# Which fence?



## kdogg331 (Oct 13, 2018)

Which of these fences should I use for goats? Or should I use something else entirely? 

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/feedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/welded-wire-48-in-x-100-ft

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/non-climb-horse-fence-48-in-x-200-ft

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/red-brand-goat-fence-48-in-x-330-ft?cm_vc=-10005 (or other "sheep & goat" fencing, they have a few)

I have heard that the horse one is the best for them but I also can't really justify spending that kind of money when the welded wire is so much less and/or the other fences are way more wire for the same amount. But I will if it's really the best or only option. I have also recently heard that welded wire is not recommended for goats? Why? It says they can bust through it? Is that always the case? I would likely be getting 2-4 wethers. Probably either Nigerian Dwarf, Alpine, Oberhasli, Toggenburg, or Boer.


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## Baymule (Oct 13, 2018)

Welded wire is pure crap. I wouldn't have it if it was free. You hear welded and we all know that welds mean strength, but NOT in this case. It breaks easily, dogs can bite through it, goats or sheep would destroy it. It is crap, I can't stress that enough.

We fenced out place in the horse wire. We have 3 horses, 10 sheep, 3 dogs, a bunch of chickens, and several ducks. Yearly, we have feeder pigs.  My animals stay IN and everybody elses's stay OUT. 

We put up field fence at our old place and the horses pawed big holes in it. We sure didn't make that mistake again. 

Cow panels are wonderful, we have some and make quick temporary pens, loading chutes and half a panel will make a passable gate. But my lambs can walk right through the 6"x6" holes and baby goats can too. 

The goat and sheep fence has 4"x4" holes and it is good wire. The word to look for is woven wire. Woven wire is knotted where the wires cross on another. It is strong and doesn't tear up like field fence and welded crap wire does. 

So in my opinion, either the 2"x4" non climb horse wire or the 4"x4" sheep and goat wire would be a good wire for you to fence in your goats. 

How much land are you going to enclose? Make it as big as you can, or plan to add onto it. Goat math will kick in and you will need more room. LOL LOL


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## kdogg331 (Oct 13, 2018)

Wow definitely won't be going with welded wire then! Thanks for the tip. My brother just recently fenced their yard and I think they did use welded wire but they also only have 2 dog in a suburban setting and the dogs don't even go near the fence cause the yard is big and they would prefer to play, sniff, eat stuff, etc. So it works for them but I can see why it would not work for goats or horses, etc. So that it is out. Although, does it keep predators out? Was considering using it to expand the chicken run but now rethinking. 

Is the sheep and goat wire good wire? I feel like the horse wire would probably be the best choice but it's just so darn expensive for so little wire. I was thinking just sort of like a dry lot type deal I guess? Thinking maybe 25' x 25' or 50' x 50' with a run in or barn or something inside or attached or something. But I might make it bigger. The area I am thinking of is wooded. We have also been thinking of fencing in the yard though for the dog but we weren't originally planning on fencing in the whole thing, just the backyard, but maybe we should fence the whole thing. The front yard is huge though. We have 2.51 acres but a lot of it is wooded. I will have to get pictures of it. But I was thinking I could let them out supervised or take them on walks to eat brush because we have a lot of areas I would like cleared and my brother does too.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 13, 2018)

Need to find the backyard ones or take more but here are some of the front. Also need to find some of the hill cause I'm thinking of putting them up there somewhere


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## Latestarter (Oct 13, 2018)

OK, based on those pics, I can tell you your goats are going to (LOVE you!) spend little time munching grass and most of their eating is going to be along all those edges where they can eat leaves, bark, pine needles, twigs, decorative plants, flowers, shrubs, etc. Sheep like grass but will browse. Goats love browse but will eat some grass/graze. Until you have your goats "trained", do NOT let them out on their own to wander. If you do, you will be chasing them cross country. I use a 25 foot "lead" with clips at both ends and when I let them outside the pasture fence line, I always clip two of them together. They will invariably find a vertical item to go on either side of, making it easier to catch them should they not wish to return to the pasture. If you decide to "stake them out" make sure you get the heaviest stake you can, and turn it into the ground all the way. You'll be surprised how much power a goat has when scared or startled and takes off running. They break collars, collar "D" rings, lead clips, and bend the stakes as well as pulling them out of the ground.

