Step-by-step guide to goat farm fencing

Electric fencing

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.
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. 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.

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.

Goat fencing materials

Common fencing materials are posts (metallic, wooden and concrete) bracing wire, staples, and stretchers among others. 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. 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.

Area for fencing

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 agitated. 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 will 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.

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. 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.

Recommended types of fence

An electric net fence
It is one popular type of goat fencing you can consider. The greatest benefit of electric net fencing for goats is the ease of installing and moving it, and the fact that it is inexpensive. 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.

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.
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.

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.

Smart fence

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.
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.

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 is 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.

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 is 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.

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 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.

---adopted from AgriFarming