# Backyard Goats-- Fencing?



## cozycritters

We have .2 acres and a backyard, in which we have eight hens, three ducks, a goose, and two miniature goats. We've been seriously considering selling our little goats, as, no matter what my DH builds, they escape any pen.

I've said 'electric' a million times, but he's not interested.

So, tips on being able to keep them in so I don't have to completely  give them up? We have access to loads of chicken wire, t-posts, some wood, and chain link fencing. What we don't have is gates  (I'm sure that's part of the problem)

TIA!


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## helmstead

Chain link works IF you have a bottom tube on it.  Otherwise they just stick their heads under there and push it up.

We use dog fence (2x4" welded or woven) with good results.  They'll find holes, inevitably, and we fill those with rocks.  

Chicken wire will not hold a goat.


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## cozycritters

Thanks...

Yeah, I've been telling DH that the chicken wire won't work (I know goats, he does't) but he's been doing things his way, which is resulting in him wanting to sell the goats.

Thanks again for the advice!


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## wynedot55

ive got a 4ft chainlink fence.an my dang billy jumps it anytime he wants.so weve been raising the fence with welded 2 by 4 welded wire.so we raised the fence up to a tad over 6ft tall.


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## Crest Acres Girl

I know a friend that trained their goats not to jump fences, eat fruit trees and jump on people by using a dog shock collar.


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## wynedot55

my wild billy will jump up an paw me.he will try to hitt me with his horns.he will rubb his horns up an down my legs.so i catch his horns an put him down on the ground.


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## Rence

I have two fields for my goats.

One field is all electric. The parameter is seven strands of hotwire, the middle (it's partitioned) is five strands.  I've had one get out of it twice because I took electric off the bottom strand and she ate herself out of the pen and then found herself panicked because she separated herself from the rest, who wouldn't dare follow her. Reconnecting the bottom strand kept everyone in again.

The other field is enclosed in cattle panel. It worked great to keep them in, but the babies would be able to wander out, so I reinforced it with 2x4 inch welded wire. If I had to do it again, I would have used goat panel to keep the adults heads in, and the baby bodies in. And the dogs heads out, of course 

But seriously, in both fields, I can count on one hand how many times they've gotten out. I'm very happy with it. They've never ever left the property.


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## freemotion

I live in suburbia with 4 goats.  We have 4' woven wire horse fence with a strand of electric tape on top.  No one gets out.  They would shred chicken wire with their little hoofies if you used that.  Mine shredded a small section of welded wire that I used to enclose the compost pile, by climbing it to reach overhanging branches.

Gates are easy to build, even a girl can do it , I did!  And I lined the gate with more horse fence and use chains and snaps to latch all the gates.  No escapes.  The only time I had goats escape from my fence, and fortunately into my own yard, was when I was sick with the flu and did not latch both latches on the gate after feeding.  Cold winter night, and two goatie-girls were peeking in the living room window, saying, "Hey!  We want to curl up on the couch in front of the fire and watch some tube with y'all!"


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## cozycritters

It's not so much 'girl can't build a gate' but more of 'girl is seven months pregnant and it's 104 degrees out ' 

My two girls are miniature-milkers (Nigerian Dwarf/Milker crosses), so fencing that wouldn't keep a kid in, wouldn't work for them. We've had one of them climb the fence and get out. She also appeared on top of a ten foot cinder block wall, which we're still trying to figure out 

My girls are well-behaved, they just hate being enclosed.


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## Farmer Kitty

Congratuations and at 104 out I won't give you a hard time about not building the gate. I have 2 DD's and know how the heat can zap you!

What if at the top of the fence you add a section laying flat and going inside? Like a partial roof? Make it wide enough to make it difficult for them to get around. We had to do that with a dog that would jump a 6' fence, without a running headstart.


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## Chirpy

There's already great ideas for fencing above.  I'm just wondering... do they have 'toys' to climb on and keep them busy?  Sometimes that will help keep goats from wanting to go find something to do.   Some goats just seem to think it's their mission in life to get "OUT"!


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## cozycritters

Yeah, they have climbing toys, a tree to chew on, and everything, they are just very insistent that they should be on the porch looking in my door maa-ing at me all day 

We're going to try covering the top (we've done this for our garden) and to see if that helps.

We have the one ultra-smart goat who just finds weak areas and escapes and then the nut who will jump and jump and jump against every surface until something gives and she's out. She seems to have no sense of self-preservation at all.


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## wynedot55

cozycritters said:
			
		

> Yeah, they have climbing toys, a tree to chew on, and everything, they are just very insistent that they should be on the porch looking in my door maa-ing at me all day
> 
> We're going to try covering the top (we've done this for our garden) and to see if that helps.
> 
> We have the one ultra-smart goat who just finds weak areas and escapes and then the nut who will jump and jump and jump against every surface until something gives and she's out. She seems to have no sense of self-preservation at all.


sounds like she is the same as my billy.we finally turned him loose in the pen.so we will see if he stays put.or finds a new way out.


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## cozycritters

Well, we built Alcatraz... three layers of chain link, covered on top, completely surrounded on all sides...

Went to the store to get some feed, came back and they were on the front porch again.

Thinking teleportation?????


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## Rence

can you take a picture of that?

Yeah, I don't know how they're getting out of that. Time to set up a nanny cam


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## FarmerMack

I use a four ft welded wire fencing with a double ribbon of electric fence at the top. the new kids all have touched the electric ribbon at least once after that they respect electricity. I tend to unplug the electric ribbon but not always, but once they get zapped they never go near it again. But don't be fooled goats are expert escape artists and will find any flaw in your fencing.

