Newbie goat questions

[peachick]

one thing you might want to consider is the electric net fencing. I LOVE mine.
When I first got my goats. I bought 2 rolls of it with a solor powered charger.... its perfectly portable and you can move them anywhere on the property. So you are fencing the herd instead of fencing the land.


DSC_0317 by S!GNATURE, on Flickr

 

[Our7Wonders]

one thing you might want to consider is the electric net fencing. I LOVE mine.
When I first got my goats. I bought 2 rolls of it with a solor powered charger.... its perfectly portable and you can move them anywhere on the property. So you are fencing the herd instead of fencing the land.

Peachick, where did you get your fencing from? I like the idea of this and would like to explore it further. I have my main area fenced but I like this area for smaller pasture areas around the property.

Thanks!

 

[peachick]

I bought mine from a local supplier.

But here is a link for Premier
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=401&cat_id=53

 

[farmerlor]

one thing you might want to consider is the electric net fencing. I LOVE mine.
When I first got my goats. I bought 2 rolls of it with a solor powered charger.... its perfectly portable and you can move them anywhere on the property. So you are fencing the herd instead of fencing the land.

[url]http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4920325754_f60ae21a9b.jpg[/url]
DSC_0317 by S!GNATURE, on Flickr

Ooooooooh, I LIKE this fencing!!! Will it work with the regular solar charger I used for my single strand hot wire or will I need a new charger just for this?

 

[georgialee]

Thanks for all the info!

peachick - that fencing looks great! How does it work as far as grounding goes? Do you just do a temporary ground rod... something small?

 

[BluBug]

HERD MASTER~very good post~you are right that when everything is going well~GREAT~then when reality comes, all goes to H~ in a handbasket. We had an very experienced Goat Keeper @ our last goat club meeting,she was the most honest person I have listened to speak, about that goats can find 365 ways to die on you !
I am constantly reading, studing & going to Goat Days @ a local University,trying to get ahead of my goats
And I use the electric net fencing for my goats & chickens and it is simple to install,more difficult to move & store. Tall grass & weeds are a problem. Uof KY uses it to graze Boer goats on Kudzu. You MUST keep it electryfied or the goats will get caught up in it. And it requires a very good ground. But I have it on many different types of chargers & they all work w/ it.
I also used heavy duty 4 ft tall small opening horse fencing on top of regular woven wire to keep out neighbors dogs,on another paddock.
One more thing~I bought too many goats when I started, so one problem became many problems, I would suggest starting w/ less than 10. They are supposed to have @ least 2 kids every year & often have more than that. Good Luck

 

[Theykeepmebusy]

Hi...I'm a goataholic... , wait until your waiting for your first kidding season...... I can't wait for my second....and third....twitch....twitch.....

 

[canesisters]

Chiming in on this old thread....
Several years ago I 'borrowed' 3 goats to clear out an area of the yard. The owners were reluctant to pick them back up once the brush was cleared and - despite my BEST efforts at rigging up some kind of fencing that would hold them - they cleared out much of the landscaping before they got gone after about 8 months. So - I've had a tiny bit of experience keeping goats.

I've had horses for 30 years - and lost my last old mare last winter.
I'm seriously looking into getting a dairy cow... and that's where the goats have come up again.
The horses never challenged the fencing (2 lines of electric) and I actually didn't even turn it back on after doing a large repair from deer damage several years back. Because they didn't even TRY to get out, I have been very lax about keeping my fence lines clear and clean.
Before the cow arrives, I'll have to do some major cleaning up and 'beefing' up of the fencing.
Much of the fence has been devoured by blackberry canes .
I'm considering the idea of making a goat tractor to keep 2 goats in. It would be a cattle pannel pen that is roughly 10'x20' with a shelter in one corner and with several of the grids of the pannel removed on the side that faces the fence. I could move the tractor every day another 20' along the fence line so that they would circle the pasture a couple of times every year.

..... is this nuts????
Could they be happy and healthy living in a small pen - with fresh access to brush/pasture daily - or weekly depending on how fast they clear up what they can reach?
Are all yall goat-pros laughing at me right now thinking "Yeah right, and on day 2 - after she's caught them and stuffed them back in those open grid spaces... then what's she gonna do?"

 

[Pearce Pastures]

I think hotwire and a portable battery would be easier. Lots of people use goats to clear brush that way.