# Affordable goat fencing options?



## mandi224 (Dec 15, 2015)

We have just over 3.5 acres on our new little homestead and ultimately we're hoping to keep 2 or 3 Nigerian Dwarf does. The breeder we've been talking to just let us know she has a doe due Jan. 8 that she *may* be willing to sell WITH her kids. So now I'm scrambling to get everything ready just in case we like her.

Right now, none of our acreage is fenced at all, so we're starting from scratch. We're working with open pasture with very few trees, mostly flat. 

What would be the minimum area we should fence initially? (Ultimately we want to fence the whole area, but with our budget we need to do it in a few stages.) 

What type of fencing is good for dwarf goats, but also most affordable? We live on a busy road, so I have fears of the goats getting out and causing a traffic accident, so I want to make sure it's secure. I'm a _complete_ newbie to fencing (I didn't grow up on a farm or anything, and haven't found a local mentor yet), so links to specific product examples are helpful. 

The goat breeder we're working with recommends cattle panels, but the price! In contrast, our son's 4-H leader just has a 3-wire electric fence to keep in her goats (a mix of pygmies and alpines) and ponies. It seems to work for HER but from everything I've read, that doesn't seem like nearly enough!

Thanks in advance for the help, and please forgive my newbie questions.  Doing my best to learn!


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 15, 2015)

Welcome , glad you joined us!  Goats are additive , we planned to just get 2 and now a year later we are up to 9!

We have fence called 2x4 no climb horse fence- we got ours from Farm and Fleet but TSC sells it as well. It is on the pricey side but it has worked well for us so far and we do have a buck who will work the fence over a bit.  We have an area about 45' x 55' for pasture with a shelter for the goats and another sheltered area 10' x 14' that we use. 

@Southern by choice @OneFineAcre @Goat Whisperer @Samantha drawz @babsbag can also provide some good information as well.


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## Mike CHS (Dec 15, 2015)

I learned a long time ago that matter how much thought I put into some things, it isn't going to be that way for the long term.  We had cattle in the past but are only going to have sheep and probably a couple of dairy goats so we are fencing in two holding areas adjacent to our shop/barn. We then plan on adding paddocks to both of those as we get our livestock.  If I don't read any posts on BYH too often I won't wind up with more critters than I can comfortably provide fenced pasture for.  

Seriously though,  I have always fenced in at least one main area sufficient in size to keep whatever you get comfortable and then added from there.  We bought the "no climb" horse fence for most of it since we share a property line (and expenses) with our neighbor who is moving his horses to our line.

Fencing for goats and sheep are all new topics to me but there is a ton of info on this site.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 15, 2015)

We have used everything. For wire we do 5 strand closer at bottom and space further apart as we go up... ours is only about 36" or so tall. Keeps our LGD's, kids goats and all others in. We live on a highway (country). You do have to train goats to wire.

The 2x4 is the best fencing IMO- pricey though.
The 4x4 goat sheep fence is a great compromise- newborn Nigies can fit through but not for long.

With Nigies I'd stay away from field fencing.

Many will hard fence a section and put wire up for larger areas so the goats can be out and supervised with you in the day etc til the whole property or areas are fenced.

For a few goats in more of a dry lot a 20x30 is fine.
1/4 acre fenced will give you plenty of time to expand.

Welcome to BYH!  And congratulation on becoming the next goat addict.


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## Latestarter (Dec 15, 2015)

Greetings @mandi224 from the front range in Colorado!  ! What the others already said in response to your Q... Congrats on starting your addiction out with a (at least one) pregnant doe!  It guarantees (even more) herd growth in no more than 5 months time!  The sooner the better! One other thing is the little darlings will need a place to get in out of the rain/wet... It doesn't need to be fancy... a 3 sided shelter with a roof, deep enough that they don't get blown moisture on them. If you can make a raised "bench" area inside, they'll love to climb up on it to rest/lie down on. In case you hadn't heard... goats (think they'll) melt if they get wet. At the mere suggestion of rain, some have been known to run for cover screaming at the top of their lungs!

Also, if you intend to milk the doe(s) you'll want a covered/protected spot to place the stanchion (milk stand) so you aren't sitting out in the wind/snow/rain/cold/wet trying to milk.

Best of luck and success moving forward! Please share some pics with us when you get the little lovelies! We all here on BYH thrive on pics! Thanks!


