# Tethering them out



## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

I know&hellip; "don't tether them" is the standard advice, but if I'm going to sit out with the goats while they landscape, I want them tethered so I can read, lie in a hammock, etc. and not worry about one person (ME!) chasing three goats in three directions. 

I'm wondering how some of you have tied out your goats. I want to allow them some range, so thought I would put a collar on the goat and tie it to a long cable, like a dog run. That way, it can move up and down the cable freely, browse the edge of the yard/house and still be in sight. 

So, if you tie your goat out, what material do you use?

Thanks


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Maybe a ground stake and dog cable? Make sure they can't get caught anything and they should be fine. Goats aren't very smart when it comes to being tied up... They tend to get wrapped around themselves more than anything.


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## Tayet (Feb 9, 2012)

I tether my goats out all the time. I just use a fence post and a long (12 ft) leash and put them where they won't get tangled up, I check on them throughout the day and the worst tangle is the rope wrapped around a hind leg a few times. I don't tether them till they are about 1 1/2 months old, until then they are either in the mini pasture or running free. When they run free, they usually stay by their moms.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

I use a big heavy used tire, a coated cable from the pet store (the ones for extra large dogs), and i watch them. I put a water bucket in the center of the tire. 

I use the tires because they have some give if the goat runs and hits the end of the cable, plus I can just tip them up and roll them where ever i want them. I use the heavy duty cable because they are strong and very stiff and can't get wrapped tight around a leg, and I watch them in case someone else's dog wander past and decides to attack. I put the bucket in the center of the tire because then they always have water that they can't dump over. Just make sure the tires are big enough to be heavy enough the goats can't drag them all over.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

we tether ours out all the time. no fence around the property. we use 12-15ft long chain (the lightweight ones....not heavy chains) and a dog collar. we used to use a metal rebar rod to stake them out, but they've figured out how to wiggle their way out of that, so i just tie them to a tree or a sturdy root with a carabiner. i check them every once in a while, and unwrap them from the one small or large thing they somehow got around, under and through.


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## Used2bmimi (Oct 3, 2012)

I have tethered out horses before and I used a cable that I had run through a garden hose, putting the snap on after it was through. The cable would not wrap small enough with the hose on it to cause any harm, but was flexible enough to let the horse eat anywhere in the tether area. Worked pretty well. I would think that the raised run line would work well if it was adjusted well. I love the idea if a tire with a bucket of water in the center. That's brilliant!


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## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

We also use a small tractor tire in the pasture. Easy to move. That way they can all eat the greenery.


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## GTAllen (Jul 22, 2012)

I use a T post and braid cable with the rubber coating. It has clips on each end. It is fairly stiff. I tether out bucks during the day and check on them. I have old protein tubs that I use for water for them.If I had any trees I would make a skyline and use that. I think that would be ideal.


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## Kaneel (Oct 7, 2012)

I think a stake and a long coil of rope should do. If you are going to watch them they should do perfectly fine  But if you plan on possibly leaving them on their own for a bit, I would suggest you tether them so that they cannot overlap ropes, this helps prevent them getting tangled and choking. You can also use regular halters(not the rope ones, when they pull on rope ones they will tighten and they will not be able to eat) that way there isn't anything on their neck in the first place that can choke them.


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## Catahoula (Feb 12, 2013)

Erik_L said:


> I know&#8230; "don't tether them" is the standard advice, but if I'm going to sit out with the goats while they landscape, I want them tethered so I can read, lie in a hammock, etc. and not worry about one person (ME!) chasing three goats in three directions.
> 
> Thanks


That sounds so peaceful...sitting outside with them...reading a book lying in a hammock... Good Luck. I have never been able to sit and read without my goats nibbling on my book, chewing my shoes laces, zipping up/down my pocket zippers trying to find food... 

If you are around, I don't see why you can't teter them. Just make sure you are out of their way but do watch them.


