Anybody have any experience using an electric fence with pygmy goats? I had wether I kept in a 10 x 10 dog kennel at night, and on a lead during the day (I work from home so I can keep an eye on him), but was blessed with a buck, a doe due in Feb. and a 2 month old kid (doe), and another wether coming soon (actually bought him to keep the 1st one company as the other goat died) and was waiting for him to be weaned when I got the other 3)! I'm setting the T posts now, and plan to have an area roughly 100 X 100 to start with, then divide that in half and add an additional area for the buck and the wethers. 2 sides of this will butt up to an existing chainlink fence. I was thinking of running a strand of hot wire around the bottom of the chain link fence to deter pushing under, and was debating how successful electric would be on the other 2 sides if I ran the lower wires close together, say at 4, 8, and 12 inches?

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), November 03, 2001

Answers

I think it will be fine, Eric. The only thig will be when she kids you will most likely need to put the kids in a traditional fence situation until they are old enough to train on this fence. Once you train them and they acclimate to the area they won't test the fence anymore. I have had mine out for two days with a blown fuse and those goats stayed where they were supposed to-whew! You are going to be a goat herder now, huh? Welcome to the club!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), November 03, 2001.

Eric, my regular size goats have not escaped (yet) from their 5 wire 100' x 100' hot fence. I think with goats and fence, more is better.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), November 04, 2001.

Goats are a pain in the butt! We had some but couldn't keep them in a fence, including a five stand electric fence. They went right through the fence even after being shocked. If you can, use chain link all the way! They can't climb it or tare into it. Ps... Bucks get stinky and constantly mark there territory!

-- Angie Clark (Briar_rose2713@yahoo.com), November 21, 2003.