# grass for goat pen



## stevin (Jan 4, 2010)

hello,
Im new to raising goats and Im trying to research as much as possible. this past fall I started my landscaping project and cleared an area in my yard that was wooded. now this spring once the ground thaws Im planning on putting up a fence for a goat pen that will be roughly 40' x 40'. as of now the area is just dirt and will need to be filled, graded and then have some loam brought in.
now Im wondering if there is a preferred type of grass that i should plant that will withstand the hoof traffic and also that the goats will be able to graze on?

thanx,
stevin


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## mully (Jan 4, 2010)

They have not developed hoof proof grass yet  especially when it gets wet.  40 x40 is not that big but try a good pasture seed. TS sells seed in the spring or you could order from Pleasant Valley in CA ...they sell many varieties that suit your weather conditions


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## cmjust0 (Jan 4, 2010)

Astroturf? 

Seriously, though..  If I were you, I'd focus on drainage and preventing erosion, working under the assumption that the lot will never have any meaningful vegetation on it.  If you have very many goats at all, it'll end up a dry lot because what they don't eat, they'll trample.  If it doesn't drain well, you'll have a 40x40 mudhole...if it slopes too hard in one spot, it'll erode to nothing.. 

Gravel...riprap...perforated pipe...gutters on shelter roofing...terracing, if it's hilly..  Those things are ultimately going to be more important than the vegetation, in my opinion.


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## stevin (Jan 4, 2010)

astroturf!!!!!!
drainage is one of the main reasons for the landscaping project.
after fill and loam the grade will have a slight pitch to divert any rainwater . the pitch will be so slight that it will be barely noticable. 
i hear ya, 40 x 40 is not all that big but for now that is what i'm going to be fencing off. i'm only planning on having 2-3 goats, is 40 x 40 really undersized? what would my minimum square footage be per goat. would having smaller breed goats require less square footage?

ah sweet!!! so i can go and buy a pasture seed mix..awesome!


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## freemotion (Jan 4, 2010)

Can you fence into the woods?  Goats love to browse in the woods!


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## stevin (Jan 4, 2010)

you know i was thinking that.........!
i was thinking that i can take some field fencing and running it tree to tree. would that work? 

i mentioned it earlier, but is there a rule thumb as too how much square footage per goat? pasture & housing

thanks again everyone!


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## luvmycritters42 (Jan 4, 2010)

We have 2 Nubians in a 40x40 area. It started out with lots of brush and some small trees.....now it is mostly dirt. We tossed in some pasture grass seed last year. It never really "took" though.... Mostly it got trampled. The space seems to be a fine size for them, but they do LOVE it when we let them come out to browse through the woods on the rest of the property.


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## freemotion (Jan 4, 2010)

My "sacrifice area" for 4 goats and some chickens and two turkeys is about 75' x 80' and can get pretty bare pretty quickly if I have to keep them in it.  It is the small area near the barn, and there is a gate into the larger pasture.  It is really good to have a smaller area that you can lock them up in while you work on fence repairs and pasture maintenence and such.  Your 40 x 40 is a good start while you fence in your woods! 

You could go tree to tree, but I would staple the fencing to a board and screw that to the tree.  Otherwise, the tree will lift the fence as it grows, and the wire will become embedded in the tree eventually.  You can just shift the boards as needed.  Pressure treated will last a long time.

You can also drive t-posts in between the tree roots, but trust me on this one, you won't be able to space them evenly.  You will keep hitting roots and having to move a few inches until it goes in!   But once your animals are out there, you'll only have eyes for them, and won't notice the fences.....I hope. 

We have a terrible coyote problem here and also loose dogs on occasion, so I don't dare let my goats into the unfenced woods unless I am right with them at all times.  They can nibble themselves lost quite quickly.


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## stevin (Jan 5, 2010)

i wanna thank everyone for their input!!!!!!
i'm gathering some great ideas! 

now i have a few questions on fencing but i'll start a completely new thread since this one was originally about what type of grass to use.

if everything goes as planned, which it most likely won't, i will have the loam graded and the pasture seed mix planted in early spring and then once the grass has become established then i'll bring the goats home. i'm still kickin myself for not thinking about expanding into the woods sooner....duh....
on the bright side, it's still not too late.


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