair. Once they taste freedom it's hard to keep them in.


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## msjuris (Dec 22, 2010)

glenolam said:
			
		

> If your 3 mi charger is only putting out 2000v or something under 5000 you may want to return it and either get a stronger one - and put an additional wire nose height throughout the inside of their pen - or just make the fence higher in that area (which may be cheaper to do anyway).
> 
> ETA - You could make the nose-level wire hot and make the wire at the top of the fence non-electrified (I think you were getting to that in a previous post).  If the charger you already have is pushing out the appropriate voltage, that'd be the best way as adding a line is going to decrease the whack she would get had you only had one line.  She'd get hit by the nose-line and not even try to jump over it because she'd think the top is hot too.


I think this thing only puts out something like 2-3,000v (can't remember what the guy at TSC told me).  I have a voltmeter to test it, I just haven't gotten it hooked up yet.  

I did go out and run a second line between the top of the fence and the first wire I ran.  So I now have a wire at 5 " and 12" from the top of the fence.  

I stopped to take my 3 y.o. potty and as I was walking up to the house saw the darn goat try to jump between the top of the fence and the first wire, which caused the wire to pop out of the connector at one point.  It kept her in, just barely.  She did touch both the bottom wire and the fence at the same time, so I think once I get it hooked up it should work.  That is, if its a strong enough charge and a good enough ground.    

Fencing has been the most expensive and frustrating learning experience in this entire adventure.   But goats are well worth the price, especially when they call to you and nuzzle you and generally act like you are the most wonderful person in the world.


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## msjuris (Dec 22, 2010)

KinderKorner said:
			
		

> Eh. Goats. I've never been able to keep them in more than a month or so at a time. They eventually bust something down, dig, jump, climb. Then you have to fix it again. It's an on going problem.


I'm learning this lesson.  Everytime I think I've outsmarted her (its only the one) she figures out another way to escape.


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