# Goat fencing: at the end of my rope!



## jlsullivan

I posted a similar thread about a week ago, and got lots of suggestions and changed my fencing plan accordingly. Unfortunately, I still cannot keep my goats contained. :hair: 

We've raised these girls as bottle babies and LOVE LOVE LOVE them, and it's absolutely breaking my heart that we can't keep them in, since we definitely can't keep them if we can't keep them enclosed....

I'm willing to try (almost) anything -- tying them up or permanently hobbling them just aren't options for us...these girls need to be able to graze etc.. within their enclosure. Here's what hasn't worked:

4' Chain-link (jumped over it)

4' Chain-link with metal and boards raising it to 5-ish feet (jumped over it)

6' Chain-link (jumped over it...note-- we haven't enclosed their immediate enclosure with this, but our property has 6' chain-link and the goats have escaped it and a neighbor claims she saw them jump it....)

4' Electric mesh fencing (worked for several months since they're scared of it until they...you guessed it... jumped over it)

4' Electric mesh fencing on the outside and 5.5' wire electric fencing on the inside (the logic here was that they might not WANT to jump out with their most-feared electric fence on the outside AND that with a 1.5' gap between the two fences, they might not be able to clear both....). The top wire is also slanted inwards, prison-style.

Night-time stall made out of 5' 5.5" corrugated metal. The kicker here is that there is a ceiling at about 7' (leaving a little less than 2' gap for ventilation etc...). When they jumped out, they hit their head on the 7' ceiling (horrifyingly high jump, no?), but still made it out.... The stall is STURDY and they couldn't have used it or anything else as a springboard. We can easily make the walls go to the ceiling, but I don't want them living in the stall. Figured I'd mention this failure for more context re: their main enclosure.

For what it's worth, it's hard to predict when they're going to jump out. Tonight, it was after being given a giant bucket of grain and some hay.... It happens when we're home, but also when we're not. They get lots of excercise and have everything a goat could want, but seem to just be obsessed with escaping.

Any ideas? Please please please? ray: 

Thank you!
Jess


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## DavyHollow

The best solution I can think of is putting a bend in the top of the fence at a 45 degree angle. That will sort of extend it OVER them, and keep them from being able to jump over it. Make sure its well buried in the ground!

They always say for goats you have to make a fence that is horse high and bull strong!


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## MollieGoat

My goats are professional escape artists as well... I have found that wire cattle panels and steel posts to held them up work the best for me. The panels are 4 1/2 feet tall.(there are hog panels and cattle panels, the hog panels are too short) I make sure that the steel posts are pounded into the ground pretty far so they are sturdy. I also have 1 post at the end of each panel and one in the middle(so they cant climb up on them and push them over at all). Also, my goats don't try to get out until they are out of grass, i think they just get bored. When they are bored they get naughty! I will try to post a picture, but i am new to this site and haven't really figured it out yet...


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## ksalvagno

What kind of goats are they? Are they jumping from the ground or do they have something close to the fenceline to jump from?


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## Jessica84

davey hollow has a good idea, thats what they do to keep deer out of places. I never had one jump till I got this new goat, I dont mind that she jumps in or out, but she is not that good at it and got her hind leg stuck and found her up side down, at least yours are smarter then her. I guess another idea could be a under ground fence for dogs, just put it in a few feet before the actual fence its self, but Im not sure on how much you are willing to spend on this. For mine, she is a nice looking doe but thats it, she is going to find a new home.


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## TheMixedBag

One trick I used was clipping a 30' rope to my buck to make a "trail" so I knew exactly where and how he was getting out. My fence is a hodge-podge of cattle panels, hog panels, chain link and welded wire and I haven't had any escapes in a month (knock on wood). You could try hot wire on the top of the fencing, or run a pvc pipe over the top so when they try to climb it spins and they fall. There's a similar system that you can buy but it's not cheap. It prevents animals from jumping fences as well s preventing birds from landing on it.


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## packhillboers

Wow.. you got some jumpers. They learn from each other how to do this. We culled a goat for climbing as she was encouraging the others. Are they all jumping or is it the lead goat encouraging the others to do this? If a tall electric charged fence doesnt contain them, then I am not sure what would.


