# Shock Collars??



## lj81846 (May 27, 2019)

My husband and I want to get a couple of goats as we have 5 acres with a ton of shrub and blackberry bushes. We learned goats would be great in this type of environment because they love to eat this stuff down. The issue I have is, we only have a 2 strand hot wire fence that boarders the property for our horses. My husband stated we can collar and leash them, and this would be a great idea if I didn't think my horses could potentially get hurt getting tangled up in the leash; then a friend told me his sister has shock collars on her goats to keep them in a perimeter of their liking. There were a couple of other people I work with, which stated they know people who go to shows who use shock collars to keep their goats enclosed in specific areas. I wanted to look more into this option and was wondering if anyone else does this? and if so, how well does it work?


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## B&B Happy goats (May 27, 2019)

Goats are not animals that are just land / brush cleaners, they need shots, hoofs trimed, minerals and feed, they are herd animals and you need at least two. Your fence  probably wouldn't  keep them contained. Taking them out on a leash is fine, leaving them out there tied out would be cruel  as they would have no escape  from preditors. It rains alot in your state, they need shelter from wind and rain, yes your hourses could stomp them or they could spook your horses.....you didn't  state any reason for wanting them other than clearing your five acres....they are wonderful animals who respond to human contact and are capable  of building trust and close companionship.. I personally don't  know of anyone who has or would use a shock collar on a goat, so I have no answer about that, only my own personal opinion which I will not bother you with.
My point is there is more care that they need that you may want to look into first, mabey read some posts here on the forums and learn about them as animals first, then decide if hireing someone would be easie to clear your area ....or if you are willing to enjoy and care for them as you do for your horses...
Welcome to BYH, lots of wonderful people willing to share knowledge, give advice and share their experience  of raising various animals


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## lj81846 (May 27, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> Goats are not animals that are just land / brush cleaners, they need shots, hoofs trimed, minerals and feed, they are herd animals and you need at least two. Your fence  probably wouldn't  keep them contained. Taking them out on a leash is fine, leaving them out there tied out would be cruel  as they would have no escape  from preditors. It rains alot in your state, they need shelter from wind and rain, yes your hourses could stomp them or they could spook your horses.....you didn't  state any reason for wanting them other than clearing your five acres....they are wonderful animals who respond to human contact and are capable  of building trust and close companionship.. I personally don't  know of anyone who has or would use a shock collar on a goat, so I have no answer about that, only my own personal opinion which I will not bother you with.
> My point is there is more care that they need that you may want to look into first, mabey read some posts here on the forums and learn about them as animals first, then decide if hireing someone would be easie to clear your area ....or if you are willing to enjoy and care for them as you do for your horses...
> Welcome to BYH, lots of wonderful people willing to share knowledge, give advice and share their experience  of raising various animals



Thank you B&B Happy goats for your response. I am very aware these are more than just random animals to clear land. All my animals are my babies and considered part of the family. My main reason for getting a goat is due to the fact I'm not sure if I'm ready for another horse. I just lost my horse of 21yrs and its been heart breaking thinking about getting another and goats are great companions for horses. I would be starting with at least 2 and they would be loved not just by me, but my boys as well. I understand there is a lot of care that goes into having goats as there is with horses or my chickens.... I do not take my babies for granted and love them all, and if we decide to move forward with getting goats, it would be no different. My point was I have the brush they would love to feed on, I just want to make sure I cover all my basis before making a decision, which is why I attempted to find a group with knowledge for help. Again, thank you for your response.


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## OneFineAcre (May 27, 2019)

I've never heard of anyone using a shock collar to keep goats contained.


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## B&B Happy goats (May 28, 2019)

....., very sorry for the loss of your horse .... please don't  feel like I was attacking you, I wasn't,.... I only could read what you posted....having goats as pets and interacting with them is awesome, some people say they do well with their horses and others don't ....so I would tell you that's  a fifty fifty shot. Your fence is a big issue, can you use electric netting  and section off areas for them to brouse ? 
And on the shock collars, I don't  think you will find any positive responses here to support using them...sorry if my response sounded curt or negative,  it was not ment to be that way, i along with many other here raise goats, milk them and some make products from there milk. Some have them for pets, we love them as you love your horses.....would you use a shock collar on your horse ?.......please don't  let my conversation deter you from this site, BYH is awesome, please take a look around  and check things out


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## Baymule (May 28, 2019)

A 2 strand fence would not keep predators OUT and your goats could fall prey to being some predators dinner or a plaything for roaming dogs. The biggest thing about having small livestock is keeping them safe from predators. I would recommend putting a better fence up to contain the goats and keep predators out. Do be aware that no fence will always keep all predators out. As far as shock collars, never heard of putting them on a goat, you are wise to seek other council before moving forward on that.

VERY sorry about your horse. The blue eye in my avatar belongs to Joe, my 30 year old QH cremello gelding and love of my life. He has Cushings and I know that day is coming. We bought him as a 7 year old, so that is 23 years of family history wrapped up in him. Also have a 32 year old TWH mare with bad heaves, she is fat and sassy, retired and will live out her days with us. We have had her for 20 years. We have Prince, about 1o years old, unknown parentage and Pearl, about 15 years old, TWH, both out of slaughter pens. 

After fighting with field fence on another place, we put up 2"x4" non climb horse wire. It keeps our animals in and other animals out.


