My wife and I are thinking of beginning the great goat adventure next spring. We would like to get a few dairy goat kids and work toward milking once they are grown. My question is about fencing. Is 6"x6" woven wire fence a strangling hazard for the goats? I would have thought not, if they are disbudded. A quick look at at tractorsupply.com shows 300 ft of 6x6 woven wire for about $170 (47 inch high) whereas 100 ft of "sheep and goat" woven wire is about $300. That's a pretty significant difference. Right now we are unsure what breed we will end up with, but most likely one of the full size breeds. If anyone knows where beginners without unlimited funds can get dairy goats in northern NY state that would be a bonus. Thanks
I myself do not have goats as yet, but all my goat friends here have full-size, either LaMancha or Alpine dairy goats. They all seem like lovely, milky goats...these folks are very serious about milk! They are in the NY hamlets of Olivebridge, Woodland Valley and Big Indian (Shandaken and Olive are the towns). If you want, I'm sure you could talk to them. Not sure how upstate you are, for NYC we're upstate, but we're not Rochester!
I'm way, way upstate. As "up" as you can get and not be Canadian. I am about a 3 hr drive due north of Syracuse. About 7 hours from NYC.
that size wont hold in kids --- but adults probably. To keep them in milk you will want to breed them which will mean you will have kiddos running around --- so plan for a smaller area for kidding till the kids are bigger and cant fit through those larger holes. Also welcome to TGS
Welcome :greengrin: The thing I have discovered about goats is that they can be tricky about escaping. Flimsy fencing will not stand up to them rubbing/standing on it. If it has a weak spot, they will usually find it and test it until they find a way out :roll:. The cheaper fencing might work great, as long as the posts are sturdy and set at appropriate intervals. However, doing it right the first time is always best, so you might want to look at both fences and see which is sturdier. Then you will never have to worry about them getting out and causing trouble, and you won't have to replace any fencing right after you put it up. The 6 by 6 squares should not be a problem, unless, as you stated, they have horns. Good luck!
We've used zip ties to attach chicken wire over "cow panels" (they have the big squares kids can squeeze through). That has worked wonderfully keeping babies in. . . . just a small thought.
For small goats dog pen wire- the 2x4 squares work- that horse fence is expensive, but lasts forever!!!! we tried the dog fence wire on our boers-It lasted 1 week before they tore it down fighting through the fence. we are using electric fence now with a solar box- It works great with the plastic poles from Tractor supply-they are 1.99 each and push into the ground. They hold 8 wires and starts 4 inches off the ground-here is a pic.
