Affordable goat fencing options?

[Southern by choice]

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.

 

[OneFineAcre]

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...

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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.)

View attachment 12977

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!

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.

 

[mandi224]

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!

 

[Latestarter]

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!

 

[Latestarter]

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.

 

[mandi224]

@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!

 

[Latestarter]

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!

 

[Mini Horses]

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.

 

[mandi224]

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?

 

[Southern by choice]

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.