Escape goat

[Hykue]

I have another question. I got an energizer larger than I currently need, as I plan to install high-tensile electric when I get the chance. For now, I have "el cheapo" polywire and step-in posts. The total length of fence is very very short (maybe 500 ft). I will add to this as I have time, but I really don't want to keep my goats locked in the barn anymore. The charger is rated for 100 miles . . . yeah, I know, it's overkill. Which brings me to my question.

The charger says it's putting out 15.5 kV or so - and my fence tester is off the chart (which ends at 5000 V). Is this going to actually KILL my goat? I really don't want to stop her sweet little heart, I just want to keep her in the fence. I understand that they're low amperage, so maybe it's safe, but I can't find anywhere online that tells me if it's safe or not. I just wanted more information before I expose her to it.

 

[Hykue]

It appears that cmjust0 has answered my question in the Hi-tensile thread. "No such thing as too much voltage, especially for a goat," because fences are such low amperage. Thanks!

 

[glenolam]

Yes, he sure did. My high tensile fence cranked out well over 6000v and didn't kill the kids - goat or people kids!

 

[cmjust0]

The total length of fence is very very short (maybe 500 ft). I will add to this as I have time, but I really don't want to keep my goats locked in the barn anymore. The charger is rated for 100 miles . . . yeah, I know, it's overkill. Which brings me to my question.

The charger says it's putting out 15.5 kV or so - and my fence tester is off the chart (which ends at 5000 V). Is this going to actually KILL my goat?

Kill a goat? No.
Make me super jealous? Absolutely.

In fact, you have my vote for "Goatkeeper of the Week."



FWIW...if you've ever been unlucky enough to have held onto a spark plug while someone cranked an engine, you've been subjected to about 20kV, or somewhere thereabout.. It makes you think you may have died for a few seconds, followed by a desire to die -- or to kill someone, depending on the situation -- but you don't actually die.. You just learn, really quickly, to neverevereverever do that again.

 

[Hykue]

I swear, this forum hates me . . . I already typed a response, and it disappeared into the ether. I'm pretty sure I'm hitting submit and not preview . . . But this is the second time this has happened.

Anyway. Basically, I said:

Thanks for the responses. Goatkeeper of the week! Hooboy! I might not win, but thanks for the vote!

I got the fence all finished (for now) and took my goats down to the good pasture for half an hour, then went back up to the "holding pen" which is mostly just grass (3 foot tall grass . . .) and hung out. I wanted to watch and be sure everything went all right for the first encounter with the fence. Nearly immediately, Dash sniffed the fence. "MUUU-AH!", she yelled. I felt like a bit of a jerk. I decided to stay a bit longer, and she sniffed the fence in two more places, with the same "MUUU-AH!" in response each time. Dot seemed a bit confused, ("What's biting Dash?") but then she saw that it was the fence biting Dash. I suspect that Dot learned by just watching Dash - and I hope I'm right, because she hasn't shown any sign of trying to escape. After about half an hour with no further fence-testing on Dash's part, I decided it was time for the true test. I left the pen. Previously, this led to her climbing the fence within about 15 seconds. This time, it took 5 minutes before I heard "MUUU-AH!" In the twenty minutes after that, I heard two more, interspersed with her regular "Ma-a-a-a". After that, I only heard the regular ones.

I think I'm glad there are 14-15 kV on that fence, because she still touched it six times. I'm not sure she understood what was happening for the first three, but she chose to touch it, knowing the consequences, for the last three. Hopefully now she will start to get to know Dot and make a goat friend. They did play together yesterday morning in the barn - queen of the milkstand, with jumping and fast turns and gentle butting. So I think they're making progress.

Now, to make an impenetrable Hi-tensile goatie pen. And after that, a combination tower/climbing wall (the former for the goats, the latter for the humans).