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks to everyone for the input. I like the idea of rolling a tire. Even my kids could handle that! A lightweight chain instead of a cable sounds like a winner, too. There would be less chance of the kinking and it would be more durable. 
I'll also be sure to watch where I put my book ! LoL


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## lottsagoats (Dec 10, 2012)

I've hooked them out before. I used a rebar post with a "T" welded to the top. For the tether I used a lunge line attached to a brass ring. The brass ring was placed on the ground and the rebar stake was driven thru the middle. The goat could go around in a circle and there was noting for them to get tangled in. I rope or something similar could replace the lunge line. Each goat wears a collar all the time, so I just hooked the collor to the lung line snap.


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

I tether my goats out all the time. In fact that's how my buck is living right now. I use a large tractor tire with a hole drilled in it to put the cable through or just a fence post. For the lines I use a plastic coated metal dog cable with a spring loaded clip next to their collar so that if they take off running it softens the blow to their neck when they hit the end of the line. It looks kind of like this.









Chains and rope didn't work good for me they always tangled up and kinked. These cables don't at all. One of mine is three years old and been used nearly every day all day and its still in complete working order.


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## Erik_L (Nov 27, 2012)

That's just the thing I was thinking of. We had one for a dog for a while, years ago.


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## WarPony (Jan 31, 2010)

xymenah said:


> I tether my goats out all the time. In fact that's how my buck is living right now. I use a large tractor tire with a hole drilled in it to put the cable through or just a fence post. For the lines I use a plastic coated metal dog cable with a spring loaded clip next to their collar so that if they take off running it softens the blow to their neck when they hit the end of the line. It looks kind of like this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is what i use, exact same thing, the thick one for really big dogs. I personally do not use a chain of any kind, ever. A chain isn't stiff enough to resist wrapping around a leg where as the heavy cable is too stiff for that to happen. I was using a light chain many years ago, ran inside for a quick potty trip and when i came back out my Pygmy had the chain so tight around her back leg I had to cut the links with bolt cutter to get her loose because it was just so tightly jammed.


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## nchen7 (Feb 25, 2013)

xymenah said:


> I tether my goats out all the time. In fact that's how my buck is living right now. I use a large tractor tire with a hole drilled in it to put the cable through or just a fence post. For the lines I use a plastic coated metal dog cable with a spring loaded clip next to their collar so that if they take off running it softens the blow to their neck when they hit the end of the line. It looks kind of like this.
> 
> Chains and rope didn't work good for me they always tangled up and kinked. These cables don't at all. One of mine is three years old and been used nearly every day all day and its still in complete working order.


I'm going to switch from chains to this cable. i find with the chains, they kink, and the welded part can come apart. also, unless your goats are really trained on the lead, when they pull/jerk the chain to get to that piece of grass they want to eat, it's not great on your hands (speaking from experience...currently have a blood bruise on my thumb and the chunk taken out of my index knuckle has finally healed).

xymenah, how long is the cable that you use?


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

nchen7 said:


> xymenah, how long is the cable that you use?


I believe its 20ft but it could be 30ft.


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## lukejones (Feb 5, 2017)

*Seat Belt*

Hello,
Has anyone used a seatbelt? ("webbing" as they call it).
Someone mentioned a "leash". What material would that be? 
I'm looking for a cheap material which a goat cannot bite through, to make fences. Does anyone know if a goat can bite through a seatbelt?


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

With determination, they can bite through a lot! Mine managed to break chain link fencing. The buck chewed a hole in it!


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## Lisalisa89 (Oct 18, 2016)

My goats don't ever run away lol they seriously just browse all day and are only penned at night. However I do tether my buck sometimes because he is a huge pita like trouble making pita lol but yeah anytime I try to read the just try to eat my book. If my buck is loose he will jump on me lol


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## lukejones (Feb 5, 2017)

*webbing*

"Webbing" is used to make anti-knife clothing because it cannot be cut. Kevlar and Cordura are types of webbing used in body armour. So, I'm looking forward to an answer to my question above.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

All they will have to do is lean against it and stretch it. Then they can just walk out. You never want to do cheap for fencing. It never works out.