Welded wire as fencing for large livestock is a joke. They climb the fence and break the welds. They rub on the fence and break the welds. The fence will rust out on you and the welds will break. It's cheap stuff and you get what you pay for. Since you'll only be doing a small area, spend the little bit more and get high quality fencing that you can depend on for many years to come. If you're making a "pen" that will be temporary, then I'd suggest using cattle panels. They are very heavy duty, 16' long by 50" high and at ~ $20 apiece, it will be about as expensive as the most expensive woven wire fencing (2x4 no climb horse fence). Since you're talking about "containing them" up in the woods, the cattle panels are much easier to move around so you can move them to different parts of the wooded area much easier than with a long stretch of woven wire fencing. You just pick the panels up and move them to form the pen in a new area.

I use the 2x4"x48" sheep and goat fence as perimeter and pasture fencing as the babies can't fit through it. Babies CAN fit through the cattle panels above the bottom 2 horizontal runs of wire.

Just remember, fencing is your most important investment not only for livestock containment, but for keeping predators out. One of the biggest killers of small farm livestock is the dog... strays, the neighbor's, and YOURS! Be prepared and keep your animals safe!


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## kdogg331 (Oct 13, 2018)

Thanks for all the info, latestarter. Really useful and a lot of good ideas. The cattle panels do seem like a good option but around here they seem to go up in price every time I look at them :/ or at least like every year or few months. They're at $24.99 now :/ kinda crazy. I seem to remember them at $21.99 not long ago. So idk why they keep increasing. But I may have to go to another store or state or something hah but at that price it's hardly cheap. :/ but they are certainly convenient, especially in the woods. Speaking of which, do you think I could use the pine trees as the fence posts? Wrap the fencing around the trees or something? Of course stapled in. Also we have a lot of wooded area so maybe that would be better to fence in instead? Since you mention they don't really like grass much. At least in the woods they'd have a lot more browse. Also have some areas I'd like them to clear anyway. Although I do wonder if sheep wouldn't be a better choice with all the grass we have? But we do have a lot of browse to clear too so idk. And this may sound weird but I just thought of it and was wondering... we get lots of wildlife here being set back in the woods like we are and I like the deer so do you think the goats would compete for the browse if I let them browse the woods? Maybe I shouldn't cause I like seeing the deer. But I guess that's kind of stupid. Especially since the deer have plenty of other places around here to go. I also never realized goats were so destructive. Is it just cause they're so big and strong? Or is there something extra special about goats? Cause I'm used to big and strong - Gator (the dog) is 140 pounds. Maybe more atm. He's a little chubby. But very strong so I'm used to strong. But now he's getting old and sick (myositis) so I don't think he'd harm goats. But of course wouldn't be allowed near them unsupervised. But he's half Black Lab, half Great Pyrenees. We do have fox and coyote too but I think I would go with a locking shed maybe. We have raccoon, turkey, hawk, chipmunk, squirrel, skunk, song birds, etc. But I figure none of those are threats to goats.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 13, 2018)

And sorry it is all one massive paragraph but I am tired and didn't feel like separating it all right now. But I might try to edit it later


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## Latestarter (Oct 14, 2018)

OK, lots to cover there... Do a search for cattle panels and select the cheapest then see if they have a store near you. Down here TSC has them on sale about once a quarter for $19 and change each. Otherwise they are in the $21-23 range. Not a substantial difference when you're only purchasing 4 or 5 panels... $15? really, not a big deal. If you were purchasing 100, then yeah, a buck makes a diff.

