Posted by Nat on December 13, 2000 at 19:03:22:
In Reply to: Fencing posted by Teresa on December 12, 2000 at 17:06:06:
Having put up barbwire fence for the beef cows at my universtiy, I can tell you from experience, it can be brutal on not only you, but your animals. The stuff is horrible enough to put up on clear pasture land, let alone drag it by yourself up a thick wooded hilside.
The other posts tell the fencing woes well. Personally I prefer hot wire fencing, its worth the extra work hacking a path thru the woods, and the goats seem to keep the fence line reasonably clear on their side. Falling limbs, deer, and growing brush are problmes that will attack any type of fence.
My only advice is that if you can, maybe try putting up smooth wire - but use a heavy gague that has a high tensle strength. If you put up a few strands and keep it tight, the goats shouldn't mess with it too much if they have good forage within their enclosure. My animals keep in well with a hot fence, even when its off as long as they are well fed.. key term. A hungary goat and food in sight is always an invitation for problems, no matter how good the fence.
If you do end up using barb wire, depending on how big a roll you get, it's a good idea to invest in a roll un-winder. Nasco and the other livestock supply places have these in the fencing section. Just makes your life a little bit easier when unrolling fence a long distance, or rolling it up.
Hope I gave a little insite
-Nat, who's lost quite a few good pairs of overalls to barbwire rips :-)