Goat Fencing
Goat fencing is mainly considered as one of the most important factors to consider before starting a Goat farm (along with providing good quality feed and a great shelter). A good Goat fencing system not only helps to keep Goats secure and feel safe but also helps to keep Goats within your inspection. Selecting the best fencing for Goats requires you to plan on one that can withstand the jumping, rubbing, and leaning on that they will be doing every day. Fencing is the main component of a system using Goats for brush control. In this article we also covered the below topics about Goat fencing;
- Best Goat fencing options
- What kind of fence is best for Goats
- How tall should a fence be for Goats
- Are Goats hard to keep in a fence
- Build a fence for your Goats
- Cheap Goat fence ideas
- Goat fence design
A Step-by-Step Guide to Goat Fencing
By using electric fencing to confine Goats can be a convenient way to pasture the animals where they can keep grass and weeds clipped in hard-to-mow places. Also, electric fencing affords the flexibility of rotating grazing areas so that Goats are moved frequently to clean ground and fresh grass. Also, quality Goat fencing requires a lot of money to complete. It is one of the most costly up-front investments that you have to make for your Goat farm and scrimping a few dollars for Goat fencing is not wise.
Quality and expensive fences will last for a longer time, on the other hand, the cheap and low-quality fence will fail after only a couple of years. Though, it’s your choice whether you choose an expensive fence or just a basic fence for your Goats. Goats are one of the most challenging livestock to have with fencing. Also, some species of Goats have thick coats that insulate them from electric shock.
Choosing the right fence for enclosing Goats proves a unique challenge due to the playful and curious nature of the animals. Goats chew, climb on, and dig under just about anything, so a fence should be strong enough, secure enough, and tall enough to keep them contained. Also, if you have different breeds of Goats that grow to different sizes, you will need to make sure that the fencing you use is suitable for all of them.
Considerations before Building a Goat Fence
In case if you miss this: Profitable Backyard Livestock Farming.
Now that you have a better idea of what a Goat fence is beneficial for, let’s give you a heads-up on deciding which one to build for Goats. So, you’ll find the most important factors like;
Goat Fencing Materials
Common fencing materials are posts, bracing wire, staples, and stretchers, etc. Non-climb Goat and horse wire fences are normally good for Goat fencing. Since it is much stronger, heavier, and much sturdier than the usual fence (but it can be more expensive). Consider smaller openings for Goat fencing, for example, 2×4 inches will be good for Goats. A Goat cannot stick its head through and get stuck if the openings are of smaller size.
Barbed Wire Fence
A barbed-wire fence can be a good option if you want to minimize the number of unwanted animals coming in from the outside. You can bury a strand of barbed wire underneath the fence or just below the surface.
Materials Required for Constructing Goat Fencing
Firstly, what fence materials do you want to use for Goats? More importantly, which fencing materials work better for Goats?
Area for Build a Fence for Goats
How big of an area are you building a Goat fence on? This can give you a better idea of what materials to use and what type of fence you need.
A Goat fence larger than 1,000 square feet made of steel tubing can be costly. In that case, you can prefer a wire fence instead.
A 500-square feet fence should be enough for a few Goats while still being little work and not much money upfront. For this, you can use more expensive materials without emptying your wallet.
Height of Fence
The minimum height for a Goat fence is about 4ft due to their ability to jump. Though usually docile, most Goats will attempt to jump fences when spooked. Building your fence with a height of 54 inches or more will help reduce their chances of escaping.
Head Gaps
Small openings of 4 inches between the vertical wires are recommended to prevent Goats from getting their heads stuck in the fence. Among curious animals, Goats stand out as the most annoying of them all. In contrast with other animals, Goats are getting stuck everywhere, whether because of their clunky bodies or horns. That’s why it is always necessary to leave significant gaps on the fences. And if you’re going to feed them through a fence, this is even important. Usually, you’ll want to leave head gaps of at least 10 inches in height for Goats to stick their heads in without getting stuck.
Entrances and Access
When you want the Goats to feed on the tall grass or simply pasture around to meet their food needs, and then you’re likely to release them. At the same time, you could want to get inside the fence from time to time, either for cleaning or just checking on the Goats directly. Either way, it is necessary to keep a gate, small entrance, or simple access where Goats and humans can quickly get in and out.
Electric Fencing for Goats
Electric fencing is a very good option for reducing predation to animals digging under the fence. Placing a single electric fence wire within the bottom 6 inches of the fence is a good start. For that reason, you want to install a fence that can withstand and prevent all attempts by wild creatures to break through or jump over into your Goat lot. That needs a fence that is at least 5 ft. tall to prevent the animals from jumping over.
Electric fencing can also help reduce Goats’ instances to rub on the fence. Either an entire electric fence or one single wire running inside a woven wire fence will stop Goats from damaging the fence. And, after a few shocks, your Goats will learn to stay away from the fence. Effectively, they won’t want to cross it with the electricity turned off.