Another option you can check into that many use is electric net fencing. Many here have the one from Premier one https://www.premier1supplies.com/ Of course there are other brands as well that are a bit "cheaper" (less $$ and less quality). But it is a pricey option... Probably much, much more than you wish to spend, but in fact would be the BEST choice for in the woods. It comes in I believe 160' lengths and it is light (roll it up) and easy to move. Step in stakes hold it in place, so no need to damage trees with nails or staples with regular fencing. 

You'll need to move it frequently. Goats will clear that sized area in less than a week, and I mean from the ground up, to as high as they can reach standing on their hind legs. They will chew the bark off young trees, effectively girdling them and killing them.

Deer present several issues... Some here don't like the deer around because they carry parasites that can infect your goats. I DO LIKE the deer around because I enjoy watching them and when in season & properly seasoned, they are very tasty.   Having said that, I haven't killed a deer in many years and may never again. Nothing sentimental, just don't need the added work of processing it. Deer carry meningeal worms which can be deadly and hard to get rid of. IMHO, it's kinda senseless to fret about it since the deer have been all over your property and if they are there, they're there.  Can't kill off all the deer to protect a few goats. Nor can you "sanitize" your entire property or where the goats will be to kill any/all parasites. Just not realistic. You deal with issues as they worm their way into your life. Since a deer calls an area of about a square mile home, they won't strip/destroy the browse on your property. The goats will because they are confined to just that area, hence the need to move that woods enclosure about every week... give the forest time to re-grow for the next time they feed there.

Goats aren't "intentionally" destructive... What they're doing isn't destructive to them... That's a term we assign to what they do. They are hairy and live outdoors. They get itchy. When you get an itch, what do you do? Scratch it of course, and so do they... on the fencing, by leaning into it and walking, which stretches it and will eventually break the welds on welded wire. When the cookies you want are on the top shelf of the cupboard, what do you do? You reach up to get them and if you still can't reach, you get a step stool or chair to climb on. When the goat (or some sheep) want those tasty leaves above their heads, how are they gonna get to them? well, why not climb up that fence right there to make reaching them easier? Or... HEY, what's THAT I see way over THERE -----------> Maybe I can get a clearer view by climbing up this fence here... Which will break the welds on the welded wire.

As for predators, nothing smaller than a coyote would normally be an issue. I say normally because when a "pack" of little dogs gets together, they are just the same as a pack of big dogs and will take on the same target animals/prey. A group of small dogs can and will kill a goat. Also, a fox or smaller predator will go after and kill/eat kids (baby goats). A coyote (dog, deer, etc) can jump right over a 4' fence, including electric. They (anything/one) only get zapped if they are in contact with the ground and fence simultaneously. That's why birds can sit on a live electric fence and NOT get zapped. Need to be in contact with the ground to complete the circuit. The fencing is primarily a deterrent... It won't stop a determined killer from getting to your goats. Goats do jump, but most walk up to and press against things long before considering jumping over them. Once they do this and get shocked, they will generally not challenge the electric fence a second time. 

Having a lockable shed/barn (with plenty of proper ventilation) to keep them in at night is ideal for safety and shelter. Not everyone does that but of course they should have SOME sort of shelter from the elements, especially when it's cold and wet. If I recall, you live in PA or MA, or someplace where you get cold and snow.

I think I've cover most of it...


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Thanks again for all your help latestarter! Very informative! I'm not even really sure where to begin replying but it was all helpful so thank you! The electric fence does seem like a good option but is expensive. And does the fence have to move or could I just do like a permanent dry lot type thing and just take them on walks or something? Or have a permanent one and a movable one? And I guess a few dollars doesnt make too much of a difference, you are right, but I think it's more the fact that I have watched it climb so much in price. But I did find a store in Rhode Island that had them for like 21.99 right now. And my store has them 23.99 cause they're all $1 off right now. Tempted to go to RI though. Or NH. NH is 23.99 too but no tax there. And I am in MA so definitely lots of snow. Although if I recall correctly last year or maybe the year before was pretty mild and so far this fall has been too but now it is getting colder. I think I will go take pictures of videos of the property. It may help.