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## lukejones (Feb 5, 2017)

*stretch a seatbelt?*

Do you think it's possible to stretch a seatbelt?
Just like wire, it can be tensioned tight.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Very interesting idea....following.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

lukejones said:


> Do you think it's possible to stretch a seatbelt?
> Just like wire, it can be tensioned tight.


Yes it can but wire or anything else never stays tight. Amazing how little it can take to stretch enough for animals to get out.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

I don't know about your goats, but mine would crawl under or through a fence made of seat belts. They're like cats--if the can get their head through, the rest of them will follow!

Tethering is risky--I've only done it with very calm goats, & I sat there watching them the whole time.

It is SO expensive to fence goats--they're just the worst! You'll be doing goat people a real service if you can come up with a cheaper way to contain goats! I'd love to hear what you come up with! Good luck!:ram:


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## capracreek (Apr 5, 2016)

I would be far more afraid of a stray dog attacking them when they could not get away. So unless you plan to stay with I would use caution.


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## lukejones (Feb 5, 2017)

*Fence for free!*



catharina said:


> It is SO expensive to fence goats--they're just the worst! You'll be doing goat people a real service if you can come up with a cheaper way to contain goats! I'd love to hear what you come up with! Good luck!:ram:


Would you like me to provide that service and tell you how you can fence goats for free, if you have a lot of land?
This will only work for those who have plenty of land:
We always think of building up, when thinking of walls, or fences. But it is also possible to dig down.
Around the perimeter of your goat field, dig down about 1.5m (or just more than your goats can jump), and make a ditch about 1.5m wide. The inside of the ditch can slope down so the goats do not fall in. But, the outer side is straight down, like a wall. All you need is a digging tool, and a lot of hard work. But in regard to money, it will be completely free. And it will be a very solid wall!
There will always be a minimum of 1.5m distance between any part of the ditch and the top of the "wall", so the goat cannot jump to the top. If 1.5m is not enough for your goat, you can make it 2m.


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## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

That would be interesting, the water table is high enough here I would have a moat lol


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

In Holland many fields are "fenced" with small canals.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

I love the trench idea, but Maine has more rocks than soil (or so it seems!). In our particular locale it's super hard to dig post holes. And the dog anchors you put in the ground for tethering? I usually have to position each one a bazillion time to find a spot where they'll actually go down.

(We do tether, but only when we're out with the goats doing chores.)


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## odieclark (Jan 21, 2016)

What if your land is full of huge rocks? It is nearly impossible to install a t post at will-in many areas on the land our goats inhabit!


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## MamaJenDSP (May 25, 2016)

Done some limited tethering. I use dog tie-out stakes & coated dog cable inside garden house. They don't love it but I can get them near some underbrush we don't have fenced.


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## wndngrvr (Dec 10, 2011)

If you are with them I don't know why you would have to tether them. I have 16 girls and take them out into several different areas for treat eating every day that I can. They stay close by and I never have to hunt for anyone. When it is time to go -I just clap my hands and say "lets go home". They also stay close together when we go out. Sounds like a lot of people tie up their animals - not something that I agree with.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

Very true, Bev. If mine occasionally take off, it's generally just to go home. But if I have a bag of grain in my pocket they stay where I am!

To tether in rocky places, I wonder about a "clothes line" system between 2 trees. You thread a leash handle on the cable, or put a metal ring on the cable that you can clip to. It's also a way to give the goat access to a larger space. We did it with ours once or twice & they did fine, no tangles or anything, but I got bored sitting there watching them after a while.


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## nicolemackenzie (Dec 27, 2014)

I take mine for walks around my property or sit outside with them while my kids play. I am far enough away from a road that it is safe. Might not be safe for everyone to do leash less so temporary supervised tethering may be what works for them.


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