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## samssimonsays (Dec 15, 2015)

In my area you can find fencing rolls on craigslist sometimes from people who bought too much or bought it a while ago and never used it. T-posts too. We got our fencing that way and used 2x4 welded wire fencing. We have just a small 20x30 ft pen at the moment for 3 large breed goats. We have just under 6 acres and while we are home they get to roam the yard with us. All three were bought as babies and were very social and dog like right off the batt.


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## mandi224 (Dec 15, 2015)

Thanks everyone for the advice! I am super appreciative! 

As far as the rest of our setup -- we have a barn with 3 horse stalls. One stall has rabbit cages right now, and the other 2 stalls are empty -- we were going to use these for the goats. Will that be OK? Here's a picture. The first stall on the far left (where the yard cart is) now has rabbit cages. The other 2 stalls are finished and empty, though the one furthest to the right still needs a door. The doorway on the far-right of the photo leads to the work-room...






This is the work room attached to the barn. (Kids like to play in there, haha.) The open door in the pic goes out to the barn, and the closed door goes to the upstairs over the barn. I have my chicken brooder in this room now and a spare fridge. Was thinking of putting the milking stanchion in here because it's pretty clean and well-lighted. (Also has a sink and a gas space-heater, though it's not hooked up currently.)





Our barn has a garage door for whatever reason (the previous owner built it that way). Should we think about replacing that? (I figured we'd just leave it open 3/4 of the way so the goats can go in and out during the day. Good/bad idea?) Should I ALSO provide a 3-sided shelter in the pasture in addition to access to the barn?

I'm so glad to have found such a helpful forum. I appreciate it so much!


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## samssimonsays (Dec 15, 2015)

I made a small little "hut" that comes off of the side of my barn that the rabbits are in, the pen actually attaches to the side of the barn so that I could make a bigger pen for them with the fencing I had, And it is seriously only the barn side, a back wall, side wall, roof and then I put a half wall in the front to give them shelter from all 4 sides just in case. It is maybe 4x8 in foot print and about 4.5 ft high and they all curl up in there just fine. All can stand in it side by side as well.


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## mandi224 (Dec 15, 2015)

@Samantha drawz That's a great idea! if/when we expand that would be a great solution. Thanks for the idea!


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## Southern by choice (Dec 15, 2015)

Just a suggestion- make sure you can WALK in and under your shelter easily with headroom to spare. You will not want to be bending and squatting trying to shovel out under something you can't get under.

Also plan for 7-10 goats. 

Trust me. Everyone on here started with 2.
I have 30+


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## Southern by choice (Dec 15, 2015)

Leave the garage door. 
Also- as far as brooder and milking if you can build out a separate area to milk that is best. Brooding chicks is alot of dander... you don't want that in your milking area. We run a poultry and goat farm... these areas are separate.


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 15, 2015)

mandi224 said:


> Thanks everyone for the advice! I am super appreciative!
> 
> As far as the rest of our setup -- we have a barn with 3 horse stalls. One stall has rabbit cages right now, and the other 2 stalls are empty -- we were going to use these for the goats. Will that be OK? Here's a picture. The first stall on the far left (where the yard cart is) now has rabbit cages. The other 2 stalls are finished and empty, though the one furthest to the right still needs a door. The doorway on the far-right of the photo leads to the work-room...
> 
> ...


WOW
Nice set up.
I don't think you need a shelter if they have free access to the barn.

I'd leave the garage door.


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## mandi224 (Dec 15, 2015)

> Also plan for 7-10 goats.



Sadly, unless my neighbor wants to sell/rent me some of their land, I won't be able to have that many.  Our local zoning only allows 2 goats per acre of land, so the MAX I could have would be 7. But the way the law is written, it's 1 cow OR 1 horse OR 2 goats/sheep OR 12 chickens per acre, and I already have 17 chickens... Boo  I get what they're trying to do and protect, but it's still a bummer.



> Brooding chicks is alot of dander... you don't want that in your milking area



That makes sense! Hadn't thought about that. Guess we'll be moving the brooder!  I think this may be the last batch of chicks for a while anyway, so we can figure that out. Thanks for the advice!


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## Latestarter (Dec 15, 2015)

Concur with all above... If your initial dry lot fenced space will be right outside the garage door, then no further shelter should be needed, they can just go inside when they want. That's one super nice goat shelter by the way! Nice barn set up! 

