The following is a guest post by Liz Greene. Liz hails from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. She’s a lover of all things geek and is happiest when cuddling with her dogs and catching up on the latest Marvel movies. You can follow her on Twitter @LizVGreene or delve deeper into her internal musings at her blog, InstantLo.
The following is a guest post by Liz Greene. Liz hails from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. She’s a lover of all things geek and is happiest when cuddling with her dogs and catching up on the latest Marvel movies. You can follow her on Twitter @LizVGreene or delve deeper into her internal musings at her blog, I was walking through a street fair the other day…
A friend and I noticed a pair of teenage girls walking goats. When we approached to ask them about their animals, their response was, “We got them on Craigslist!” As we walked away, I saw my friend shaking her head. I asked her what the odds were that those girls had the proper set up to take care of the goats. She replied that it was highly unlikely.
I don’t mean to shame them in the slightest. It’s entirely possible they do have the proper fencing and equipment to take care of their new pets — but it’s also possible they jumped on the goat bandwagon before properly preparing. I almost did.
Goats are so adorable it physically hurts a little. And whether you’re raising them for meat, or milk, fiber, or pets, I’m sure you’re planning on giving them adorable names, hugs, and all the attention they could ever want. Hell, I’m so obsessed with goats, I went to the state fair this year with the express intent to pet MORE goats. If you haven’t noticed, I really, really like goats.
However, I also know from experience that goats require a certain amount of care — mainly, that proper fencing is important to keeping your goats safe! I’ve found that, above all other aspects of goat care, the fence deserves the most attention. DaNelle knows what I’m talking about, as I just read about her great goat escape.
Fence Posts
Since goats tend to rub on walls and fences, they have to be extremely sturdy. When you put in fencing, use eight foot wooden or metal posts. Space them eight to ten feet apart and bury them at least two feet deep. If you’re using T-posts, pound them in past the V at the bottom that holds them in the ground. The corner posts must be on the outside as goats will climb up a fence support in the blink of an eye.
Fencing
Now we’re getting into the nuts and bolts of goat containment: the fencing. A good rule of thumb for fencing is that if the goat can get their head through it, they can get their body through it. All fencing needs to be a minimum of four feet high. If you have highly active Nubians or miniature breeds, make it five feet. There are many options for the type of fencing you choose, but for the sake of time, I’m only going to go over three.
Woven wire fencing is a popular choice, but it’s quite expensive and installation is a bit of a pain. If you’re using woven wire fencing, go for four inch openings to keep your goats from getting their heads stuck in the fence.
Cattle or goat panels with graduated spacing are excellent fences for goats. They are available in various heights and lengths, but the higher and wider they are, the better. There one downside is that the tallest panels land right around 52 inches, so you may need to add a couple wires of electric fence across the top to discourage active breeds from jumping over.
Electric fencing is another great choice for goats. When placing wires, remember that goats are more likely to go under a fence rather than over it, so the bottom wire should be kept close to the ground. If your area is prone to blackouts, consider purchasing solar-powered electric fence chargers for added protection. Goat fencing will require a 4,000-5,000 volt charger.
Fence Gates
Anyone who owns goats will tell you that they’re incredibly clever. One of the places you’ll see this cleverness in action is at the gate of your goat yard. Since goats have been known to open hook and eye, lever, and bolt latches, a padlock may be the best option to keep them in. Whatever type of latch you ultimately decide on, make sure to place it on the outside of the gate where the goats can’t reach it.
Whatever fencing, post, and gate you choose, it important to remember that goats are excellent crawlers, climbers, and jumpers. They’re quite happy to go over, under, or through any fence that wasn’t built to the best specifications to keep them in.
“All fencing needs to be a minimum of four feet high. If you have highly active Nubians or miniature breeds, make it five feet.” Do the little guys jump higher than the big guys??
Hi Ellen-
Smaller goats are better jumpers as they weigh less and are more nimble.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
hi would elitric fence netting work with goats and sheep
Yes
We live in the country with bobcats and coyotes all around us and are planning on getting goats we don’t want them to get killed by nearby predators so I was wondering if a wooden privacy fence would be ok for our new goats? My only concern about this is that I wouldn’t be able to see the goat through the fence .
Hi Kelsie-
Suggestions for fencing, especially for bobcats, are that the fencing should be at least six feet high with the bottom extending 6-12 inches below ground level. It should be put up at an angle at the top facing outward at 45 degrees, and 16 inches in width.
It is best to put your goats up at night to add a layer of safety.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
you mentioned about using locks to Van Gates suggest do not use combination locks cuz my goat Einstein has figured out how to rip the dial off combination lock in it comes apart thank you
How many feet should their enclosure be?
Thinking about Nigerian dwarfs!
Hi Katelin-
This article can answer your questions about spacing. https://www.weedemandreap.com/how-much-space-need-raise-goats/
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
What if your goats jump the fence?
Hi Joselyn-
Check to make sure there is nothing your goat can stand on and jump off of to jump over the fence. If that’s not the issue, then you will need to build taller fences.
Best of luck!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Thanks for pointing out that when it comes to fencing, if a goat can get their head through it then they can probably get their body through it and escape. My dad is thinking about getting farm fencing put around his property because he wants to start raising goats and chickens on it. I think it would be smart for him to talk to a professional about his different fence options and what would work best for the kinds of animals he wants so that he can make sure to get the best kind for him.
