How To Keep Goats Fenced In

Are you worried about this popular problem of how to keep goats fenced in?

You’re not alone. It’s a very popular stereotype of goats that the hardest part of owning them is learning how to keep goats fenced in. But, I’m here today to tell you that goats CAN be fenced in.

I can still remember the day I decided we would add some goats to our little farm. I was talking to some people who were already raising them. “Raise goats,” they said. “It’ll be easy,” they said.

As I look back now…I’m not going to lie to you. Raising these wonderfully sweet animals has been ANYTHING but easy. And keeping them enclosed has probably been the hardest part.

While I absolutely love my does and bucks, I am working to expand my herd numbers further. Therefore, keeping them safe has been a topic I have really had to become an expert in. I’m sharing my years of research and expertise with you today.

Because owners new and old know how difficult it is to keep all small livestock where they are supposed to be. Especially this time of year when the grass is greener on the other side and the trees and bushes are leafing out.

After a decade of raising goats, I’ve had my share of experiences with learning how to keep goats fenced in.

In this post, I will share:

• How to save money by exploring ideas and my experiences, including electric netting.
• My own experience with using different types of fence will hopefully help you make the right decision in learning how to keep goats fenced in.

1. Electric Woven Wire Netting

Woven wire poultry electric fencing

When if comes to portable fencing, this fence works well if you have a few head. We used it for about 20 at the time, so we bought two sections to tie together.

We electrified it by using just a simple battery. It’s a great option. You do have to have a lot of time to move it around once the animals have finished eating. The cost for one strand of this great netting is $190.00, but I think it’s a pretty sensible option since you can reuse it for many years to come.

2. Short 3-Strand Electric

Short 3-strand electric fence

This choice did not work for me at all. I tried this with three adult bucks and set the wires at 3 inches, 6 inches and 12 inches. I made a mistake with this, though. I did not make the goats touch the fence, so they weren’t scared of it at all. When they tried to move through it, they jumped forward instead of backwards…imaging that! If I would have made them touch the wires first and trained them to know it’s a hot wire, I think things would have been different.

I know many ranchers who have had success with hot wire. I have not tried it since mainly because of time constraints. If you have a few does and bucks and some time to try it out – go for it! The high-tensile barbed wire that you can electrify is what we like and it costs around $40.00 per roll.

3. Nine-Wire Barbed Wire

One summer, we tried a nine-wire barbed wire. We got the idea from a gentleman in Oklahoma and thought it would be doable for us to add wires onto our five-wire cattle pasture. All we did to modify was to add four strands of barbed wire in between the four bottom wires. It worked great all summer long until the end of August when they figured out how to squeeze through. For this fence, we used the non-tensile barb that costs around $75.00 per roll.

4. Woven Wire

Woven Wire

Woven Wire is the most viable option but it is more expensive than the cattle woven wire. Here is a guide for installing woven wire because it is kind of tricky if you’ve never done it before. This woven wire is pretty pricey at $240.00 per roll, but it is well worth it to make sure our animals are safe and secure in their pasture pen.

5. Field Woven Wire

Field Woven Wire

Field wire has larger squares and is shorter than the other woven wire. It works for us, though, and it is the best option we used for the perimeter of our large pasture. To make it taller and more dependable, we stretched two barbed wires above the woven wire. The cost is much cheaper than the other woven wire at $130.00. You’re going to be getting the most amount of use for your money here and with less worry, too.

Along with the cost of the wire, don’t forget to figure in the cost of the posts, clamps, insulators, stretcher, post driver, pliers and great electric fencer. I would suggest a solar one because you don’t have to charge it regularly. They are a little more expensive but well worth it. This all depends on which option you decide to go with.

I would tell anyone getting started in goats to go with the woven wire. Yes, it is expensive but it is an investment for years to come. Safe and secure animals help me sleep at night. There are many ways of financial assistance available, which are for another blog at another time.

I hope this post was helpful to you. Please comment below with any further questions or advice you may have!

~ Much Love ~

---