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## packhillboers

From what I have read and seen; some breeds are more jumpers than others. Evidently Boers are not inclined to this but our one high percentage boer/nubian was always climbing on the fences and gates. She is in a new home now and is doing well.


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## jlsullivan

Thanks so much for all your replies!

In general, the main issue is that these goats aren't climbing, they can jump from a dead stand-still up and over. If you couldn't see their legs, you would assume they were on a trampoline. To answer some of your suggestions/questions more specifically:

@TheMixedBag: Cool idea about the chain. We actually know exactly where they get out...everywhere :ROFL: There doesn't seem to be one place of weakness. Instead, they can just jump really really high. 

@Jessica84: We currently have a double electric fence...it's not the kind for dogs, but rather one layer electric fencing, a 1.5' gap, and a whole electric mesh fence on the outside. Not sure how much I want to spend on a solution either....but at this point I'm not sure if there's anyone else who has an enclosure that could contain them either!

@ksalvagno: They're Alpine/La Mancha crosses. They jump from the ground, straight up. No running start, no climbing, no launching off of something, no bending the fence. Last night, they jumped 5'5' vertically over a corrugated metal wall that can't be bent. There is nothing in the stall to go jumping off of, so it had to be off the ground.

@Molliegoat: Do you think it would be possible to do a double cattle-panel fence (one on top of the other) so that it could be 9' tall? Is that crazy talk? They can jump over 5.5' metal (and probably can go much higher), so I think a single cattle panel couldn't handle it. 

@DavyHollow: The bend is a good idea. We have our electric hot-wire running at a 45 degree angle, and that doesn't seem to help, but maybe a board would or something like that. I'll have to chew on your suggestion, though-- it might just work!

@Packhillboers: I know, right? Some jumpers indeed! It's just these two younguns who are jumping...the other ones haven't been able to. I was hoping it was just a weight-difference thing, but dang, they're 14 months, how much longer til they get nice and heavy?!??!! :slapfloor: 

Any other thoughts? Lots of people have suggested putting more hot wire on top of the fence. This would honestly be the easiest solution, but because they're jumping (not climbing), they don't ground themselves when they touch it, rendering it totally ineffective (or so it seems to me). Has anyone worked out a solution to that in the past?


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## Breezy-Trail

Wow, those are quite the jumpers indeed.
Do they have their pilots license?

I may not be of much help but just a few ideas...
With the electric fencing (of any kind) HEAT IT UP (as a friend of mine says).
Use a better charger with more zap. Not too much but just so it has them scared as to not want to be within 5 ft of the fence.
Maybe at least 2 joules depending on how big the fence it.
My goats aren't flighty but the zap they get from my 10 mile solar charger is enough to keep them away (when I tested the fence the zap went past my elbow into my shoulder area-******* way of testing the fence)

I have heard that some use green barbed wire that is electrified.
Haven't heard of people on here doing it but Premier 1 sell it. It is supposed to be designed for goats.
I would question using it with flighty goats...at least don't put it on the top.
But you can check into that also. I am not going to use it as I have no need.

I had one more idea but forgot it. Will add it later if I remember.

Definately see which goat it is that is training a flight crew and put an end to it if possible.
Maybe put a goat or a pair of goats in separate pens and see who jump out more.


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## keren

to solve the problem.of them not grounding themselveswhen they jump the electric fence ... make a wire halter for each of them and hang a chain off it. when they jump not only will the wire halter conduct the shock better but the chain will contact either the ground or the rest of the fence and should.deliver the shock. sounds mean but it worked for a toggy i had.


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## Randi

A nine foot fence is not unheard of but would require 12' posts (with 2 foot in the ground) and turnbuckles to keep it stable. It could be done completely by your own hands depending on how ambitious you are....