As southern stated... chickens make a LOT of dust! I wouldn't want my milk anywhere near my chickens or vice versa! Since right now you have three stalls, and they are horse sized, all the goats you'll have to start can easily fit into one empty stall, and you could use the 3rd one as a "milk room" since there will only be you, the stanchion and the one goat you're milking in there at any given time. Since you may have one pregnant doe, I'd consider maybe sectioning a part of the rabbit stall for her to be kept in when she's kidding. You can then keep the kid(s) in there overnight once you separate them from momma goat (after 2-3 weeks), so you can milk momma in the morning before putting the kids back with her.

I notice that it's all concrete floor... I don't know if it's sealed... it appears shiny so may be... Over time, it's going to absorb urine and really start stinking. You'll want to use something very absorbent for bedding (NOT straw or hay) so the bedding wicks up most of it...

Also, since you have chickens and rabbits, you probably have a grain based feed that you give them. Remember goats LOVE grain, and it's NOT good for them to have in excess! Most on here will tell you good quality hay, free choice, and only give a little grain to does right before kidding and during lactation... never for bucks as it can cause urinary tract damage. I bring it up because you will be simply amazed at the trouble goats can get into on their own. You'll want to make sure any grain based products are well out of their reach and tightly sealed/secured so they can't get to them or into them.

Wow... your adventure is about to begin! How exciting!


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## Latestarter (Dec 15, 2015)

Goats are small and it's really hard to actually "count' them... I bet you could probably "sneak" a few more than 7 on your acreage as long as you have good neighbors. Maybe get together with some neighbors to get those numbers changed for acreages totaling more than 2 acres. I could see those totals on a 1 acre plot or even 2 acres, but once you get above that for space, those numbers are way below what the typical land and space can comfortably carry. Where I am, it's 6 goats/sheep to one cow/horse. Much more realistic size comparison wise...

Also, I don't think those numbers include new borns/kids, so as your does have their kids, you could in fact have more than the regulation allows for a period of time until they are old enough to be weened and sold.


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## mandi224 (Dec 15, 2015)

@Latestarter Haha you may be right!  I have heard of them enforcing it "in town" further than where we live, but I'm guessing that was probably because neighbors complained about goats in a small backyard situation. Our neighbors are pretty cool -- they grow/sell hay, and raise grassfed Piedmontese cattle, meat chickens, and alpaca. Their farm is enormous!


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## Latestarter (Dec 15, 2015)

Oh wow! I don't think you'd have an issue then with #s at all! That's great! Well, unless you got up to 20-30... it would be pretty apparent to even a casual observer that that was more than "7"... But then also, unless the person knows your acreage, how would they know you were "over the limit" unless they were being busy bodies anyway... I don't know how visible your back yard is, or tree cover or anything else... all things you'd need to consider...  A goat screaming at the top of it's lungs is nowhere near as loud as a cow mooing or a horse neighing... justsayin...

Will you be able to buy your hay from your neighbor? Wouldn't THAT be convenient! He could tractor it right over and drop it where you need it!


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## Mini Horses (Dec 15, 2015)

WOW -- that's a set-up.    As a horse person, I'd guess there has never been one kept in those stalls.   

The garage door allowed him to bring large things in -- a full truck, a tractor, etc.   It's a nice convenience if you come home with a load of hay/feed and need to unload, especially in bad weather.   If there is a walk in door, leave that open.   Now, you need to be warned that these little cuties are not housebroken AND they have no concern about where they drop those berries!

So, if the access to their stall is by the garage door, you can rest assured that you are going to be sweeping and mopping a lot!  Just fair warning.  And, concrete floor will be an issue in the stall for the same reasons.   My goats love to come into my barn and stay in the stalls -- even with dirt floors it is a mess to clean up.   My horses were easier.    So, while I use stalls for kidding, I much prefer they stay in their run in barn which I can scrape out with the grader blade and re-bed.   

Fence.   You are getting the smaller ones so, not AS bad on fence but, They are escape artists.  If they can go under, they will -- over, they will -- thru it, they will.    
They love to jump and climb.   Do not put their playground  close to a fence.     For these reasons, I suggest that you have a smaller area where they are safely contained -- I prefer 2X4 no climb -- and as you fence the remainder, you could use several strand electric (as previously suggested) so long as they are trained to that first.   Otherwise -- zoom, through they go.

We all love our goats!!   Just trying to help you "know what to expect" from our experiences.   Mine are milkers, most are full sized and I have a buck -- and THAT is an entirely different set of rules.   Those kids are the cutest things you will get your hands on.  Handled from birth, just friendly and sweet.  Their antics are show stopping.   