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## Latestarter (Oct 14, 2018)

You'll spend more for the gas than what you'll save, driving long distance to get them... If you didn't know better, you might think the powers that be designed it that way... 

You can do what I do when I take mine outside their pasture. Get a 25' lead from the pet dept/store with clips at both ends. Either stake them out within reach of the treeline edge, or let the lead drag as they meander through the woods eating, but of course you'll need to be with them when they're doing this. Or connect a goat to both ends of the lead (I generally do this with my "wildest" goats... the ones hardest to catch.) When I take mine out, I have a staff and stay out there with them as they feed. Generally they only need about two hours and they're full and head back inside the fence to get their water for a drink. I close the gate and take the leads off and good to go. If you stake them out, you MUST leave water within reach so they can get a drink. Make sure it's at the end of the lead or they WILL tip it over and spill it all.

You can do these things as easy and inexpensive as you want, or you can make it very expensive. I would recommend a simple full time pen and shelter for them. Where they'll learn to be at night and when they want a drink. This is the place they'll head to if startled, scared, thirsty, at nightfall. They'll need to be there for at least a month to pattern on it in that way.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Didn't think about gas  thank you for the reminder.

And your idea sounds like a good one but with as many trees as we have, they would likely get snagged right away. 

But I do think I will go with the permanent pen thing. Do you recommend not letting them out at all for a month or just bringing them back myself at first? Babies can't eat too much browse at first anyway, right? Don't want scours


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## Latestarter (Oct 14, 2018)

Lot of variables there; breed, age, location, thickness of the underbrush, your willingness to catch them, their willingness to be caught...

I'd say keep them penned for the first month. You can always cut tree limbs and give them to the goats in their pen.  Getting snagged is the whole idea... they can't run away that way. Makes it far easier for you to catch them when that time comes. That's why you stay out there with them. If the goats are conditioned, friendly, not scaredygoats, the trailing lead won't normally snag unless they wrap it around a tree trunk. But if you can get within 25' of them, you can step on the end of the lead and bend over and grab it, and hence them. If they ARE scaredygoats, attaching one to each end virtually guarantees they'll get wrapped up around something, again, making it possible for you to grab the lead and catch them.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

All good points, thanks. The underbrush isn't too thick I don't think but in some places it is. And the trees are fairly close together but not too close. There are also lots of fallen logs from the storms this spring. But honestly I think if we just clean it up a bit it wouldn't be bad. I will make a video of the woods, started to today but didn't finish it.

In the meantime...

Apologies on the VERY long video but here is the whole yard. And lots more brush/browse than it looked like  

Still need to do woods tour but the property lines confused me when I tried it (we recently had it surveyed so stakes still in) so I need to get a map to make sure we don't build on the neighbors land. And then I came back for the dog and just walked him through it instead. But tbh no one goes in the woods or cares if anyone is in them so I could browse/walk the goats and no one would notice. Used to walk Gator through them all the time but now he's older so he was struggling a bit today. But just want to be sure I'm not building on someone else's land of course.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

And I will upload the pictures I took soon in case anyone would rather not watch the video but right now I need to go pick up the pizza.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 14, 2018)

There are 2 things that I will add to all the good advice already given.....if ya get weaned goats around 8-10wks old it will be much easier to get them used to you and their pen/safety area....and it wouldn't be difficult to train them on the lead....also, offer them pellets or some sort of treat, it doesn't have to be much, but if the do get spooked it will make it much easier to get them to walk up to ya and ya can get the lead.....make sure ya always have some in your pocket, it will come in handy. We walked our goats everyday for a year and a half while I was working on the fence, so have had some experience with those situations....just be aware that there could be predators in the woods, so be prepared.....ours would alert and run to get behind me if they were startled, because I'd protect them. There were a few times when loose dogs were confronted and they would smell something in the air and turn while we were walking....we always heeded their signal and would take them back to a different area.....on windy days they just wanted to hang close to their pen. Hope ya enjoy yours as much as we have ours.....


