goat fencing, t-post as line posts?

[chiques chicks]

I'm new and sure this has been asked many times, but...

I will be getting two ND kids this fall. I will start with a ( roughly) 4-500 sq ft panelled area, expanding to a couple acres of brush, pasture and woods.

I know that is a lot of fence.

I've seen mention of using t-posts with fencing for goats. Is this adequate as line posts? Obviously I will want well braced wood at corners to tension. I can easily run hot wire inside, outside, or on top if needed, I have a 30 mille agricultural charger so that isn't an issue.

I'm planning to use 4 or five foot welded wire for the pasture and brush area, heavier panels around their corral. I'm getting the goats at around 9 weeks, so hopefully will be able to have them bond with me.

 

[goatgurl]

i have 60 acres and the entire perimeter is fenced with woven field fence with a couple of strands of barbed wire on top. all of my line fences are t-posts and i have never had a problem with the goats pushing or shoving and problem with the t-post. i would suggest you use the woven wire instead of welded wire. the weld breaks so easily and effects the life of your fence. they make a 4x4 goat wire that works well. costs a little more but lasts and lasts. and i have cattle panels up at the house for my night time goat/sheep/chicken/duck yard. strong and last forever.

 

[chiques chicks]

Thank you! I want sure how they would hold up.

I will probably go with woven four foot, as the price difference to 5 foot welded isn't huge. I plan on doing it in sections, perhaps 100x100 at a time. That will allow me to rotate them.

For my nighttime area, a was planning cattle panels on 6 inch wood posts at 8' centers, plus perhaps a hot wire on top for predators, although I have little issue with them in my chicken runs, I even took the hot wire off the runs a couple years ago as I it rooted of "testing" it by accident.

I got the fence charger from a neighbor who found it with a bad solar panel. Simply required a new panel on it. It works well, I've, uh, "tested" it myself, several times.

 

[Latestarter]

Testing the electric fence "manually"... A great way to wake up and get the blood flowing!

 

[goatgurl]

i also use t posts for the lines with the cattle panels. they have been and working fine for over 12 years. they also make a 4x4 goat panel now that they didn't make when i put mine up. baby goats an easily fit thru a regular cattle panel but not thru the goat panels

 

[chiques chicks]

Testing the electric fence "manually"... A great way to wake up and get the blood flowing!

Spent most of my life around farms, been " testing " them since I was little, so 50 years. Nothing like hitting them while standing in a creek!

On topic... I was looking at the red brand goat fencing, for my grazing areas, possibly even the night pen. I guess I could get the goat panels shipped to my local store, they only carry the cattle panels now. They do have the goat fence, though.

 

[Latestarter]

If you have a TSC local, you can ask them and they'll order them in for you... at least mine will/does...

 

[chiques chicks]

I'm sure mine would. They are almost too close.

They all know me well. By name. Some employees even have my number. Managers, too. Scary.

 

[chiques chicks]

As far as panels. The cattle panels are graduated size, 4x8 at the bottom up to 8x8 at the top.

I looks to me like it might be easy for ND kids at 9-10 weeks to get their heads stuck, the openings seem on the large size. The goat panels are twice the price, but for 8 of them, it's the price of 1 goat in difference.

I'd love to save money by using the cattle panels, but am somewhat concerned. Experience?

The goats will be disbudded.

I now I'm asking a lot of questions, but I kind of want to do this "right", whatever that is. I do lots of things not by the book with my poultry, so I understand there are many right answer to a question depending on situation.

 

[goatgurl]

just from experience, i put up cattle panels at the time because that was all there was around. i raise full sized goats and a full sized baby goat can squirt thru a cattle panel for at least 2 months as can any chickens, ducks or small dogs as well as things like foxes, opossums, skunks and the like. most of them can't get thru the 4x4 goat panels. i had to put chicken wire across the bottom half of the cattle panels to keep the baby goats from coming into the yard to visit while they ate all my flowers and bushes. I'd hate to think how long a nigie could get thru them. that's why i suggested the goat panels. if i had it to do all over again i would go with more price and less headache up front. just remember, there are no really hard and fast rules for raising anything. what works for me may not be right for your situation so in the end you do what works best for you. and yea for getting them disbudded. many people love their goats with horns but i had a young kid whirl up and put a horn thru the web between my thumb and forefinger and have always disbudded since. i thought what if that had been my daughters eye or something. nope no horns for me.