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## lj81846 (May 28, 2019)

B&B Happy goats said:


> ....., very sorry for the loss of your horse .... please don't  feel like I was attacking you, I wasn't,.... I only could read what you posted....having goats as pets and interacting with them is awesome, some people say they do well with their horses and others don't ....so I would tell you that's  a fifty fifty shot. Your fence is a big issue, can you use electric netting  and section off areas for them to brouse ?
> And on the shock collars, I don't  think you will find any positive responses here to support using them...sorry if my response sounded curt or negative,  it was not ment to be that way, i along with many other here raise goats, milk them and some make products from there milk. Some have them for pets, we love them as you love your horses.....would you use a shock collar on your horse ?.......please don't  let my conversation deter you from this site, BYH is awesome, please take a look around  and check things out



Your not deterring me from me from this site. I'm trying to do all my research on different avenues to find the answers best fit for our little growing farm. I would not put a shock collar on a horse, nor would I leave a halter on a horse as it can embed into their skin and rub them raw around the faces and behind their ears. But I see goats where collars all the time around our area. Plus my horses are very fence respectful to hot wire fencing. I keep my chickens in the pasture with the horse, which has helped deter predators to stay away from them. We have not lost a chicken yet (knock on wood). As I have stated before, I have many animals which I love dearly, and have always done my research before moving forward with a final decision. I know there are a lot of people out there who have special interests, such as goats and this is why I am reaching out. I don't want to jump into something without looking into things to make sure I am doing everything correctly. I can definitely get some form of chicken wire enclosure and section pieces off. Again, I was just asking about different options, and wondered if anyone else had heard about shock collars being used on goats, as I never had before. I do appreciate your response and knowledge.


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## lj81846 (May 28, 2019)

Baymule said:


> A 2 strand fence would not keep predators OUT and your goats could fall prey to being some predators dinner or a plaything for roaming dogs. The biggest thing about having small livestock is keeping them safe from predators. I would recommend putting a better fence up to contain the goats and keep predators out. Do be aware that no fence will always keep all predators out. As far as shock collars, never heard of putting them on a goat, you are wise to seek other council before moving forward on that.
> 
> VERY sorry about your horse. The blue eye in my avatar belongs to Joe, my 30 year old QH cremello gelding and love of my life. He has Cushings and I know that day is coming. We bought him as a 7 year old, so that is 23 years of family history wrapped up in him. Also have a 32 year old TWH mare with bad heaves, she is fat and sassy, retired and will live out her days with us. We have had her for 20 years. We have Prince, about 1o years old, unknown parentage and Pearl, about 15 years old, TWH, both out of slaughter pens.
> 
> After fighting with field fence on another place, we put up 2"x4" non climb horse wire. It keeps our animals in and other animals out.



Baymule, thank you. He is very much missed; like you, I had a long history with my baby, Smokie. I got him when I was 12 after sustaining an injury from a horse that caused me to almost lose my left arm. I was not supervised properly when I was younger at a friends house, attempting to get on a horse bareback that did not like to be ridden that way. He bucked me off and I braced on my elbow when I landed causing my bone to shoot through the skin (open compound humorous fractures with lots of hairline fractures up and down my arm and 2 shattered bones in the elbow). The doctors did everything they could so save my arm, but told my mom, I may never gain full use/mobility of it. My mom pushed me so hard with bribes and determination. She told me if I worked hard enough to get my arm straight she would buy me a horse, and that is how I got Smokie. I got him when he was 5 years old. He was a rescue and we grew together competing in many different events, gaming, drill team, cattle events, ect... we were best friends. Sadly, at the age of 26, on Jan 2, 2019, we put him down as he was unable to standup one day after laying down. I was 12 when I got him, my son was 12 when he was put down. My son loved him probably just as much as I did/do. So, I completely understand how these graceful creatures are so loved and part of a family, to me they are not just pets. I plan on looking into a smaller more stable fence for goats if we decide to move forward with getting some. My chicken house is in the horses field, and we have not had any issues with predators bothering anyone. The most that comes into our field is deer or elk. We also have a pretty fierce farm cat. I appreciate your response and story! Thank you!


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## Baymule (May 28, 2019)

There is lots of information in the forum posts. Pick your topic and start reading. Ask questions as you go, we'll be glad to help any way we can.


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## secuono (May 28, 2019)

Hah, I wish I had thought of ecollars when I had goats!
Nothing else worked! Not 5ft fencing, not 8 strands of hot wire on a rainy day and not both together on a rainy day.
...then again, I think I just had malfunctioning goats...

I've heard of people using them on horses, so...yeah. I don't see the issue, it is the same as them touching a hot fence, if not quite as strong & they can't tangle themselves up in it.


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## breezy2u (May 29, 2019)

I tried to use a shock collar on my goats for a little while. Mine kept trying to come in the dog door so I used on of my training collars to try to keep them from coming in. The problem is with the prongs. I'm not sure how a dog's neck and a goat's neck are different, but apparently they are. The dog has no problem with the prongs but the goat developed holes in her next after only a few days. Scared the bejesus out of me. They have healed now and she is fine, but I will never put another shock collar on one of my goats. The collars you see goats wearing all over are just regular collars. It makes it easier to catch and lead them.


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## greybeard (May 29, 2019)

I don't think I'd want to stake anything smaller than an adult  Bison out in Washington State.

_The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are about *2,000* adult cougars in Washington state._


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## B&B Happy goats (May 29, 2019)

greybeard said:


> I don't think I'd want to stake anything smaller than an adult  Bison out in Washington State.
> 
> _The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are about *2,000* adult cougars in Washington state._



Have to agree with you on that one for sure !


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