New Goat Setup for Brush Clearing

[Vadard]

I have a few acres of dense cutover that is completely choked-out with dense vegetation. I would love to clean it up, and I’ve also wanted to start keeping goats for a few years. As luck would have it, a neighbor a few miles down the road has a herd of goats, and I’m getting a few does from him in the next few months.

Here’s my plan for 3 small goats (NDGs or pygmies, not sure what will be available yet). I’d appreciate and constructive guidance or feedback from experienced goat people.

During the day, I want to let them browse in the thicket. I plan to contain them using either electrified poultry netting or livestock panels with electric wire top and bottom. (Lots of predators here.) Will provide water and a shelter of some sort at all times.

At night, I plan to keep them in a smaller, more secure pen with a hoop style shelter (PVC hoops with tarp stretched over it.) I’ll also feed them hay in this enclosure. Was planning on allowing them about 50 sf/goat, so I’ll probably built the pen to be 12x12 or a little larger.

How does this sound to you? And what am I forgetting?

Thanks!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

In terms of shelter space, that seems to be plenty. I have a 10x16 (roughly) space for my goats, they have a favorite corning, take up about 1/4 of it. The chickens use the rest. It IS important you have a way for them to sleep up off the ground, and you need a way to provide them goat mineral that won't get wet.

When I was dealing (still am, really) with some of my thickets, there was no way you could put down fencing or stretch netting - it was just too dense. I ended up using screw in nylon insulators which I simply twisted into convenient trees, then wired those up with high tensile steel wire.

For small lengths, you can easily strain the wire by hand, using the donuts at corenrs and ends - wrap two or threee times at the end, then "roll" the donut while keeping tension. Not as good as a pulley, but the extra friction helps keep things taught while you secure the wire.

otherwise, strainers.

My longest single wire runs are around 700 feet - those need strainers.

Hope that helps.

 

[saysfaa]

...hoop style shelter (PVC hoops with tarp stretched over it.)

Why are you thinking pvc hoops instead of cattle panels?

 

[Vadard]

In terms of shelter space, that seems to be plenty. I have a 10x16 (roughly) space for my goats, they have a favorite corning, take up about 1/4 of it. The chickens use the rest. It IS important you have a way for them to sleep up off the ground, and you need a way to provide them goat mineral that won't get wet.

When I was dealing (still am, really) with some of my thickets, there was no way you could put down fencing or stretch netting - it was just too dense. I ended up using screw in nylon insulators which I simply twisted into convenient trees, then wired those up with high tensile steel wire.

View attachment 3222672
For small lengths, you can easily strain the wire by hand, using the donuts at corenrs and ends - wrap two or threee times at the end, then "roll" the donut while keeping tension. Not as good as a pulley, but the extra friction helps keep things taught while you secure the wire.

View attachment 3222673

otherwise, strainers.

My longest single wire runs are around 700 feet - those need strainers.

Hope that helps.

Wow. I love the idea of using the steel wires — completely forgot about that option. I knew an old farmer who used the same method to keep his pigs in the woods where he wanted the soil tilled up and cleared out. Many thanks!

 

[Vadard]

Why are you thinking pvc hoops instead of cattle panels?

Well, duh. The cattle panels would work so much better. Thanks so much for the suggestion. Cheers!

 

[Vadard]

I have a few acres of dense cutover that is completely choked-out with dense vegetation. I would love to clean it up, and I’ve also wanted to start keeping goats for a few years. As luck would have it, a neighbor a few miles down the road has a herd of goats, and I’m getting a few does from him in the next few months.

Here’s my plan for 3 small goats (NDGs or pygmies, not sure what will be available yet). I’d appreciate and constructive guidance or feedback from experienced goat people.

During the day, I want to let them browse in the thicket. I plan to contain them using either electrified poultry netting or livestock panels with electric wire top and bottom. (Lots of predators here.) Will provide water and a shelter of some sort at all times.

At night, I plan to keep them in a smaller, more secure pen with a hoop style shelter (PVC hoops with tarp stretched over it.) I’ll also feed them hay in this enclosure. Was planning on allowing them about 50 sf/goat, so I’ll probably built the pen to be 12x12 or a little larger.

How does this sound to you? And what am I forgetting?

Thanks!

Let me tack on one follow-up question:

The guy I’m getting the goats from seems to take good care of his animals. He keeps cows, a few dozen goats, and a dozen or so large sheep. So I’m not expecting any issues with disease. That said, should I de-worm the new goats as soon as I get them, just in case they’re carrying something?

Thanks again for the replies.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm not a big proponent of routine prophylactics, I am a big proponent of quarantines. But if this guy is taking care of his animals, there's no harm in asking him what his deworming regimen is. Particularly when you have several species sharing the same space, who can potentially host parasites and the like to later share among the others. If you want to deworm when they begin their quarantine, it won't hurt. It just may not be necessary.

You should probably ask how they are getting their copper, too - since sheep can't eat goat mineral (too much copper, very bad for them!) - my guess is that he's using a bolus. You want to know how often he replaces those, and when they were last given, so you can have mineral ready for your new animals.

 

[Vadard]

I'm not a big proponent of routine prophylactics, I am a big proponent of quarantines. But if this guy is taking care of his animals, there's no harm in asking him what his deworming regimen is. Particularly when you have several species sharing the same space, who can potentially host parasites and the like to later share among the others. If you want to deworm when they begin their quarantine, it won't hurt. It just may not be necessary.

You should probably ask how they are getting their copper, too - since sheep can't eat goat mineral (too much copper, very bad for them!) - my guess is that he's using a bolus. You want to know how often he replaces those, and when they were last given, so you can have mineral ready for your new animals.

Many thanks — will do. Making notes now.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have 4 goats who are brushers. They have access to the woods all day. I use electric netting up and down ravines, over fallen trees, around boulders. But the wire setup is great! I may have need for that the further they get into the brush.

My lil herd has access to hay in a pasture feeder. And I feed them a handful of grain, probiotics, and goat balancer at night before locking them up in their shed. They have a 10x10 shed with a 10x15 covered rain out. They sleep in about 1/4th of the space. They cram in there in a big pile. Hilarious! Gotta lock them up behind an electric fence here because of mountain lions.

No need to worm unless they show symptoms. Brushers have better gut health than dry lot goats, according to my vet, so they have an easier time fighting off worms. And they don't eat off the ground since they are foraging, so it prevents them from eating worm eggs that are scattered via their feces.

Check with your friend about resistence in your area as well as selenium levels in your soil. Where I live, there is a selenium deficiency, and since the majority of their feed is from that soil, my girls need supplementation, along with the copper.

My goats are the easiest animals I own (so far - knock on wood). They help with wildfire prevention, provide entertainment, and give lots of companionship! Only time they are difficult is for their hoof trimmings- lol!

 

[Aunt Angus]

And my 4 took care of 3 crazy overgrown acres in about a month.