# Electric fence not good for goats?



## Mango (Jul 21, 2011)

I have 3 pygmy does and one wether.  I had an estimate for extending my chain link fencing yesterday and that won't be happening at $5000-$6000! I will be pricing other options doing it ourselves and would prefer chain link. 
Another option was electric but after some reading on here it seems like a waste of time for goats. 
Is there not any success with goats and hot wire?


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## DonnaBelle (Jul 21, 2011)

We have 3 strand heavy tensile electric wire fence for our goats.  No problem.  

They do figure it out and do not like to be shocked.  We have 7,000 volts going thru it.

We have a friend who has cattle on the other end of the ranch and he has his cows trained to electric fencing.  Works for cows too.

Electric is very much cheaper than chain link.  Plus it's movable and easy to install.

DonnaBelle


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## Mango (Jul 21, 2011)

Oh yeah, glad you have good luck!  How many feet do you have? I have 800 feet that I need to run.


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## 20kidsonhill (Jul 21, 2011)

We have 3 strands on part of our fencing, and most the time they stay in, Have to keep it working well.  I would say 4 strands would be much better. But once a goat decides it can keep going under it or over it, then it becomes a real problem, We had one doe, that we had to keep in the part of our field with no electric, she kept jumping the electric, but it isn't as high as our field fencing. I would say you want to go atleast 42" high, our electric is much lower than that.  Maybe only 32" in spots. It is on our project list to fix it. 

I guess it would also depend on where your goats go after they get out, can you take a chance of them getting out, we are way off the road, so an occasional goat out isn't the end of the world, maybe the end of my vegetable garden.


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## Mango (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm a dead end rd and don't think they'd go far. If I do electric, I don't think I'd let them stay in the area when I'm not home until I know for sure they're not gonna test it. We also want to add a gate in the chain link that goes to the other 1/2 acre. Then a night they can come back to my backyard where it's safe from night time predators.


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## Hillsvale (Jul 21, 2011)

I have field fencing and barb wire but a friend up the road runs three strands which keeps in her goats and llamas... BUT, the goats figured out immediately that there the insulatd handles were wasn't charged and kept getting out so they added a little charged dangly bit there and no escapees since.


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## ohiofarmgirl (Jul 21, 2011)

> Is there not any success with goats and hot wire?


oh heck yah!  we run hotwire on the inside of field fencing. works great!

and remember that not only do you want to keep your goaties IN but you want to keep predators OUT - so electric is a great solution.


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## Mango (Jul 21, 2011)

Alright Great! Pricing what I need now. I have a fence charger but will get a stronger one.


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## kstaven (Jul 24, 2011)

I used a hot wire to stop goats from going under the fence. Turned it off two years ago and they still don't try.


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## freemotion (Jul 24, 2011)

I didn't have success with just hot wire but  I live in a close suburban neighborhood and on a very busy road and I didn't continue trying to make it work by making adjustments.  When the neighbor had one of my goats IN HIS HOUSE I put up field fencing with electric on top.


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## redtailgal (Jul 24, 2011)

.


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## freemotion (Jul 24, 2011)

Yes, the back door was open and the man and his son were working on a car in the front.  Boy went in for water and my goat was in his kitchen.  Full-size Saanen doe.  I never asked what clean-up was needed.....  just finished the fence in a hurry!  They have a good sense of humor and used to have goats,  thank goodness.  This past winter a doeling somehow got out....must've gotten bonked and popped over a low spot (snow and ice) in the four foot fence.  She was "knocking" on the neighbor's door (same neighbor) after 11 PM, standing up and looking in the window and pawing to get his attention.   Poor thing was very cold and frightened and had lost her voice by that time.  He put her in my yard and then came to tell me.....good neighbor!

Hence the expression....if your fence will hold water, it MIGHT hold goats!


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## Mango (Jul 30, 2011)

How hard is it to cut through high tensile? Will it light someone up?

My hubby reminded me of someone that kept cutting the wire when I had an electric fence running around my front yard b/c my neighbors dog was after my chickens, pooping in my front yard and on my porch.

We also have teenagers that like to party in the "crater"(pond that holds no water). When I had wire running across the front of it, they cut it. They even took all my no trespassing signs. That's the whole area I want to run high tensile for the goats.


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