Last straw, last chance. Can't contain my goats. Any ideas?

[B&B Happy goats]

Hobbles.....nope, I would send them to freezer camp first., and if you can't eat them , get the feild or horse fence, or shave them so they relearn to "respect" the hot wire......again.

 

[Pinecones]

I would be looking at $1,500 to fence this smaller area and over double that for the larger pasture :/ That's not doable for us. This is steep terrain and it sucks up the linear foot with fencing.

I know I'm not going to change them, just hoping I can adapt to contain them somehow. It would be an easier decision if these weren't pack goats with 5 years of training and conditioning. Replacing them with new packers means new bottle babies and another 3-4 years before I can put weight on them.
We've been through this almost every spring. They up their game, I have to up mine. I really thought electric had solved the problem.

Sooooooo.... For the hell of it I made some hobbles today. I feel guilty about it but also... it was so satisfying watching the naughty boy try to bolt towards the house but only manage a fast shuffle. His hackles were flared up and he was not pleased with the new incapacity! He will take it as a challenge and spend every moment learning how to manipulate them so he can master using them. I've already watched him practicing a goofy sprint up and down slopes and over logs, seeing how far he can push them.
The theory is that if they can't STEP through the fence, they can't do it quickly or without touching a lot of wires in the process. I'm keeping a sharp eye on them, it's been a few hours and so far they haven't tried it. I hate the idea of leaving them in hobbles all the time, but maybe it could be a happy medium for when w're not on walks or hikes...

 

[Pinecones]

I will also think about shaving them, that's a good idea. They're fairly fluffy...

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I will also think about shaving them, that's a good idea. They're fairly fluffy...

Please shave them...I have had to shoot a goat with a very broken leg....not fun (broke 3 places)
Probably would be worse if I thought I had done something that contributed to a broken leg.....

 

[AmberLops]

I agree with shaving them....I think that's worth trying before anything else.
Since they're so confident now about walking right through the hot wire, the 'new' shock might just hurt enough to make them not want to try it again for quite a while
And I agree with @B&B Happy goats ...my neighbor once hobbled one of their goats and when it tried to run down the hill at feeding time...it went rolling down the hill and broke its neck. I wouldn't hobble!

 

[B&B Happy goats]

I agree with shaving them....I think that's worth trying before anything else.
Since they're so confident now about walking right through the hot wire, the 'new' shock might just hurt enough to make them not want to try it again for quite a while
And I agree with @B&B Happy goats ...my neighbor once hobbled one of their goats and when it tried to run down the hill at feeding time...it went rolling down the hill and broke its neck. I wouldn't hobble!

Poor neighbors goat

 

[B&B Happy goats]

My neighbor broke a goats neck basically the same way.......thankfully it was before I moved here,

 

[B&B Happy goats]

@Pinecones, my comments are in no way ment to criticize you, I respect your time and training you have put into getting them trained for trail., and I understand the fustration of them getting out ! I would be pissed off at them for sure., don't think you CAN'T change them...you can retrain them to respect the hot wire fence, give them a show cut, short, so they feel the fence......they will change with a few good reminders shocking them ...
Please let us know what you decide to do and how it works out....best of luck to you and your boys, Barb

 

[Baymule]

I've seen cattle wearing a yoke on their neck, basically a "Y" shaped wooden contraption with a cross bar at the top. They can't get their head through the fence. Maybe make it out of metal to light 'em up?

 

[greybeard]

I've seen cattle wearing a yoke on their neck, basically a "Y" shaped wooden contraption with a cross bar at the top. They can't get their head through the fence. Maybe make it out of metal to light 'em up?

Yep, and often, they basically have to lay down or at least get down on their front 'knees', turn their heads sideways to graze. Yokes used to be really common and I've seen some that looked torturous. Still, they work. Seen some made out of lightweight PVC on dogs too. Those were 3 sided, kinda in a 3 sided star shape.