I'm re-fencing a 2 acre pasture with the 2x4 no climb to keep the does & kids in because the "field fence" won't keep them in well enough when babies.   You are right to ask first.  While it is expensive at first, costs less than 2 sets of fence.   Cattle panels? Strong stuff!  My buck has to have that to keep him in his area if I want him contained when rut season starts....but, he's a big Nubian.   Goes with the territory, knew that and I still find days when he must fly over the "normal" fence.   Seriously, he can jump 3' from a stand still! 

You have small goats coming, no bucks (yet) so make a small paddock with great fence....then expand.   Enjoy them.


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## mandi224 (Dec 16, 2015)

Mini Horses said:


> WOW -- that's a set-up.    As a horse person, I'd guess there has never been one kept in those stalls.



Thank you!  Our house was built in 1801, but the old barn burned down and was re-built around 2009, so I think you're right that it hasn't been used. The house changed hands several times between '09 and when we got it last summer, so I think they never used it except to park the lawn tractor and parts of it weren't even _finished_. Part of me hates to "mess it up" with animals ... but it's a BARN for goodness sake, right? Ha ha. 

There's no man-door out of the barn (only out of the attached work-room) so the garage door is probably our best bet. Thanks for the warnings about the concrete and all the sweeping/cleaning we have ahead of us! 

What kind of posts would you recommend with the 2x4 no-climb fence? Metal t-posts with wood posts in the corners?


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## Southern by choice (Dec 16, 2015)

We use wood corners with t-post for the line.
Most of our fencing goes through heavy woods so impossible to put wood in without taking trees down.
T-posts have worked well for us.


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## Mini Horses (Dec 16, 2015)

Me too -- Wood corners, T-posts between work well.    One 100' roll is about $130. plus posts.  Easily does 20X30 enclosure and that's nice for several goaties....especially in winter when feeding hay.  Then when grass weather arrives, you will be ready for more fence.   Hey -- the electric fence from Premier that is white, moveable, could be used for moveable areas until you got around to more permanent.   Just a thought.   I use mine to corral chickens, make temporary areas when moving animals or things, building, working -- keeps things in and out of the way.


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## mandi224 (Dec 17, 2015)

Thanks guys for all the help -- y'all have no idea how grateful I am to have found this forum!! 

I think, as you all suggested, we're going to shoot to do approximately a 20'x30' fenced area to start (and expand in the future), using wood posts in the corners, and t-posts on the line. I also want to have a gate so I can get a truck/tractor into the barn when I need to haul things in and out.

So I'm trying to make my shopping list (Tractor Supply is our nearest store for these things) and I have some lingering questions.
(Forgive me, I have zero knowledge on fence-building,  so I really appreciate the help.)

Fencing -- Which one of these would be best? I only need the 100' (the barn will take up most of one side of the fence), but they don't seem to have 60" fence in smaller than 200' rolls. Is 48" tall enough, or do I need the 60"?
- Non-climb horse fence 48" x 100' = $129.99
- Non-climb horse fence 60" x 200' = $349.99
- Horse (field) fence 60" x 200' = $179.99

Gate-- Would something like this or this work? Or is there something better y'all can recommend? I'm anticipating I'll need additional wooden posts on either side of this, rather than t-posts, yes?

Wooden posts -- what thickness/height should I get? Tractor Supply has 4", 5" and 6" diameter. I was thinking 8' posts?

T-Posts -- What height? All the ones on the TS site say "1.25 lb. per foot", is that ok? Is spacing them approximately every 8' a good plan?


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## Latestarter (Dec 17, 2015)

I would go with the 48" no-climb... with Nigies, you really don't need the 60". Either gate should work just fine. I would probably go with the second one, even though $10 more expensive, because the goats will put their front hooves up on the lower sections and I'd be worried they'd stick their heads through higher up and get stuck.  If I got the first one, I'd be wiring no climb fencing to it... just me.

Since your enclosure run line is so short, 4" posts at the corners should be fine (you could beef it up to 5" but 6" would be serious overkill). 8' length with 3.5' buried should provide plenty of strength over such a short run. By leaving a little extra above fence level, you can always add a hot wire later if you want. I would put 2 T-posts evenly spaced on the 20' side and 4 on the 30' side. Should be more than enough. 

