# Chainlink Fencing



## trainhound (Jan 29, 2008)

Hi, I was just given 300' of heavy duty 5' tall fencing, I'm planning on building three 20' x 20' pens for my 9 goats one for my Nubian Buck another for my 3 whethers and the last for my 5 does. First off should I make any adjustments for these living arrangements? I was thinking of maybe 10 x 20 for the Buck or would even 10 x 10 be ok? the whithers are meat goats, should their pen be smaller?

Also, a couple real important questions, How far should the post be apart and what would I need to do to keep the buck from getting out? should I place electric fencing along the top and inside perimiter?

Thanks

Ed.


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

They wont be getting out of chain link, unless they jump 5 feet.
I never have had one jump that high over a fence.
I use chain link for our quarantine area for any new goats brought in.

The rest we use field fencing and pallet fencing.

Pallet fencing is buck proof, escape proof and breeding proof.
Goats can sometimes breed through fencing but not wooden pallet fencing with the lats close together and the double thickness. Our bucks and does share a pallet fence in between them so we don't have accidental breedings but the does will go to flirt through the fence, calling and flicking those tails, and thats how we know they are coming into heat.
Then they go to the love hut...a small pen with a small shelter for just the honeymoon.

As for space....meat is muscle, and muscle forms from exercise.
Our main buck is in a pen 20X40, we are planning on expanding it.
The bigger the better.
And ramps for climbing helps grow that muscle.

My 4 does are in a area about 45x70.

The smallest pen we have is the Angoras, 2 does in a 20X30 foot pen.

All my goat get out to pastures during the day.
If they didnt, their pens would be even bigger.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I had an alpin doe that easily made it over a five foot chain link fence, she would jump as high as she could and then use it like a ladder to get herself out. I would make your doe pen bigger, each goat should have one hundred square feet. thats not much space for a bunch of does. 
posts should be eight feet apart.
beth


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

I agree with Beth, you will need bigger pens for more goats. Right now, I have 2 bucks and 5 medium sized wethers in a 40x65 yard and I never build a pen smaller than 20x30 for 2-3 goats.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

This is so crazy but we have a five month old NIGERIAN buck that jumps our five-foot fencing. We've never had one of our mini-goats be able to do this but he can. We're in the process of fixing this. . . . 

We have about 150x150 pen for our does (10-12 mini-goats) this goes down a hill so they have even more exercise. They are let out on pasture everyday too. Our bucks (2 mini bucks) have 50x50 also on a hill, so more exercise. I think your doe pen should be bigger. Like sparks879 said, 100 square feet per goat.

The more toys to play on the better, to build/maintain good muscle and keep them occupied.  

Electric wire around the top would be good. I like the idea of wood pallet fencing for the bucks - that's a really great idea, may have to use that one myself.


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## trainhound (Jan 29, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to make my pens larger, but I'm a little confused, many here say to have 100 square feet per goat, do you realize that that is only 10' x 10' ? :?


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

I know I wouldn't follow the 100 sq ft thing. 10x10 is to small for even one mini!
Maybe my very old terrier wouldn't mind a pen that small. LOL

I am wondering about all you that have had goats jump a 5ft fence. Was that chain link?
Because I have yet to see a goat jump 5ft chain link. They usually need to get their back hooves on part on the fence. Field fencing and such they can because their feet fit through to push them up and over but chain link doesn't.

My worst escape artist have never gotten out of chain link.

That's why the stuff we do have is for the quarantine goats. A new goat I would not want to risk escape because it could be carrying something and it may not return since it doesn't know the area or us.


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## capriola-nd (Jul 6, 2008)

I didn't even realize how small that was! That's not big enough for us but maybe that's just sleeping space? If the goats are on pasture all day then I can understand them being in a smaller area like that just for bedtime.

This buckling jumped five-foot cow panels. We put chicken wire over it so I'm guessing that's the same as chainlink? He backs up and jumps, sometimes he's bump his belly on the fence line but then just kind of "teeters" over to the other side. He's a mini, so his hooves are smaller than big breeds.


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

I dont get the 10x10 at all. Thats what are shelters are and we have one shelter for every 2 goats. The shelters are just for sleeping and rain and snow.
Otherwise they are out and about the rest of the time.


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

why separate teh buck from the wethers? I would make one large pen for the buck and wethers.


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## trainhound (Jan 29, 2008)

Stacy, I,m new at this but I thought the buck would fight with the whithers. Do bucks fight with other bucks?