Farmer Mack


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## FarmerMack

cozycritters said:
			
		

> Well, we built Alcatraz... three layers of chain link, covered on top, completely surrounded on all sides...
> 
> Went to the store to get some feed, came back and they were on the front porch again.
> 
> Thinking teleportation?????


Damn that Scotty and his teleporter


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## nightshade

we use dog kennels and live stock fencing. Making sure the fence is fastened to the posts really well is a must no matter what type of fence you use I think.


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## nightshade

Crest Acres Girl said:
			
		

> I know a friend that trained their goats not to jump fences, eat fruit trees and jump on people by using a dog shock collar.


now that is a good idea Hubby has to training collars maybe I should think of borrowing one. I wonder if it would work for breaking a billy of being mean to every other goat he comes in contact with.?


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## freemotion

If you are quick on the trigger and he doesn't know you are there, he will get a negative association with that behavior.  It is like the hand of God!  Give him a quick zap when he does the behavior a couple of times, then time it so when he is making his very first move to try it again, zap him.  But, every single zap needs to be righteous, or you can create a neurotic animal.  Use the lowest setting that gets a reaction.  Try to get it done in one session so he doesn't learn that he only gets the negative reinforcement when the collar is on, and that he is free to be his bad ol' self when the collar is off.

In the right hands, it is no different from an electric fence.  No more cruel.  The animal learns that if he touches the fence, he gets a zap.  So he doesn't touch the fence and he is safe.  If he bonks another goat with his horns, he gets zapped.  Same thing.  He stops the behavior, and stays out of the freezer, and the herd remains uninjured.

He must not see you and associate it with your presence, though.  So no giggling, either!


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## nightshade

just like you would use it to break a dog then pretty much.. hmm I will have to give it a try


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## Afrohippie

freemotion said:


> I live in suburbia with 4 goats.  We have 4' woven wire horse fence with a strand of electric tape on top.  No one gets out.  They would shred chicken wire with their little hoofies if you used that.  Mine shredded a small section of welded wire that I used to enclose the compost pile, by climbing it to reach overhanging branches.
> 
> Gates are easy to build, even a girl can do it , I did!  And I lined the gate with more horse fence and use chains and snaps to latch all the gates.  No escapes.  The only time I had goats escape from my fence, and fortunately into my own yard, was when I was sick with the flu and did not latch both latches on the gate after feeding.  Cold winter night, and two goatie-girls were peeking in the living room window, saying, "Hey!  We want to curl up on the couch in front of the fire and watch some tube with y'all!"




Can someone show me a picture of horse wire and maybe a link to some..?


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## Latestarter

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/red-brand-woven-field-fence-39-in-h?cm_vc=-10005

Edit: Oops wrong stuff. This is woven wire, but NOT horse fence...


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## babsbag

@Latestarter...that is field fence. Horse fence is non-climb. 2x4 squares.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/non-climb-horse-fence-48-in-x-100-ft?cm_vc=-10005

You want to make sure it is woven and not welded. You want 2x4 squares or 4x4 (sheep and goat fence) and you want it at least 48" tall.  There are other brands too, I have used it from Lowe's, TSC, and our local store...all appears to be the same.


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## kccjer

We tried welded wire.  One of my nigerians can break thru it in less than 5 minutes!  We tried cattle panels and combination panels.  The ND babies can crawl right thru those.  Utility panels are 4 In square and work pretty good.  We are using wooden pallets right now for a lot of our fencing....horses and goats.  You can usually find pallets for free which makes it pretty cheap.  We did have a boer buck with horns that rammed his way thru some of our pallets so that doesn't seem to work for bucks.


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## goats&moregoats

@kccjer  glad to see I am not the only one putting pallets to use...I did a much larger area...took me just about all summer as I was 50 at the time and doing it myself. Works great for my goats including my horned wether who thinks he is tough. Use it for my two sheep as well.  Hot wire top & bottom for my dogs.


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## kccjer

We have a larger area fenced in but that was the best pic I had of the fencing (that I could find anyway  LOL)  We fenced in a windbreak also.  We just did straight line with a t post every 2 pallets.  I was wondering if it would be stronger if we did it the way you did.  At least pallets are free so that makes it pretty cheap fencing to use.  And....best part....babies CANNOT crawl thru it!!!  My son helped me and we had to hurry to get the bigger one put up because we had a Strangles scare with the horses and had a pg one....had to get her out and isolated.


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## Bruce

goats&moregoats said:


> @kccjer  glad to see I am not the only one putting pallets to use...I did a much larger area...took me just about all summer as I was 50 at the time and doing it myself. Works great for my goats including my horned wether who thinks he is tough. Use it for my two sheep as well.View attachment 14079 View attachment 14080 Hot wire top & bottom for my dogs.


I saw something similar in another forum, the topic was "other uses for pallets". Thought it was the coolest thing ever. Every other panel was perpendicular so the fence is self supporting. I wondered "aloud" about keeping the vegetation from taking over and having to weed whack a lot of linear feet in and out around the perpendicular ones. The answer was "they have sheep". PERFECT!  But ... how does one keep the pallets from rotting out?


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## kccjer

It is so simple to pull the rotting pallet out and replace it.


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## goats&moregoats

Bruce Alvarez said:


> I saw something similar in another forum, the topic was "other uses for pallets". Thought it was the coolest thing ever. Every other panel was perpendicular so the fence is self supporting. I wondered "aloud" about keeping the vegetation from taking over and having to weed whack a lot of linear feet in and out around the perpendicular ones. The answer was "they have sheep". PERFECT!  But ... how does one keep the pallets from rotting out?



Rot will happen, however not as fast as one would think. I have a couple of sections that are going on the third year. However, as stated by @kccjer , they are easily removed and then replaced by yet another free pallet.


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