Electric Goat fencing has several advantages and disadvantages. Electric fencing is a good choice if you want to keep Goats inside. But it can’t keep a Goat inside sometimes, especially if there is plenty of green or browse on the outside. In the case of using electric Goat fencing, you also have chances to lose Goat kids due to electric shock. Some Goat owners swear electric fencing will have Goats, as long as they’ve been properly trained. Others have witnessed Goats callously push through a fence that can stop an elephant in its tracks.
Setting Fence Height for Goats
Goats are good jumpers, and the younger the Goats, the more they like to leap. In areas where jumping is likely over a fence that is meant to protect a garden or to separate bucks from does in heat, make sure the fence is tall enough to prevent the Goat from even attempting to jump over. A 4 to 5-foot fence is satisfactory for almost all Goats. A 3-foot fence is generally tall enough to contain adult Nigerian Dwarf Goats or miniature Goats. To be safe for all ages and types of Goats, recommend a 5-foot fence, particularly in areas where they spend a lot of time loafing, rather than foraging or grazing.
If a fence is too short, a Goat might not only jump but even worse jump and get a back leg hung up in the fence, snapping the bone. The best fences for smaller Goat pens and paddocks are panels made of rigid steel rods welded into place, and creating a structure that can hold up to all of the abuses and challenges Goats provide. Hog panels are one main example of this type of fencing. Then, these panels have a grid pattern with smaller openings toward the bottom, and they are about 3 or 4 feet tall. Another main example is security or horse panels, which are 5 feet (1.5 m) tall and have openings that are only 2 inches wide by 4 inches tall (5 × 10 cm). Of course, both these types of fencing are the most expensive, but, likely, you’ll never need to replace them.
Most Popular Goat Fences
An Electric Net Fence
It is one popular type of Goat fencing you can consider for Goat would be electric net fencing. The greatest benefit of electric net fencing for Goats is the ease of installing and moving it, and the fact that it’s inexpensive. Electric net fencing should only be used for the perimeter fence for Goats if;
(1) Your Goats seem to respect Goat fencing,
(2) Their environment is an in-town type of setting, or
(3) The Goat fencing is only temporary.
This type of Goat fencing works well as an inside-the-pasture dividing fence, where a woven wire or high tensile wire fence is used as the boundary fence and the electric net is used to divide it into separate pens. This can be beneficial if a Goat is used for breeding and does and bucks need to be separated or does and kids need to be separated. It can be taken down, put up, or moved to allow for grazing in different areas with ease. Then, there is no need for heavy equipment or strong laborers with an electric net fence.
The electric net fence is a high maintenance fence for Goats. It’s a temporary type of Goat fence, so spraying herbicide to kill weeds around it would not be appropriate. Instead, you can just move the fence to mow around it. You should check a net fence frequently in case it gets knocked down. Keeping the electrical charge going on a net fence is very important to keep your Goats within their bounds. So to check it daily for proper functioning. When we have used electric net fencing for our Goats, we have seen that the Goats “test” the fence daily.
High Tensile Wire Fence
Another choice for Goat fencing is high tensile wire. High tensile wire can be electrified and it can withstand wear-and-tear and horned Goats have less of a chance of getting stuck in it. In contrast, a high tensile wire fence has large gaps between the wires where Goats might escape and it is not easily movable.
A high tensile electric fence is a good option for fencing in Goats. Some of the main advantages over a conventional fence include that once the Goats have learned to respect an electric fence; and it can be the most cost-effective fencing you can build. Another main advantage is a high tensile electric fence can have posts spaced at 30 feet on flat ground. Reducing the amount of time and energy you spend driving posts.
Start with a 3-strand fence with the wires spaced about 6 inches apart and alternating hot and ground. Be sure to build your Goat fence with the bottom wire energized to prevent Goats and predators from crawling under it. A good overall height for a high tensile electric fence is about 36 inches with wires alternating hot and ground at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 inches. The main advantage of high tensile conductive wire fencing is that it is cheap and easy to install. Driving posts with the gas-powered post driver is a breeze. Once Goats have learned that the wire is charged, they will stay away from the fence.
Woven Wire Fence
The benefits of woven wire are the fact that it is a permanent fence, it is a great boundary fence, and it provides adequate security and is low maintenance. Type of woven wire should not be confused with “welded wire” Goat fencing. With woven wire, the wires are “woven” together thus they slide and flex if a Goat stands up against the fence with its front hooves. It is a great perimeter fence that is most likely to keep predators out. This can work well in the country if there will be a large herd of Goats, or if the Goats will be used for breeding and kids in the herd is a possibility in the future. Smaller spaces in the woven wire are effective to keep small kids from pushing through, compared to high tensile wire.
