Keeping goats out of the garden?

[Squirrelgirl88]

I have to say, last summer I took my goats to the garden on purpose. I let them walk around and inspect everything. They touched NOTHING. Not a nibble not a sniff - NOTHING. We have a simple chicken wire fence around our garden, and the goats don't even go near it. I know this is not normal by the way. My goats are VERY picky eaters. I just think it's funny that everyone else is using electric to keep them out and I'm letting them in!

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I have to say, last summer I took my goats to the garden on purpose. I let them walk around and inspect everything. They touched NOTHING. Not a nibble not a sniff - NOTHING. We have a simple chicken wire fence around our garden, and the goats don't even go near it. I know this is not normal by the way. My goats are VERY picky eaters. I just think it's funny that everyone else is using electric to keep them out and I'm letting them in!

That is amazing! Maybe that is my problem. I feed mine fresh lettuce. They love Cherry Tomatos, Carrots, Corn of course, stalk and all.

 

[20kidsonhill]

My goats respect it, but don't ever let the fencer off. Mine test it. In my large pasture, formerlly a hay field, I had some young trees planted. Several pine trees. I have electric fence around them and they were doing great. I had turned off the fencer because I was going to mow around and under the fence. Went in the house, forgot to turn it back on. Four hours later, I walked out the door and saw 4 goats eatting the last of the young pine trees to the ground.

Got them out, turned it back on and they have not gone back in again. How did they figure it out that fast? And witha beautiful garden on the other side, my goats would be all over it.

We have 3 strands of electric fence dividing part of the pasture and our yard, And we have the same problem. The fencer can't be off very long before they start coming out, and the first place they head are my peach trees, and if the vegetable garden is growing that is where they head next. They destroyed all my melons one year.
But in all seriousness, 3 stands of electric turned on all the time may work, 4 strands would be better, but I have boer and I don't think they are as challenging to keep in as the smaller breeds. Although I always seem to have a boer/nubian cross that is a pain to keep fenced in.

Good luck with your garden.

 

[nomad]

Our NDs are also in electroweb fencing. We are newbies.having only had them since last August. However the only way they get out is if the children don't latch the gate after plaing with them. When we first put the fence in (and on) I put them o a leash and let them test it. That way I could insure that they jumped in the right direction. Once in a while they hit it and I hear a surprised (and loud) bleat, but it;s usually because they get too close not that they are testing it. Unfortunately, one of our chickens tested it and blasted right through

That's a good idea with the leash. I have watched sheep test the fence for the first time and then catapult themselves through it when 9.1 joules of juice hit them on their nose. My wife absolutely loves the NDs and is planning on increasing their proportion in the herd. Hope yours are doing well.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

My goats respect it, but don't ever let the fencer off. Mine test it. In my large pasture, formerlly a hay field, I had some young trees planted. Several pine trees. I have electric fence around them and they were doing great. I had turned off the fencer because I was going to mow around and under the fence. Went in the house, forgot to turn it back on. Four hours later, I walked out the door and saw 4 goats eatting the last of the young pine trees to the ground.

Got them out, turned it back on and they have not gone back in again. How did they figure it out that fast? And witha beautiful garden on the other side, my goats would be all over it.

We have 3 strands of electric fence dividing part of the pasture and our yard, And we have the same problem. The fencer can't be off very long before they start coming out, and the first place they head are my peach trees, and if the vegetable garden is growing that is where they head next. They destroyed all my melons one year.
But in all seriousness, 3 stands of electric turned on all the time may work, 4 strands would be better, but I have boer and I don't think they are as challenging to keep in as the smaller breeds. Although I always seem to have a boer/nubian cross that is a pain to keep fenced in.

Good luck with your garden.

Yeap, my boer/nubian wethere is the one that always leads the way to the dark side.

 

[AnnaLease]

Thanks for all the replies!!! I think we may try a three strand electric fence.

 

[AnnaLease]

Our NDs are also in electroweb fencing. We are newbies.having only had them since last August. However the only way they get out is if the children don't latch the gate after plaing with them. When we first put the fence in (and on) I put them o a leash and let them test it. That way I could insure that they jumped in the right direction. Once in a while they hit it and I hear a surprised (and loud) bleat, but it;s usually because they get too close not that they are testing it. Unfortunately, one of our chickens tested it and blasted right through

What do you mean the chicken "blasted through"? Was this a one-time incidence or do they frequently go through?

 

[AnnaLease]

My goats respect it, but don't ever let the fencer off. Mine test it. In my large pasture, formerlly a hay field, I had some young trees planted. Several pine trees. I have electric fence around them and they were doing great. I had turned off the fencer because I was going to mow around and under the fence. Went in the house, forgot to turn it back on. Four hours later, I walked out the door and saw 4 goats eatting the last of the young pine trees to the ground.

Got them out, turned it back on and they have not gone back in again. How did they figure it out that fast? And witha beautiful garden on the other side, my goats would be all over it.

We have 3 strands of electric fence dividing part of the pasture and our yard, And we have the same problem. The fencer can't be off very long before they start coming out, and the first place they head are my peach trees, and if the vegetable garden is growing that is where they head next. They destroyed all my melons one year.
But in all seriousness, 3 stands of electric turned on all the time may work, 4 strands would be better, but I have boer and I don't think they are as challenging to keep in as the smaller breeds. Although I always seem to have a boer/nubian cross that is a pain to keep fenced in.

Good luck with your garden.

Well, I guess we will always have to have it turned on. And we may have to use 4 strands, but I think we'll try three first. Now, the question is- what to do about a gate.....??? I guess we could just put the goats in their pen, and turn the fence off while we work in the garden.

 

[AdoptAPitBull]

If you are worried, just run more strands. And don't get a weak charger. Splurge on a strong one. They won't die or get hurt, trust me. I was the fence tester. Yes, it hurts, but they learn FAST!

We have 5 strands in the goat area and 4 in the alpaca area. Thankfully, the alpacas respect any fence and don't care to test it. The goats end up hitting it by accident when reaching for treats. If I reach in with a treat, they are terrified to come too close.

Don't be afraid to show them the fence a few times. It seems cruel, but it works!