Wanna-Be Farmer in KY!

[HomesteadHappy]

Welcome to BYH!

I would suggest reading through some of the threads on this site... lots of info.

For any and all livestock, quality fencing will make your life so much better!!!

Thanks for the reply! What kind of fencing would you suggest, especially for goats?

 

[Alaskan]

Thanks for the reply! What kind of fencing would you suggest, especially for goats?

You want the fence to keep out predators. On a small place dogs are probably your biggest predator.

To keep goats in you want woven, not welded fence. You want an electric strand at the bottom to keep the goats from crawling under, an electric strand at the middle so the goats don't try to push the fence down, and an electric strand at the top so the goats don't try to climb over.

A 4 foot tall fence will keep in goats, if none of them are jumpers.

If you have a jumper a 6 foot fence is better.

I hear sheep aren't as hard to fence in.

But with sheep you might still want all of that electric to keep out dogs.

Dogs love to harass and kill goats and sheep.

 

[Mike CHS]

Ah I see. Well, I am looking for East Friesian sheep and haven't come across anywhere nearby that sells them unfortunately. Sounds like a nice flock! How many do you have?

I know a couple of people that have those sheep but none for sale unfortunately. We have down sized our sheep in the last year and are down to 30 ewes. We had 75 plus last year and it was too much to handle.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@HomesteadHappy - welcome to BYH! One step over from BYC, here you'll find some great info to help those future plans with livestock/herd critters

 

[HomesteadHappy]

You want the fence to keep out predators. On a small place dogs are probably your biggest predator.

To keep goats in you want woven, not welded fence. You want an electric strand at the bottom to keep the goats from crawling under, an electric strand at the middle so the goats don't try to push the fence down, and an electric strand at the top so the goats don't try to climb over.

A 4 foot tall fence will keep in goats, if none of them are jumpers.

If you have a jumper a 6 foot fence is better.

I hear sheep aren't as hard to fence in.

But with sheep you might still want all of that electric to keep out dogs.

Dogs love to harass and kill goats and sheep.

Great information! Thank you so much. Do you have any preference for dairy goats?

 

[HomesteadHappy]

I know a couple of people that have those sheep but none for sale unfortunately. We have down sized our sheep in the last year and are down to 30 ewes. We had 75 plus last year and it was too much to handle.

I found one East Friesian sheep breeder in California. I, unfortunately, can't find any closer. Since I live in KY, would it be okay to for lambs and kids to travel that far?

Wow that is so many! How many acres do you have?

 

[HomesteadHappy]

@HomesteadHappy - welcome to BYH! One step over from BYC, here you'll find some great info to help those future plans with livestock/herd critters

Thank you so much! I've already met so many wonderful folks with great information!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Miss @HomesteadHappy,

Welcome aboard! You will find a wealth of knowledge and friendly people on the forum. Among the sheep people are Mr. @Mike CHS (whom you met), Miss @Baymule, Miss @Ridgetop, and many others. Among the goat folks are Miss @B&B Happy goats, Miss @rachels.haven, and Miss @Mini Horses, and many others. Miss @farmerjan knows a lot about cows and chickens (and pretty much anything else).

Regarding the questionaire that Miss @farmerjan mentioned, there is a subforum under "Social" called "Member's "BackYardHerds" Journals". This forum is where many people on the BYH forum keep a journal. You will find at the top of that forum a thread that contains questions that you can answer that will guide you in getting started with your journal. I encourage you to start such a journal and to read the journals of other folks.

Again, Welcome aboard!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Alaskan]

Great information! Thank you so much. Do you have any preference for dairy goats?

I am highly prejudiced towards full sized Saanen. They are quiet, have long production times, give lots of milk, and tend to have easy to milk udders/teats.

They are full white, so aren't "flashy".

 

[farmerjan]

Thank you @Senile_Texas_Aggie for the reference as to where to find the "questionaire"...