I just found the following information regarding housing and space per goat from the American Dairy Goat Association :
Housing

Dairy goats are kept successfully in all climates. They do not need elaborate housing, but do require clean, dry, well ventilated, draft free shelter. Dirt pen floors are preferred over cement. At least 15 square feet of bedded area should be provided for each goat. The outside exercise lot should provide a minimum of 25 square feet of space per animal, well-drained and properly fenced. Dairy goats have a strong herd instinct and prefer the companionship of at least one other goat.

New York University's Goat extention and a few other universities say the same thing. I can't believe they want goats to live in an area that is a combined 40 square feet! thats only 5' x 8' per goat. 

I guess that's the way the big boys do it but I want to give my goats as much room as I can afford. I love watching their antics and I also keep some chicken with my goats.


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

Bucks can be with bucks!
They establish a pecking order, but doe's do too.

We have one pen for our Boer Bucks and one for our Boer Does.

One for Pygmy Bucks and one for Pygmy does.

One for Angora bucks and one for Angora does.
We have a lot of pens. 

And wethers can be with anyone!!!!

Oh, sorry for jumping in.
It would be really hard if every buck had to be separate, especially when you have 6!


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

yes bucks can be penned with other bucks and wethers can be in with does or bucks.


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## sparks879 (Oct 17, 2007)

I dont know about housing, like you said i just want my goats to have as much space as possible. My kid pen is fifty by fifty feet, the buck pen which houses two bucks is about seventy five by fifty, When breeding time comes i use the kid pen as a breeding pen, the kids by that time are now in the doe pen which is about three hundred feet by six hundred feet. But this way i can seperate my two bucks for breeding with respected does for the day. But otherwise my bucks are together, you may want to consider making larger pens out of electric wire off your chainlink pens, they can be in the chainlink at night with shelter and then maybe you could do a gate into a larger pen and leave it open during the day, this also doubles as a catch pen, so you can catch goats easier for milking, trimming feet vaccinations and so on.
As for the jumping yes my doe used the top of the fence to leap off of, she would get her front end over and then spring off. We had to put a board over the top of it to make it eight feet, after that she used the chainlink as a ladder, and would just climb over the board, so then we wired a piece of plywood on the inside of the gate. When i came out in the mornings and still found spot roaming the yard it was very discouraging. She was then usin the hay feeder as a way to climb out, we live ina mild climate and out shed is open on one side (the hay side) so i can feed from the outside. Anyways we decided to put two by four rails up that side so she couldnt get out. It was so funny to walk around that side of the goat house to find a hea sticking out between the boards and the roof, eight and a half feet in the air.
ok im done rambeling.
beth


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

My minis aren't jumpers....they are fence benders!! I had field fence up on t-posts spaced 4 feet apart and the would rub and rub that fence til the welds gave and then they would bend it outward to climb under it! I have the goat panels now and no-one has been able to bend them or even clear them...though I think being a bit well fed keeps their heavy butts on the ground.. :ROFL: 

With chain link, be sure to secure the bottom as they can and will try to go under it.


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## abe901 (Dec 27, 2013)

Is a 1/4 of acre big enough for two nubian's? And can nubians be use for milk and meat? Can goats be in the same pasture as chickens?


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## Trickyroo (Sep 26, 2012)

I hear that Liz , lolol. If they can't get over it they can and will find a way if they really want to 
But yes , keeping their tanks full keeps them from trying to vault the fence line , lol.


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## Emzi00 (May 3, 2013)

abe901 said:


> Is a 1/4 of acre big enough for two nubian's? And can nubians be use for milk and meat? Can goats be in the same pasture as chickens?


If you'd start your own thread, you'd get more answers. Welcome to the Goat Spot by the way.


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## Rhandi74 (Dec 6, 2013)

Ivy said:


> I know I wouldn't follow the 100 sq ft thing. 10x10 is to small for even one mini!
> Maybe my very old terrier wouldn't mind a pen that small. LOL
> 
> I am wondering about all you that have had goats jump a 5ft fence. Was that chain link?
> ...


I have a pygmy/ Nigerian cross doe that jumps our 5 ft. Chain link fence. She gets a running start and jumps right over. Sometimes her hind feet hit the top pole but not very often. She currently has her first kid and she expects him to follow her. He obviously can not. Lol... We are constantly getting her back in the fence but we do not think electric will help because she can clear it.


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