[LooneyTickAcres]

I’ve had a variety of goat breeds over the years. My favorite (and current) setup is a pen made up of cattle panels set up by the barn. By cattle panels, I mean the heavy gauge wire panels that are 16ft long and 4ft tall. They are sturdy, predator proof and work great as a night time pen or a place to stay when unsupervised. The rest of my property is five strand barb wire and/or 5 strand high tensile electric wire. In the barb wire sections, I have a single strand of hot wire set up with 5” extended insulators about 6 inches from the ground. My fence is HOT! It keeps wild hogs out and whether it’s on or not, every other critter here doesn’t even think about getting close to it. Regardless of the size of goat, If you have predators, you definitely want a more hefty ”permanent “ style fence for an overnight pen. Hot fence won’t keep out some determined predators…also, if you lose electricity, you’re screwed.

As for getting heads stuck in field fence or panel for that matter….depends on a few things…. Goats that have been disbudded (de horned) won’t get stuck. Some goats are smarter than others…. some never have an issue, and others are chronic offenders. The offenders get the “pipe of shame” aka a 14-16” small pvc pipe attached to their horns with gorilla tape. Lol. The smart ones will learn before the tape wears out…. The stupid ones need to wear the pipe for life! Lol!

Trimming hooves is easy as can be. I learned as a kid in 4-H many moons ago and have always done my own ever since.

 

[LooneyTickAcres]

Yes, those are what I’m talking about. No need to frame them… just use steel t posts. I set mine every 8 feet. You can use more posts and and set them closer if you want the fence more rigid, but 8 ft is usually more than sufficient. And as horslovinguy said, use taller posts, especially if your ground is softer or uneven…. my “normal” sized horses don’t mess with the fence, but the minis love to do side rubs and the Percherons love to scratch their rear ends. Lol!

The panels used to be a lot cheaper…I remember when you could get them for less than $15.00 each. I’m definitely envious of those who can afford to do large scale projects with them. I always keep my eyes peeled on Craigslist for used ones!