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> There are 2 things that I will add to all the good advice already given.....if ya get weaned goats around 8-10wks old it will be much easier to get them used to you and their pen/safety area....and it wouldn't be difficult to train them on the lead....also, offer them pellets or some sort of treat, it doesn't have to be much, but if the do get spooked it will make it much easier to get them to walk up to ya and ya can get the lead.....make sure ya always have some in your pocket, it will come in handy. We walked our goats everyday for a year and a half while I was working on the fence, so have had some experience with those situations....just be aware that there could be predators in the woods, so be prepared.....ours would alert and run to get behind me if they were startled, because I'd protect them. There were a few times when loose dogs were confronted and they would smell something in the air and turn while we were walking....we always heeded their signal and would take them back to a different area.....on windy days they just wanted to hang close to their pen. Hope ya enjoy yours as much as we have ours.....



Thanks for the advice! Definitely planning on getting babies and will work on training them early on. I love training and working on becoming a dog trainer so it can't be much different. And nothing can be harder than training a cat!! Which I have done. Not much but sit, up, high five, come.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Okay, pictures. Part 1.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Pictures part 2.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

And the final 2. This 10 picture limit thing is really annoying lol BYC finally changed it this year so I am now used to that. But oh well.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Oh and now my dad is saying this winter he wants to clear all along all the property lines and put metal posts in and then he wants to fence in the whole property so the dog can run free. So I think we are going to do that or at least fence in the grass part. I will talk to him because none of the neighbors have fences and we all kinda share the woods, no one ever really goes in them except us, and I love the wildlife so I'm not sure I want to put in a fence and block the wildlife out. But we'll see. Maybe just do the grass. Idk. But I looked at the survey map and calculated the total number of linear feet of our property. So this is theoretically how much fence we'd need for the whole property, obviously way less if we only do part of it. And we'd probably buy an extra roll maybe or something.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 14, 2018)

You probably don't have to worry about your fence keeping the wildlife out.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> You probably don't have to worry about your fence keeping the wildlife out.



That's good to know!!


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

We have chickens too so I guess it might actually be a good thing if it kept coyote and fox out? But assuming the deer and rabbits can still get through or jump?


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## Mike CHS (Oct 14, 2018)

Deer can jump with no problem but rabbits can't get through the no climb fence.


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## Baymule (Oct 14, 2018)

Definitely build them a shelter and dedicated pen or yard from good fencing materials. They need a home. Then from there, you can take them on walks, stake them out or put them in a movable cow panel pen.


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## Baymule (Oct 14, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> Deer can jump with no problem but rabbits can't get through the no climb fence.


Little cotton tails can pop through the fence.....and into my garden!


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## Mike CHS (Oct 14, 2018)

I thought that would have been too small.  My rabbits are on the stupid side.  They keep having their babies in dens right in the lawn so the riding mower sucks them up.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 14, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> Deer can jump with no problem but rabbits can't get through the no climb fence.



I think we will end up using woven field fence, goat fence, or welded wire for the perimeter fence. For their pen though I wanna use no climb fence.



Baymule said:


> Definitely build them a shelter and dedicated pen or yard from good fencing materials. They need a home. Then from there, you can take them on walks, stake them out or put them in a movable cow panel pen.



Thanks, that's what I'm planning on doing. Can they go on hikes or not really? 



Baymule said:


> Little cotton tails can pop through the fence.....and into my garden!



Lol my issue atm is chipmunks and birds!! Darn things love the tomatoes. And I think squirrels. 



