I’m fixing up a stall in the “pony” barn where the prior farm owner had minis housed. I am putting goats there, and the stall opening is only 48 inches wide and i’m not positive a 52 inch wide screen will fit - it’s a bit of a strange configuration. So I need a stall screen that will fit - most of them are 52 inches or wider. Any suggestions?
Go to Tractor Supply, or your local counterpart, and buy a 48" gate with welded wire mesh small enough to prohibit goats’ heads getting stuck. I think I’ve seen some that have filled panels with 2" by 4" mesh. If there’s any way at all goats can get heads, horns, and/or legs stuck some place, they will do so, early and often.
There’s a reason the devil is depicted with cloven hooves and horns. :disgust:
I have the gates from TSC with the 2x4 mesh welded on. They SUCK. My goats busted the welds on the panels in less than a week, just by climbing on the gates.
You are better off using a normal pipe gate and “sewing” a section of 2x4 woven wire fence onto it using heavy gauge electric fence wire. The gates I have done this to still look great after years of abuse.
Make sure whatever you use is strong. My builder used crap hardware in my stall doors and the goats pounded through both gate hinges and latches on their two doors.
I am wondering how to fence these creatures. We only have solar electric fence and they completely ignore it. Permanent fencing is a little down the road,since we are still building our barn and pretty tapped out. Should have actual electric in a week or two.Any hints for beefing up my electric fence (3/4" tape) while keeping it safe for horses? I know one of our problems is an inadequate ground which I’m fixing tonight.
Has anyone ever used the underground fence for dogs? I was thinking I could do one of these,give the goats an acre or two with plenty of woods included.
Electric fencing won’t hold in goats, in my experience. and can be dangerous to them.
heavy no climb will do it if you have really tight gates.
Electric fencing won’t hold in goats, in my experience.
heavy no climb will do it if you have really tight gates. Goats are really HARD to fence in. They seem to get out of tiny spaces, IME.
here is an article about goat fencing that explains a bit about goats and electric fences: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/goat-fencing-101-zbcz1406.aspx It says that electric fences can be dangerous too.
They aren’t kidding about the wiggling, boarded at a place with a wily goat once and it would wiggle through any gap about 4 inches or so. It would go in and out all the horse stalls under the doors which freaked out my horse at first. It was a pretty big goat too. So make sure you install the gate all the way down so there isn’t a gap, OP. Goats!
I have these: http://candpengmfg.com/id5.html
They’re quite solid and 48" wide. I have the tallest ones, and they’re installed a few inches above the floor, and comfortable for the horses to hang their heads over (but too tall for them to lean over with their chests.)
In my barn, they are installed in front (or outside?) of the actual doorway…they swing out, but don’t swing in, and close against the doorframe itself. Not sure if that’s how I would have built it, but it’s really worked fine.
I bet they could also custom build gates for you to your specs.
Wow, I never knew they were such escape artists!
[QUOTE=moving to dc;8585836]
I have the gates from TSC with the 2x4 mesh welded on. They SUCK. My goats busted the welds on the panels in less than a week, just by climbing on the gates.
You are better off using a normal pipe gate and “sewing” a section of 2x4 woven wire fence onto it using heavy gauge electric fence wire. The gates I have done this to still look great after years of abuse.[/QUOTE]
I have a 6’ gate from TSC with the 2x4 welded mesh and it’s only 6 months old, and my elderly, frail mini has managed to bend the crap out of it by rubbing his head on it :eek:. He is a weakling, so this is a bad sign, IMHO.
My turnout paddock is a 70’ round pen of 5’x12’ Behlen pipe panels with 2x4 wire ‘sewn’ on exactly as ^^ described with electric fence wire. It’s super solid. I use it to keep dogs & coyotes out of the pen, but I think it’ll hold my future goats. Probably.
I use 4’ pipe gates from TSC for stall guards, so the minis can see each other and stop destroying my barn, and they work well. I install them with both hinge-pins up, and as Bluey’s suggested, wire them in place. That way they can be cut off in an emergency – much easier than if you use the 1 up, 1 down installation recommendation.
They do make an electric mesh that is recommended for goats. You can google it–if I recall, it’s pretty expensive, but so are vet calls to patch up the goats after they get caught in/on some fencing that they were SURE they could get through.
One caveat regarding electric tape and keeping it charged and taut. One of my goats somehow managed to get 2" tape wound around one front leg when I wasn’t home. He still has a gimpy stride and a fat knee.
[QUOTE=Hermein;8591073]
They do make an electric mesh that is recommended for goats. You can google it–if I recall, it’s pretty expensive, but so are vet calls to patch up the goats after they get caught in/on some fencing that they were SURE they could get through.
One caveat regarding electric tape and keeping it charged and taut. One of my goats somehow managed to get 2" tape wound around one front leg when I wasn’t home. He still has a gimpy stride and a fat knee.[/QUOTE]
We have the electric mesh for goats and it ROCKS! Premier 1 Supplies sells it for the highest $, so I bought a cheaper version made by Powerfields. I’ve had it up for 2 years with ZERO issues. My bigger goat “pasture” is made of 4 sets hooked together for the perimeter fence. No drop in power at the end of the line.
The doe pen is hooked to a solar charger, and the does & kids totally respect the fence. The buck pen is hooked up to a 25-mile AC charger, and packs enough punch that my buck did not even try to “play” with the neighbor’s doe who wandered over and hung out on the other side of the fence when she was in heat.
Electric mesh is what those commercial rent-a-goat-herd places use (ie you rent a herd of goats to clear out brush). But not sure how you make it work as a gate/stall door?
OP, a 48" hog panel tube gate would work. The bars of the gate are spaced much closer together than a horse gate. Then line the inside of it with hardware cloth wire mesh–attach with heavy duty zip ties at frequent intervals to keep them from trying to slip through. The bars are spaced close enough together that it gives enough support to the wire mesh so it won’t be completely deformed by the goats’ rubbing/climbing. Yes, you’ll have to replace it every now and then, but that’s cheap and easy.
I’ve seen goats killed in that electric mesh, but then again, goats will kill themselves in anything so there you are.
Throw water at your gate, if it goes through, so will the goats.
No, mostly a joke. Goats are difficult to fence because they are agile, determined, and have good problem solving skills. One needs to be smarter than the goats - which can be a challenge. Any fencing and gates needs to be hardy enough to stand up to them standing on it, jumping on it, rubbing against it, or it needs to have electric run on it.
Nothing they can put heads through (if horned).
Simple rules. I personally had little trouble fencing goats with properly installed tight welded wire fencing - that was backed up by a couple strands of electric wire connected to the strongest fence charger TSC sold.
However, one doe learned how to unlatch the gate and I had to start using a chain and clip. Even I am defeated by them from time to time, and it’s my literal job to know how they think.