I want to be able to move my goats around for brush control. Can you chain them to like a concrete block or something and move them around? I’m thinking that they would need to be far enough apart so as not to get tangled with each other. Of course, I would keep water handy, too. Will this work?
Hi Becky-
I’m not a big fan of chaining goats ever. If you want to use them for brush control, get movable panels that you can move around as needed.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Ha ha yes! Dealing with a fence jumper myself the last few weeks. We have 6 Nigerian dwarf boys–the O’boys–4 of them around 2 years old and the other 2 are about 6 months old. One of older boys is clearly a mix of something larger since he is a bit larger and tall for a Nigerian Dwarf. But he is a big baby and screams and throws a fit to get what he wants…..and if he doesn’t get it, he jumps the fence to find it. Luckily I was out there with them the other day when he jumped over and got both feet caught in the fence wire so I could get him untangled. We’re putting up electric across the top of the fence this year, but will be a few months before we get it done. In the meantime, silly guy will just show up on my front porch…or eat my tomato plants….what a goofball…surprises every day.
Hi Jennie-
Yes, they are full of surprises!! -Bobbi
Really, enjoying your blog and website…just acquired a baby boy goat and am learning something new everyday about him. Thank you for your time and love for sharing. Looking forward to more post.
I bought a LaMancha-Oberhasli cross buck just before Christmas, he is extremely tame. He loves everybody, especially the ladies. About a month ago he started getting out of his enclosure, I assumed it was because I had a young doe in heat. I put him in with that herd and he has been fine for a month. This week he has started escaping. I found where he was climbing out and fixed that spot, two hours later he is on my back porch again. Put him back in and poof, there he is again. Locked in in the turkey run, fences there are 8 feet except one small are where they are only about 5 feet. Got up in the morning and he had jumped three fences to get in with my newly freshened doe and her three babies. Put him back in with his herd and he backed up to the wall and jumped out of that pen from a standstill. Help, what can I do. Oh and yesterday hubby put electric fence across the top of all the fences and he got out once as well.
We are also putting electric across the top on all of our fencing. We have one chronic jumper. If he gets his nose ‘bitten’ by the hot wire, I hope that will make him stop. However it will be a few months before we can get it completed since we’re doing it ourselves (and by we, I mean ME) and I work full time so I just have to do what I can when I can on evenings and weekends. I’m very afraid he will get out and could possibly make his way to the road, though I don’t think he’s very comfortable going that far away from the herd. Anyway currently I am looking at hobbles. Mostly I see they are used while milking, but others on the Goat Forum are telling me they use them on goat escapees. Leaving them on for several days to stop the pattern (at least temporarily). Apparently, you can make them a length that leaves enough space to walk, but not enough to jump. I’m still considering this.
I’m getting ready to build my fence now! We bought the 48 inch sheep goat fencing, that sounds ups work for my pigmy Nigerian dwarfs right? Why do they not make it 5 ft tall! I’m so excited!
I was wondering if chainlink fencing would work with hotwire around the top and bottom? My children and I are looking to add some goat kids to our family, and were told that chainlink would work, but I noticed that, that wasn’t in your list of good types.
Yes, totally!
Be careful it being all steel it will ground itself .
Ahhh I have a yearling and 4 babies that I just welcomed to our home and the yearling had been my problem child, first with milking complications {one year dry} and now she is trying to jump the fence. I hate to think she isn’t happy here;(. Do you think all the babies that aren’t hers are making her want to bolt???
Hi Lori,
It’s pretty typical goat behavior to want to always escape, especially when she tires of her babies. I would give her more hay and make the fence more secure:) I am sure she’s happy, it’s just what goats do, some have a more adventurous heart than others:)
These babies aren’t hers:( I got her to milk and then all others were just weaned from their mommas:(.
Hi. I asof this coming Thursday, I will be a new goat owner. We are purchasing two Nigerian Dwarf goats…..one doe in milk and one wether. Will they be lonely or afraid and if so how would I comfort them?
They should be good because they have each other:) They may bleat and be loud on the first day or two at your house, but then they’ll calm down and be happy.
I’ve always heard family friends complaining about their goats getting out, so the amount of attention given to building the right kind of fence is definitely warranted. When containing any animal, you’ve got to make sure the fence is built with them in mind, and you outlined the necessary parts for goats really well. Thanks for sharing!
I had electric fencing for my milk goats and it worked. When it came time to freshen them I would buy a billy goat from a local auction and then sell it back a month later. One of these billys would put its horns under the fence and then escape under the fence being shocked on its behind making him run away faster. One day I received a call from a neighbor who lived in a home with dirtv almost to the roof on three sides. He was greatly startled when he heard a noise on his roof. There was my goat running back and forth on his roof.
We had an old pool fence built with 2″ welded wire on 2×4 cedar frames. It kept our goats and sheep in for years. We also used stall panels with pig panels wired onto them in another location, worked great. Still did my fair share of goat chasing, but can look back on it and laugh now.
Yes, we love our goats and they do challenge us with getting out. They have ‘climbed and therefore pulled down’ the cattle fencing that was in place when we moved here. They also loved to get their heads stuck in it. We have plans over the winter and spring to replace it panel fencing. They showed the cows how to get out!