Mike CHS said:


> I thought that would have been too small.  My rabbits are on the stupid side.  They keep having their babies in dens right in the lawn so the riding mower sucks them up.



Aw poor things but also dummies lol 

I think our deer are stupid. One couldn't figure out how to get out one time. We jist had that little corral fence, since taken down, but there is an opening at the end next to the woods to get in and of course the fence ends by the house and no fence along all the woods but it couldn't figure it out. I think it finally went out the little opening though. But I guess it didn't want to jump? And didn't think to go in the woods and go around? Cause it wanted to go directly across the driveway. It was young but still. Probably didn't last long given it was such a dummy.


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## greybeard (Oct 15, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> Deer can jump with no problem but rabbits can't get through the no climb fence.


A year after the fact, I still have a deer skeleton hanging on a fence where it didn't quite make it over the top strand.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 15, 2018)

You didn't use the meat?


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## greybeard (Oct 15, 2018)

It was several weeks before I found it.  "Something" used it, but it wasn't me. 
I used to have a picture of it (the skeleton) but it went 'poof' and rode the thunder  when photo bucket did their ransomeware thing.


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## greybeard (Oct 15, 2018)

kdogg331 said:


> I think our deer are stupid. One couldn't figure out how to get out one time. We jist had that little corral fence, since taken down, but there is an opening at the end next to the woods to get in and of course the fence ends by the house and no fence along all the woods but it couldn't figure it out. I think it finally went out the little opening though. But I guess it didn't want to jump? And didn't think to go in the woods and go around? Cause it wanted to go directly across the driveway. It was young but still. Probably didn't last long given it was such a dummy.


https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/fawn-missing-mama-deer-forms-the-posse.38036/


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## kdogg331 (Oct 15, 2018)

greybeard said:


> It was several weeks before I found it.  "Something" used it, but it wasn't me.
> I used to have a picture of it (the skeleton) but it went 'poof' and rode the thunder  when photo bucket did their ransomeware thing.



Ohhh that makes sense and aw that's too bad



greybeard said:


> https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/fawn-missing-mama-deer-forms-the-posse.38036/



Aww how cool!!


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## MargaretClare (Oct 17, 2018)

I asked a similar question and I'm pretty sure you saw it but I'm leaning toward the cattle panels for my buck pen because I'm worried the bucks' weight will buckle any woven fence even with tightening. Here in Arizona, just the summer heats can stretch a fence. When I get around to redoing the does' pen I'll use woven sheep and goat fence. 

What goat breed are you planning on getting?

Right now the does' pen is the cheap welded wire in parts so I'll take some current pics of it for fun later and you'll see why it's advised against.


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## Reluctant Farmer's Wife (Oct 17, 2018)

One thing we did for our goats was to pick up a discarded metal road brush from a tractor at our county’s road maintenance department. The metal brush (Think of a baby bottle brush, on steroids!) The brushes are  used to sweep up sand from the roads when winter snow and ice weather is gone. They didn’t mind not having to pay for the rollers to be dumped. It was free! They’re 3 ft in diameter and 7 ft long! The goats LOVE LOVE LOVE to scratch on it! We are SO HAPPY because the goats feel better AND our fencing isn’t destroyed by itchy goats! Yay!one





Latestarter said:


> OK,


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## MargaretClare (Oct 17, 2018)

Reluctant Farmer's Wife said:


> One thing we did for our goats was to pick up a discarded metal road brush from a tractor at our county’s road maintenance department. The metal brush (Think of a baby bottle brush, on steroids!) The brushes are  used to sweep up sand from the roads when winter snow and ice weather is gone. They didn’t mind not having to pay for the rollers to be dumped. It was free! They’re 3 ft in diameter and 7 ft long! The goats LOVE LOVE LOVE to scratch on it! We are SO HAPPY because the goats feel better AND our fencing isn’t destroyed by itchy goats! Yay!one


We have a couple of street sweeper brushes too. We're waiting to put up the new pens before we put them out for the goats. It's hard to get them here because one of the dairies in my area has a contract with the city to get all the discarded brushes. The two we have are from out of town.