I would go w/the 7' posts: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/studded-t-post-7-ft-125-lb-per-foot

primarily because the goats will want to rub (scratch) against the fencing which will put strain against the posts. Pound them in 2.5' and leave 4.5 feet again, leaving room at the top for an hot wire if you decide to install one.

Hope this helped.


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## mandi224 (Dec 17, 2015)

@Latestarter That was HUGELY helpful! THANK YOU! I hate having to ask such basic questions, but I'm hoping to save myself some headaches later.


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## Latestarter (Dec 17, 2015)

ask away... we all like to be of help, and better to get a good answer than make mistakes and have to revisit stuff later.

Edit to add: even though sometimes the answers may seem completely different... we all deal with different issues... so take what's best and leave the rest!


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## Latestarter (Dec 17, 2015)

Sorry. went back and re-read... not 4 on the 30' side, but 3 breaking it into 4 sections... happy fingers.


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## secuono (Dec 17, 2015)

Have a neighbor that sprung up with goats. They use the 2x4in wire, but 5ft high. They expand pastures as money comes in. Goats love to escape, but they don't seem to of gotten out yet from their fencing. They have the smaller ones who are super escape artists and meat/milk cross. 

Spend the money up front for great fencing. You will have less issues down the road and over time. Do like they did, fence in a 300x300ft area at a time if you can only afford so much, nothing wrong with that.


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 17, 2015)

I'm going to disagree on the T posts.  If you are going to initially do just a 20x30 area, and that's going to be where your barn/shelter is, I would just use all wood posts.
Not much difference in the cost if any.
It's just more work in that you have to dig a hole and set each post in sack crete
It's easier with the T posts when you are doing a large area
But, for a 20x30 area  you are only talking about 12 holes total.  You would be doing 4 holes if you do wood posts on the corners any way.
In fact, normally with wood you do 8 ft spacing.  Make it 32 x 24.
Just my opinion.

Edited:
My suggestion to do 32 x 24 may not be a good idea.  If you add that up it's 112 feet (at least, you will never get it perfectly tight)
So, if you want to do it with one 100 foot roll, you may want to make a little smaller than 20x 30.
But, I still think you should just do all wood posts.


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 18, 2015)

we went with all wood posts, DH rented a post hole digger and within 2 hours had all the posts dug.  We like the wood posts as the goats like to lean and rub on them and not so much on the fencing.


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## chiques chicks (Dec 18, 2015)

I just built an enclosure for two young ND in the past months. I used all wood posts, lined it with 50" cattle panels, lined that with 60" welded wire, and am putting hit wrote inside that.

Not cheap, but hopefully secure.  I only sink the posts 2' and have cross pieces between most of them at the 50" height, so the cattle panels are attached at the top as well. Overkill, but I live next to a busy rural road. The gates are the tube type that u attached cattle panel and welded wire as well.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 18, 2015)

When you need to start/finish a stretch at each end you will have *considerable waste* as you need to "wrap" the fence. So 100 ft will not cover 100 ft.
Wood post are great for areas you know are going to be permanent. Areas where you may expand but are not sure of the overall picture use T-posts... less work when you want to reconfigure.

Often when someone gets goats they start out with an idea of what they want, but after owning goats and of course adding goats (which will happen) things change and have the flexibility is a bonus. 

Pull t-post is a heck of a lot easier than removing wood post concreted in. 

Hotwire is a great temp set up. ... ours has been "temporary" for 4 years now 

I had a thread pulled up yesterday but something came up and I didn't post it- I share a computer so someone closed them out. 
It explains the wrap, has great videos on how to stretch if you do not have a tractor, how to make a nice tight fence with different styles of corners etc.

I'll look again.


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## mandi224 (Dec 18, 2015)

@Southern by choice That would be great if you could find those videos again! I've watched a few but more is always good!

I get your point about re-configuring and having to pull t-posts rather than cemented wooden posts. I think having that flexibility for us would be good. But do you think t-posts would hold up in the corners? I was thinking we'd need wooden posts at least for the corners and to hang the gate.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 18, 2015)

You still need wood on corners and at gates.
I like the second gate... we have every kind of gate 
1st gate is fine  but goats like to put their feet on it and although they don't climb out of it they still climb on it.
Both styles do have that opening at the top. For us we have had to put cattle section on it sometimes as we raise and train Livestock guardians and they can go through that in a second- once they learn no or are too big we take it off.
The tube gates are also fine... you do want to put either 2x4 on it or pig/cattle panels so goats don't go through.