Polywire and Temporary Electric Fences
A Polywire electric fence for Goats is made of woven strands of polyethylene fibers and wire thread to conduct electricity. When it comes to confining Goats, Polywire can be as effective as electrical wires. Though, polyethylene can break down in sunlight over time. Its lightweight does make it easy to work with when setting up a temporary fence.
The main advantages of Polywire fencing include easy visibility, fast installation, and good durability. The colored wire functions as a visual cue to control the animals. Unlike other types of fencing, it is flexible and lightweight. Polywire fencing is easy to work with- installation is a breeze irrespective of topography. The plastic and metal construction of the Polywire fence makes it durable and resistant to wear and tear.
Fixed Knot Woven Wire Fencing
This is also the best option for Goat fencing is fixed knot woven wire. You have many choices in vertical and horizontal wire spacing with woven wire. With horned Goats, you will want to avoid vertical wire spacing of about 6 inches as they can cause a Goat’s head to become trapped in the fence. It is made with galvanized high tensile wire and can last more than 50 years. This mesh is strong enough to retain its shape after repeated rubbing-on by Goats and also flexible enough to give upon impact by a running Goat, helping to prevent injuries to the animals.
Smart Fence for Goats or Mobile Fence for Goats
The Smart Fence for Goats is an all-in-one system of posts, reels, and wires. It is regarded as the perfect replacement for the standard net fence. It can be assembled and dismantled within 5 minutes. It is also easy to carry and store (use the corresponding Smart Fence accessories for that purpose).
The Smart Fence consists of 4 wires and 10 posts and is 100 meters long. The barrier can be erected in any required line, as the posts can be positioned anywhere, and also the wires are adjustable in height. It’s also possible to connect multiple Smart Fences. Combined with a Gallagher fence energizer connected to the Smart Fence, your animals will remain safe.
Chain Link Fence
Chain link fencing is a great option for containing Goats. Chain link fencing has small enough grids where Goat kids can’t escape through them, and it’s durable enough Goats couldn’t ruffle it at the bottom to escape beneath it. If you must ensure Goats don’t leave their area, this style of fencing would be a step towards achieving this goal.
Goat Fencing Ideas for Goat Lovers
You’re now aware of what makes Goat fencing so important and what factors you must consider when building one. With everything clear on your mind, let’s take a look at some exciting fence ideas for Goats you can start building right away.
Palisade with Entrance
Thin timber, bamboo, or large cylindrical branches with a wire tying them together. This can bring up an excellent fence system that keeps Goats safe. This keeps Goats from trying to jump over and bringing down the palisade over time. Then, to make it a practical fence, don’t forget to make a small entrance where Goats can go in and out. Also, gated entry is better, but gateless works for convenience.
Metallic Grilled Fence
The best method to keep Goats safe from outside dangers while still keeping them in check inside is a metallic fence. We don’t mean wire fence as that’s easy to make and may not offer the safety you’re looking for. But a sturdy and high-quality grille fence can get the job done. These grilled fences come at heights of about 5 to 8 feet. Anything within that range must be enough to keep predators out and Goats in.
Field Fencing
Field fencing is woven and galvanized steel that comes in rolls about 300-feet long. Its changes from 32 to 47 inches in height. For Goats, a 4-foot fence is high enough, though, for Nubians or particularly nimble Goats, you could want to go to 5 feet or add a strand or two of wire to discourage climbing or jumping. A cheaper route as it cuts out nearly two-thirds of the wire is about 12-inch square mesh, but this is not ideal for smaller Goats.
Utility Panels
Utility panels are approximately 16 feet long and made of welded steel vertical stay wires and horizontal line wires. As they utilize heavier gauge wire generally 4 or 5-gauge panels do not require stretching and will not sag. Some manufacturers market panels specifically for Goats with about 4-inch squares. Traditional or Hog feedlot panels, with 3-by-8-inch rectangles at the bottom and 6-by-8-inch rectangles at the top, work as well.
Wooden Fence
A wooden fence can be a great option for Goats. But it is expensive and will take a long time to build. And it lasts less than wire fencing. Whatever Goat fencing material and system you use, ensure that it is strong enough to keep Goats inside and predators outside.
White Farm-Style Fence
Looking for a more cottage-style or vintage appearance and then a small wooden palisade with planks and an attractive pattern should make it work. You can paint it up to make it look even better. Be sure it is high enough and sturdy for Goats to stay inside. It will undoubtedly add up to the farm’s appeal, but don’t overlook the animal’s safety.
Short Rustic Wooden Fence
If you’re short on budget but want to keep Goats in one place, then use a rustic wooden fence. Building this one is easy, as you only require a few wooden planks, wire, and some nails. Putting it together can take you just a few hours if you work fast enough. Either way, it is a good-looking alternative. Not the most protective, but it still gives you very easy access to the Goats and saves you tons of time and money.
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