How do you keep them in??????

[purplequeenvt]

We just got 2 Alpine cross doelings on Friday. They are 2 months old and 20 pounds of trouble. They won't stay in anything. It's like they can walk through walls or something. The escaping wouldn't be a problem if they stayed around, but they don't. We've had two different neighbors return them today. You should see the pen that I have rigged up and it still didn't hold them. They are now spending the night in our stock trailer.

The goat that I already have (3 year old Saanan mix wether) was never this much trouble. He stayed where you put him and his feet never left the ground.

What are some tricks to teaching them to stay in?

 

[drdoolittle]

Well, it depends on how they are escaping. Make sure there is nothing they can climb on to jump over the fence and that they are not squeezing under the fence at a weak spot you might not have noticed. I once had a wether that would get a running-start and run right up the trunk of a tree near the fence and then repel off the trunk right over the fence!

The fence we have for our pen now is made from landscape posts with 2" x 4" farm fence attached with large poultry nails.

 

[ksalvagno]

I would watch to see how they are escaping. Then fix those things.

 

[boothcreek]

I have found that my 3 week old Saanen wethers are like rats, if their head firts thru a hole the whole goat will fit.... they found a spot of the fence that is spaced boards instead of wire and when they see me coming with the bottles they found one space inbetween 2 boards that must be an inch or so wider then the rest cause they squeeze out of there in a split second.

But these guys are very attached to us so they come looking for us around the house and dont go anywhere.

 

[manybirds]

sorry i couldn't help but laugh a little. i know the fealing though from my first goat. First I used cattle pannels held togeather by wire. now there iin a 2 acre pasture with 4 strands of electric fenc to contain them .both work well

 

[purplequeenvt]

OK, here is the update. I set up a pen for them with 9, yes 9, strands of charged electric fence.

So far ( ) it is working. They do NOT like being shocked. They seemed pretty content in there this evening.

 

[sawfish99]

Electric is only a mental barrier, not a physical one. We have had kids learn that they can jump though the strands and only get a small shock.

We still use electric for main pen fencing, but for the overnight kid isolation area, it is fully fenced with 4x4" field fencing.

 

[ksalvagno]

I hope that worked for you.

 

[Hillsvale]

OMG it looks like a federal dangerous offender lock up... they will escape, guaranteed they are investigating how!

 

[purplequeenvt]

Electric is only a mental barrier, not a physical one. We have had kids learn that they can jump though the strands and only get a small shock.

We still use electric for main pen fencing, but for the overnight kid isolation area, it is fully fenced with 4x4" field fencing.

These girls needed a mental barrier more then anything. I placed the lowest 5 wires close enough together that they can't get their heads through without getting bit. So far so good. I think the main issue was just that they were scared.

OMG it looks like a federal dangerous offender lock up... they will escape, guaranteed they are investigating how!

Aren't all goats evil??? They are considerably calmer and stayed in even when the fence was off for a bit........of course it could all be an act and they are just waiting for the perfect moment. They actually are really sweet goats.