How does everyone let their goaties free-range?

[AlaskanShepherdess]

Generally I take mine out for a walk with one on a leash that everyone follows. But the other day I experimented putting their leashes on a lead line while I was outside the other day and it worked very well. Then I tried it in an area that had more brush and it didn't work at all.

 

[currycomb]

we had a larger area already fenced in, but it took me awhile to figure out how to get the fence situated so the goats could go in, but keep the horses out. just had to think. move the horses water tank, put up a fence between the two lots and presto, goatie smorgasboard. only problem, they only stayed there if we were there, security i guess. i had been letting them out of their dry lot daily to get accustomed to the "greens" they were going to get, and if i left, they went running back to dry lot(really hoping i would bring the feed) wonderful goaties, follow me anywhere for feed. now they go out to the jungle of grass and weeds and into the woods without human help.

 

[genuck]

I let mine out in the 'yard' at night. It's about 3 acres and has 2 sections. In summer I leave it open, later on I will rotate them on it once growth slows down. Right now I have mostly angora/pygoras I feel better having them out at night when it's cooler and my guardian dog, Sasa is more alert to things going on. Plus I am home and if there was a ruckus I would hopefully hear it. I've had trouble with visiting dogs getting ducks during the day while Sasa was sleeping under the house. It's just been too hot!

I did have one goat that was 'on the chain gang' until I found her a new home. She had no shyness about jumping up and over the retaining wall to wander over to my neighbors, a mechanic with numerous used cars (goat amusement park). They actually all were tethered for a bit after they all took a tour over there and ate his MIL flowers. They do get tangled easily and often, it was a pain trying to let them out to graze and stay untangled. I do still keep my ram tethered until he goes to freezer camp. He is a fence jumper supreme. BTW all this was taught by one naughty nubian billy goat, he walked down all the fences and then jumped them. Before that none of goats even thought about challenging the fence. Now all but one of his 'students' are gone.

 

[AlaskanShepherdess]

I've recently been taking my girls over to a neighbors property to "mow" his lawn and keep the brush intact. I put my 3 most dominate girls (one actually isn't dominate, she just likes to wander off by herself, she doesn't miss the others when they are gone) on long leashes and tie them up either to a heavy object in the yard or a tree in the brush. The other 6 girls stay within eyesight of the girls that are tied up. I try to tie up two close enough to each other that I can put a pail between them for water and yet them not be able to tangle each other up. It works really well as long as I don't tie up two too close to each other. I do go out and check them every hour or so, and occasionally I have to untangle one from around a tree or something, but I haven't had any serious problems at all.

Another thing we do is take our fencing material, which I think is some sort of rebar like "fencing" I believe made to be put inside concrete walls, and make portable pens from it. So long as there is areas of even land, this works very well too.