# House as part of fencing?



## kidstokids (May 23, 2013)

Still thinking of getting goats. I am thinking Nigerian. I was thinking of fencing around the house, or the back half of it. Can goats go right up to house or will they destroy the siding? I have this picture where the back half of my yard has goats, chickens and ducks together. Just not sure how logical it is.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They can be destructive. I wouldn't want them right around the house.


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## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

TRUST me they will chew on the sodding of your house. I had the same idea. I made the kidding pen right out side my bedroom window and I got to wake up at all hours of the night with them rubbing and pealing the sodding off with their teeth. I made a temp hot wire fence a foot away from the house and it is actually worked out well so I'm going to keep it. BUT it's the kidding pen and they don't stay in there very long


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## dnchck (Mar 24, 2014)

Yes, Nigerians will eat your house. I have my fence surrounded by the barn and they are eating the barn..bad idea for you and me! :GAAH:My barn is sided with t1-11 and they are eating it!


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I have a brick house but I still wouldn't want them beside it because I'm sure they would find a way to get into the windows and break the screens out. They are destructive things but we love them.


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## billiejw89 (May 7, 2014)

I was lucky that my barrn building has cement for the base. i was glad i didn't need to make a 4th side to my fence line. there is also a small doorway so they can shelter under the building. i had to get in there when my doe decided that would be a nice place to kid. holy spider webs. thank goodness i was so focused on the birth that i didnt even care. lol


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## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

kidstokids said:


> I was thinking of fencing around the house, or the back half of it.


I did this once. I used my old dog pen to wean the kids in. My house is stucco, so they didn't eat it, but I sure got a lot of exercise running to the back door when the kids would get to playing in the early morning hours and start banking off the side of the house! :whatgoat: :hammer: Took me a little while to figure out what was going on - I don't think well at 6 am and no coffee - but I did and put up cattle panels to keep them away from the house. :laugh:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I agree, they can ruin the home.


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## Rhandi74 (Dec 6, 2013)

This is funny because currently my goats are fenced near the house. I have miniature breeds and they come on the small deck and hang out but I have had them close to a year and no destruction. With that said they do try to go in the house if we are coming out the back door. I also have a seperate area with a gate and their goat house they get put up in at night but also have access to in the day. So no loud noises or disturbances at night. I also have chickens and ducks in the yard. Our goal is to fence in another area for the goats and them not have access to the yard but for now this seems to be working for us. We have stucco at the bottom of the house and vinyl siding up higher where they can not reach unless they are on the deck.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

They are livestock! They make lots of noise, can be destructive and can smell. I love my herd, but am thrilled that the new barn is going to be
way away from the house! The current lodging is only about 150 feet from the house. Every time I turn a light on, they start yelling, thinking I am
coming out to feed them. I feel like I have nosy neighbors watching everything I do! 

If you can put them away from your house, you might be happier in the long run!


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## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

mine are slowly eating the cedar plank house I built for them - they are adding air conditioning I guess! it's like Ive read, "all a goat wants to be is a goat!" I wouldn't use the house as fencing...


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree, they can be destructive no matter what your home is made out of, it's not worth having them up next to it, much cheaper to just put fence around it vs. repair costs.
We allowed ours to be up near the barn on 3 sides, and let me tell you, it's hideous, paint is scraped off, they have the bottom door on the front <split double dutch type door> all scratched, and chipped where they jump on it. What is not chipped is really dirty from where they rub on it.
I ended up blocking off the barn where they can't get to the front and one side, so they can't make it look worse. Eventually when I have the extra $$ I want to repaint the barn. The only ones up there right now are the kids 4-H wethers/bucks as a night time pen or when weather is lousy, but thankfully they don't mess with it too much.


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## scubacoz (Nov 7, 2013)

I had 2 doelings right next to my house with no destructive behavior. I was bottle feeding then so it was very convenient to have then close by. The siding got dirty but they did not chew on the siding at all!


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S&K Hilltop Farm and Ranch
Registered mini-Nubians and Nigerian Dwarfs


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## Chadwick (Jan 24, 2014)

SeventeenFarms said:


> mine are slowly eating the cedar plank house I built for them - they are adding air conditioning I guess! it's like Ive read, "all a goat wants to be is a goat!" I wouldn't use the house as fencing...


To tell you the truth, if I knew one of you were getting me I would want to be a goat too!!!!


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## ariella42 (May 22, 2014)

Our goats are right next to our house. They love climbing the stairs to the back porch (the porch is gated at the top). So far they haven't been destructive, but they do try to come in the house. They've also managed to get on the back porch a couple of times, much to the detriment of my basil. Ours are still babies, so I don't know if they'll do more damage when they're older. Honestly, our house came with a fenced in backyard, but if we have the option when we move, we'll probably separate the house and the fencing.


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