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## greybeard (Oct 17, 2018)

MargaretClare said:


> t's hard to get them here because one of the dairies in my area has a contract with the city to get all the discarded brushes



Cattle producers, both dairy and beef, frequently reuse the sweeper brushes to make automatic insect repellent applicators---cattle walk between 2 brushes that are standing on end and the insecticide  is applied to the animals' sides from neck to butt.  They'll cut one down in length to make a roller to install horizontally to apply the same time down the animals' backs.

There are lots of plans online how to make them, but I don't think my county even has a street sweeper. Kinda hard or unnecessary to sweep gravel and iron ore roads...


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## MargaretClare (Oct 17, 2018)

Why you don't really want welded wire.
Any straight stretch of fence is fair game for rubbing. I don't know if you can tell by the pics but there's a large ditch in the ground from how hard they rub the fence.

To be fair though, this fence is three years old now and the only spot I've had to patch so far is that spot by the gate. We put it up when my first goats were little. We were too lazy to put up the right fence so we thought we'd get to it before they got big. Well those little ones got big, had more little ones and then those little ones had little ones.... yeah. But it held up surprisingly well to a herd of Boer mixes.


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## MargaretClare (Oct 17, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Cattle producers, both dairy and beef, frequently reuse the sweeper brushes to make automatic insect repellent applicators---cattle walk between 2 brushes that are standing on end and the insecticide  is applied to the animals' sides from neck to butt.  They'll cut one down in length to make a roller to install horizontally to apply the same time down the animals' backs.
> 
> There are lots of plans online how to make them, but I don't think my county even has a street sweeper. Kinda hard or unnecessary to sweep gravel and iron ore roads...


I have family that works at the dairy which is how we found out why we can't get the brushes here. I've seen how they mount them and it's really cool. They also sell huge brushes specifically for animal use on some farm supply sites.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 17, 2018)

I have 2"x4"x5' welded wire fencing here that has been up for a couple of years with only 3 goats and I'm not too far from having to replace it. There are several places that the welds have separated, but not in obvious areas that will allow the goats to escape....yet. If ya go to TS or anywhere that sells and put your fingers on the wires and compare that to the other fencing ya will be able to feel the difference and the difference in cost will become very apparent to ya. If, after that, ya still insist on the welded wire, then there are some steps to take to save yourself some heartache. First, be sure to put it up with the horizontal wires on the animal side of it. This is important, because it will place the welds on the opposite side that the animals will contact and allow ya to get longer use of the fence before having to replace it. Ya can also use electric wires to keep them off the fence. Something that I did before I knew the problems with welded wire is, I put boards up to absorb their rubbing and to support the fence. Here is a pic of what I did.... 
At the present, we are living in "limbo" and are not sure we'll be able to remain here, but if we do, then we will have to replace all the fencing before very long.....and surely will not make the same mistake again. In reality it is like comparing apples to oranges, because the difference in the gauge of the wires and the knots compared to the welds is what tells the difference between the fencing and the cost.
Also, ya may truly love watching the wildlife, but the reality is that they carry parasites that will certainly kill your goats and a cushion of separation can be a big benefit when it comes to the health and well being of your animals....a buck in rut can rip the welded wire fence and shred it fairly easily....especially when he is trying to shed the velvet from his antlers.....