Hint- The bigger the gate the more issues. If you have a tractor make sure your gate is big enough but then just use THAT gate for that purpose. Put in 4ft or 5ft gates that will be used all the time.

I will look for those links but here are a few pics of different corners we have on our farm.
http://www.winginitfarms.com/fencing

we use to have a tutorial on our partners site but it isn't there anymore


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 18, 2015)

chiques chicks said:


> I just built an enclosure for two young ND in the past months. I used all wood posts, lined it with 50" cattle panels, lined that with 60" welded wire, and am putting hit wrote inside that.
> 
> Not cheap, but hopefully secure.  I only sink the posts 2' and have cross pieces between most of them at the 50" height, so the cattle panels are attached at the top as well. Overkill, but I live next to a busy rural road. The gates are the tube type that u attached cattle panel and welded wire as well.


Now that sounds like a fence


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 18, 2015)

Hens and Roos said:


> we went with all wood posts, DH rented a post hole digger and within 2 hours had all the posts dug.  We like the wood posts as the goats like to lean and rub on them and not so much on the fencing.


The wood posts don't cost any more and they look so much better
Nice fencing enhances your property and adds value


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## secuono (Dec 18, 2015)

Use heavy duty UPosts or wood only. Regular metal posts can and do rust out in a year.


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 18, 2015)

I just think it looks nicer
JMHO


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## Southern by choice (Dec 19, 2015)

Here are those links-
http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/constructing-a-woven-wire-field-fence-pics.20682/#post-277769

also a pictorial here


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## Baymule (Dec 19, 2015)

We bought 8 acres with nothing on it but a doublewide. We are still in fencing mode, but are on the homestretch. We went with 200' rolls of 2"x4"x48" non-climb horse wire from TSC. Check prices from several stores around you. We saved $10 a roll by driving to a larger nearby town. We bought 6 rolls at a time and asked for a discount. You have to buy 10 rolls at a time, but we explained that we were doing major fencing and 10 rolls didn't fir on our trailer and we got a discount. We bought 7' T-posts, leaving us one foot of T-post sticking up for 2 strands of barb wire. We also have horses and they will tear up a fence necking over it to get something on the other side. Yes, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It is costing money, but do it right, do it once or forever repent and refence.

I am so jealous of your barn, BTW!!


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## Latestarter (Dec 19, 2015)

That IS a barn to drool over... just sayin'


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## mystry (Jan 5, 2016)

Every goat is different. I have 1 ND wether, that gets out just for fun. He scales the fence, the only thing we have found that stops him is having pallets in the areas he climbs.  I don't exactly know how it works, I'm almost thinking it is because he can't see through them?  My pygmy wether and my ND does just yell when the ND wether gets out.  (tattletales!)  Unless he went through the gate, then they will gladly follow the leader.  I would have at least 4-5ft high fence though.  For shelters we use the igloo dog houses.  They fit in them well since they are small goats. And we also have them up against a building for wind protection.  Welcome to the addiction.  The first step is admitting you are addicted to goats.  I'm not sure about recovery from this though, I haven't gotten that far in my journey yet!    (I also started out with just 2, now am up to 5)


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## Latestarter (Jan 5, 2016)

Welcome back @mystry ! You've been away from the site for a while! You need to/should start your own thread and post some pics of your goats! Your original posts were about fencing issues... Since the wether is escaping, I guess it's still an issue? Have you tried hot wire at the top?


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## Kallymaiden (Jan 6, 2016)

I have 3 Nigerian Dwarfs in about 1200sf fenced area with a 4x8 house inside it.  That is plenty of room for them but I do take them out and let them forage and herd them back in after they browse for a while.  I have split rail fence backed by 4' wire fencing staked at the bottom every 3 feet or so.  I have no problems.


 
I


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## Moody (Jan 8, 2016)

What a cute goat house!

We used the green wire filled gates for our goat areas. They work well for scratching or so the goats have indicated. 

Wood posts do look better. We started cutting out dead cedar trees and using them as posts. Much cheaper. I have full sized goats and have mostly goat 4x4 fencing. More than the cheapest field fence but stretches nicer. I can only imagine the 2x4 non climb horse fence stretches even better. 

Personally I would get the taller fence. It may be overkill but what if you want to house a larger animal later instead of just the Nigerian dwarfs now? At least for an initial pen I would do it super strength. But  I understand saving some $$ especially if you know you don't want larger animals there it will be fine.


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