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## LetsGoKids

I had a lamancha/boer doe a few years back that jumped my fence. I tried hobbles she figured out how to jump with a pair on her front and back crisscrossed. The only thing that worked was to put a halter on and connect that to the hobbles on her back legs. She finally got the hint when she tried to jump and ended up on her butt. Only problem was after a few days she refused to feed her kids or let me milk her. So I was back to letting her jump. Then I took a horse halter and used it as a harness and tied her to the barn. She wasn't happy but she would feed her kids.


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## myfainters

Have you thought of using poultry netting along the top of your current fencing at an angle inward with the highest point at the inside of the pen being at least 7' tall and about 3' in from your original fence? You wouldn't have to use a lot of posts as the poultry netting is relatively light weight and you can make it sturdier by using the thinner plumbing pipe as a top rail for the netting and either wire it or zip tie it to the pipe. You can spray paint the pipe to match the netting so it doesn't stand out and look bad.


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## fd123

the only advice that i can offer is what worked for me. I used a 2" electric tape wire about 4" above the top of the fence and hooked a ground wire to my fence also. I have a very HOT fence charger. If you can make them touch the fence in the least little way when they are attempting to escape (if you have the fence wired to your ground) and then they touch the top HOT wire it will light their butt up!! Make sure that you have a strong charger. I know that you love your goats just as much as the rest of us do. The way i looked at my jumping situation was, that one of them could get hung in the fence and suffer until someone found them.. or could get hit by a car and get me sued....could get attacked by a dog,.....,get stolen....etc... I knew that i couldnt stand the thought of anything bad happening to my very much loved pets. what im saying to you is no matter how much temporay pain you have to cause for this to stop, it will be worth its weight in gold in the end.. Have you thought about tieing a cinder block to their leash so theyd have to drag it around with them ?? That might work....I say the solution would be a VERY HOT SHOCK.. If they get shocked bad enough they wont even wanna look at that fence anymore....much less go over it...This is what worked for me... BEST OF LUCK!!


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## Di

These are does? 14 months old? GET THEM PREGNANT! That should fix it. :slapfloor:


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## HoosierShadow

Di said:


> These are does? 14 months old? GET THEM PREGNANT! That should fix it. :slapfloor:


LOL!!!!!! :laugh: :ROFL: :slapfloor:


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## zatsdeb

Sounds like you need to clip their wings.


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## Farmgirl675

I had the same issue with a youngster of mine, she would jump out of everything we tried! Finally as a last ditch effort I put the dog's shock collar on her and laid in wait where she couldn't see me and as soon as she attempted to jump the fence I shocked her. It took about 5 or 6 times before she quit trying. Has been 3 wks now and she is staying in so far!


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## 91baby

You must have a very powerful charger, they just go right through others. We have ours grounded to the fence and an additional wire run at nose height. So far so good.


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## MsScamp

jlsullivan said:


> @TheMixedBag: Cool idea about the chain.


Perhaps you said chain, when you meant rope. If not, I would NOT use a chain. It would be too easy to get a link hooked on something and your goats could hang themselves. Where your goats are jumping, a rope could also snag, but might not be so inclined to do so as a chain.


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## TDG-Farms

I like the idea of the shock collar. Its amazing how well those work if used at the right time.


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## CAjerseychick

I know this is an older thread (like, what happened? Did the issue get resolved)-- but one old timer told me what works for deer is to do a double fence like 3 ft apart so they get trapped between the two (not enough space for them to jump out a second time once they make it over the first one)....


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## uglywon

Not a first choice for goats but my friend uses an invisible fence with shock collars.


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## enchantedgoats

Farmgirl675 said:


> I had the same issue with a youngster of mine, she would jump out of everything we tried! Finally as a last ditch effort I put the dog's shock collar on her and laid in wait where she couldn't see me and as soon as she attempted to jump the fence I shocked her. It took about 5 or 6 times before she quit trying. Has been 3 wks now and she is staying in so far!


now i asked about doing something like that a couple of months ago and everyone was saying that it wouldnt work. well, you have me rethinking it again.:laugh:


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## ThreeHavens

I would add some electric. How old are they? I had a little doe who would jump over the gate. We just couldn't keep her in! Well, she got older, and she wasn't able to jump as high, nor did she have as much drive to.


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