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## Latestarter (Oct 17, 2018)

Reluctant Farmer's Wife said:


> One thing we did for our goats was to pick up a discarded metal road brush from a tractor at our county’s road maintenance department. The metal brush (Think of a baby bottle brush, on steroids!) The brushes are  used to sweep up sand from the roads when winter snow and ice weather is gone. They didn’t mind not having to pay for the rollers to be dumped. It was free! They’re 3 ft in diameter and 7 ft long! The goats LOVE LOVE LOVE to scratch on it! We are SO HAPPY because the goats feel better AND our fencing isn’t destroyed by itchy goats! Yay!one


Greetings and welcome to BYH @Reluctant Farmer's Wife from NE TX! So glad you (finally!) joined us.   What took you so long to finally jump in after a year and a half? Glad to have you here! OK, curious... why are you reluctant? or did you just start out that way? or STILL feeling that way? As I'm sure you know, there's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself.  Old folks like me  will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes.  Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!


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## Bruce (Oct 17, 2018)

kdogg331 said:


> I have also recently heard that welded wire is not recommended for goats? Why? It says they can bust through it?


I have broken the welds with my string trimmer. I only have it on the north fence line. I was originally going to put proper fencing on there but too much ledge and time was short so I put up 5 strands of electric on the outsides of the posts and hung the 2x4x48 welded wire (which I already had from a cheap fix to a crappy chicken wire fence) on the inside to keep the chickens from hitting the electric. All my fence has hot wire running at 5'. Alpacas aren't hard on fences, I've never seen them rub on it. They do like their dust bath bowl though, made it themselves.



kdogg331 said:


> but they are certainly convenient, especially in the woods


Cattle panels are easier to put up because you don't have to stretch them. I have them on my south fence line with a T post every 8'. BTW, welded doesn't stretch well. Put too much tension on it and the "welds" will pop.



kdogg331 said:


> And my store has them 23.99 cause they're all $1 off right now. Tempted to go to RI though. Or NH. NH is 23.99 too but no tax there.


Have you ever transported a nice floppy 16' x 52" cattle panel? I wouldn't want to move them those distances unless I had a flatbed trailer long enough to hold them. I've carried some on top of my car roof racks on top of a 12' pipe gate. That leaves only 2' unsupported on either end, not too floppy. And for carrying them without buying a gate every time  I fix two 14' 2x4s to the car rack.


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## Rezchamp (Oct 17, 2018)

I personally prefer corn cribbing. It's over 5 ft high and comes in different length rolls. It's light enough to manoeuvre and strong enough to stand up to the elements for years. 
I know many people that use 3 strands of electrified high tensile smooth wire to contain their goats. 
Whatever works for my budget and other abilities is best.
Best of luck to you.


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## Jeanne Sheridan (Oct 17, 2018)

kdogg331 said:


> Which of these fences should I use for goats? Or should I use something else entirely?
> 
> https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/feedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h
> 
> ...


When we first bought our farm three years ago we went with welded wire.  It let us get goat into a larger area on a budget.  What we have found is that in areas they want something from behind the fence they have broken a lot of the welds and the kids can get through.  We are now replacing all the perimeter fence with wound wire fencing on a 2"x 4" grid starting in the areas they climbed before.  We have Nubian goats so 4' fencing has been fine.  I have a neighbor with Nigerian dwarfs that can go over 4' fences.  Also check the pricing at Home Depot.  It's cheaper than Tractor Supply except when TS is running a big fencing sale.  Also keep in mind that 330' of fencing is HEAVY.  We move the big rolls with a front loader.


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## Rammy (Oct 29, 2018)

I had gotten welded wire the first time I fenced in my back yard. Inhad to replace it 5 years later because it rusted and several strands got broken where my dog kept poking his nose thru it while he " hunted" the perimeter. I fot the 2x4 inch woven wire to replace it. Yes it cost more, but almost ten years later, still shiny, nomrust, and no holes.
As Ive seen many say on here, pay for good fence now or you will pay for it later.  Wish I had known that before I fenced with that crappy welded wire.
And my fence is 4 ft high and the deer have no problem jumping it.


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## kdogg331 (Oct 29, 2018)

Sorry everyone, forgot to reply aha anyway, thanks for all the help and info!!


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