# Post spacing for goat fence?



## cbehr (Jan 4, 2019)

Hello everyone, I'm started to build a fence/pen area and shelter for a few Nigerian Dwarf goats we will get in the spring. I plan on going with this red brand goat fence 48"
high twisted metal 4" x 4" openings and wood posts driven into the ground. I can't find anywhere that suggests spacing of the post. I'm guessing maybe 8ft or so between posts, any wider and I'd be afraid leaning/climbing of the fence could bend it? Thoughts on this?


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## klee6150 (Jul 9, 2018)

To be on the really safe side - and not wanting to redo sections - I would space your posts six feet apart. PB & Jai did a great job of bending the fencing and loosening the wooden posts of my first attempt to corral them in with this same scenario. I ended up digging holes, putting the wooden posts in cement, spacing them six feet apart, and then attaching the fencing. Good luck with your project.


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

:hi: Welcome to our group


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Welcome to the forum!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Are you driving posts or digging post holes? And will you be applying tension to the fence with a winch or vehicle when attaching it to the posts?

If you are digging holes and not tensioning the woven wire, I would reduce the post spacing to 4-6'.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

what type of fence post are you going to use? wood, T posts or drill stem?
i have had 2000 ft of fence built in the last month. I am using drill stem for the braces then two T posts then a drill stem post followed by two T posts repeated. 
the posts are 12 ft apart but i am using High tensile woven wire tightened to the key of G
the brace posts are the key to a good fence not the distance between posts. the better the brace the tighter the fence. your fence will fail at your brace first every time.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

if you use High tinsel wire you never have to worry about saggy fence. 
I had a crazy ewe run full boar in to a HT fence. she bowed it out 3 feet when she hit it. 
The fence then sprang back in to place throwing the ewe 10 feet. To my amazement the ewe was unhurt. and there was no damage to the fence.


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## HJoy (Mar 22, 2018)

I use the Red Brand sheep and goat fence and love it. Red Brand is such a high quality wire and has withstood the test of time for us on all our cattle fencing for over 40 years when the cheaper brands have stretched from rubbing, sagged or rusted. Our perimeter fencing had wood posts spaced 12 feet already, so we just replaced the wire and drove metal t posts in between for 6 ft spacing. The cross fences are metal t posts every 8 feet with wood instead of metal every 5th post and good H shaped braces every 100ish feet and at every corner or gateway. We also stretch the woven good and tight.

To prevent the goats from rubbing, standing or generally being naughty goats who try to escape I suggest at least one string of hot wire, I prefer two. With the 4x4 fencing and two wires we have solved every issue we had had over 20 years of raising goats and I wish I had just ponied up for the right fencing and done it this way long ago!


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## cbehr (Jan 4, 2019)

Thanks for all the responses, sorry I posted this then was consumed by some other more pressing projects(dishwasher leaked into basement so I had to tear the ceiling apart and re-drywall) and never got back here!!

I plan on having a neighbor drive the 5" diameter wooden posts into the ground w/ his tractor. I'm going to use the red brand goat/sheep fence and tension it with a fence stretcher and two come-a-longs. 

I plan on sticking with smaller goats, probably just Nigerian dwarfs so in my non-expert mind I would think they wouldn't put that much pressure on a fence?

I know electric line is recommended by a lot of people but I have small children and would prefer not to go this route.


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## Lstein (Oct 2, 2014)

Welcome!

Rubbing on the fence, seems to wreck the fence faster than anything else. I also prefer having at least one electric wire; it will stop a lot of bad habits in their tracks and prevent future headaches. I would highly recommend you to do more thinking/research on that one. 

If you have your post spacing down 6' and with smaller goats, you might be ok. But it really doesn't take much to get that fence to have just slight enough of a bend that they can get their schnoodles under it and army crawl through. 

Best of luck with your future goaties!


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## Madgoat (Jan 8, 2017)

cbehr said:


> Thanks for all the responses, sorry I posted this then was consumed by some other more pressing projects(dishwasher leaked into basement so I had to tear the ceiling apart and re-drywall) and never got back here!!
> 
> I plan on having a neighbor drive the 5" diameter wooden posts into the ground w/ his tractor. I'm going to use the red brand goat/sheep fence and tension it with a fence stretcher and two come-a-longs.
> 
> ...


While it will give them a good shock, it's not going to kill them if you've set it up right. That's why they pulse, (broken circuit). I don't know how "small" your kids are, but I've had toddlers who I've taught to stay away from the fences. You don't need a high voltage fence charger, as long as it's on the goats can "sense" it and they'll stay off the fence, hot wire also protects what's "inside" your property because predators tend to avoid it. 
I wouldn't be without it, I even have a solar charger just in case we lose power!


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## cbehr (Jan 4, 2019)

So how exactly is a single wire setup, top/bottom? If I went this route I could space out the posts to 12' or so maybe?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Nigies are escape artists. the kids are the worst. you will need 4 inch x 4 inch woven wire goat fence. pay close attention to the gates. they got to be Nigie proof 
i have said this once but do not cut corners on the brace posts.


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## Dawg1419 (Jan 23, 2019)

HJoy said:


> I use the Red Brand sheep and goat fence and love it. Red Brand is such a high quality wire and has withstood the test of time for us on all our cattle fencing for over 40 years when the cheaper brands have stretched from rubbing, sagged or rusted. Our perimeter fencing had wood posts spaced 12 feet already, so we just replaced the wire and drove metal t posts in between for 6 ft spacing. The cross fences are metal t posts every 8 feet with wood instead of metal every 5th post and good H shaped braces every 100ish feet and at every corner or gateway. We also stretch the woven good and tight.
> 
> To prevent the goats from rubbing, standing or generally being naughty goats who try to escape I suggest at least one string of hot wire, I prefer two. With the 4x4 fencing and two wires we have solved every issue we had had over 20 years of raising goats and I wish I had just ponied up for the right fencing and done it this way long ago!


Two hot wires location? Top and bottom? Pic?


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## HJoy (Mar 22, 2018)

The bottom wire is about 10-12 inches off the ground, low enough they would get zapped if they tried to crawl underneath and the other one is at about 30 inches or nose height. Now, I have large goats, Alpines and Boers. When I had pygmy goats many years ago we spaced them at about 8 and 24 inches off the ground.


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## Dawg1419 (Jan 23, 2019)

HJoy said:


> The bottom wire is about 10-12 inches off the ground, low enough they would get zapped if they tried to crawl underneath and the other one is at about 30 inches or nose height. Now, I have large goats, Alpines and Boers. When I had pygmy goats many years ago we spaced them at about 8 and 24 inches off the ground.


Thank you. Pulling wire this weekend and will put in two hot wires.


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