I spent a few hours trying to watch opinions on electric fence and you're the first person that's not doing some obnoxious gimmick or yelling all the time. Big thanks and a subscribe from a simple guy trying to raise sheep and chickens.
Oh my gosh. Thank you for this. We've been researching for months and your video is the first time actually getting to the point and fully explaining it without unnecessary info. Exactly what we are looking for as our property is everything but flat. Thank you again. You've gained a follower and we're looking forward to more of your knowledge!
You are totally right about going with a good quality geared fencing reel. It will save you much frustration. In our area we need animal livestock guardians, as the predator pressure is high. Also, unless you want to use toxic herbicides to keep the fence maintained, there are three options. Nursery fabric (we do this around our garden, with a 3' wide roll folded double to 18”), or a band of sawdust under the fence, or move the fence inward from the property line several feet (I use 6') so you can mow both sides of the fence line. I like this best. 😊 If you use landscaping fabric, you will need a small butane cutting torch (with soldering iron knife-tip) to cut holes for your posts. It's quick and seals the fabric.
Just found your video. I appreciate your info. I have chickens that free-range but have 2 -12 week old goats that are ready to join us. However, I'm not ready for them yet!! I have premiere 1 fencing.. but I think I want to go the route you've done here for a goat area. We have a rugged, wooded terrain. I should be able to clear a narrow route for the fencing to run. I think I'm going to make a couple smaller semi-permanent paddocks so I can rotate them back and forth. So, it's been 10 months since you've posted this video. Can you tell me how it's going? Are you still happy with this sort of electric fencing for your goats? I have a couple 1.2 Jules solar energizers, but will buy a more powerful one, as you've suggested I'm going to copy you item by item if you're still satisfied...cuz I'm about worn out looking at everything and the goat family is really ready for them to go!! Thanks in advance for your opinion. Have subscribed and look forward to checking out your other videos.
You mention two separate posts, but I only see one type of post in your comments. Which one is that?... and do you have a link to the post that is not there?
Large adult goats will take the hit every time if the forage is better on the other side. Especially if the lead female makes the first move, all the wethers and bucks will follow. No disrespect, but this fence would be a nightmare, leading to tangled goats being shocked for hours.
Hi Andrew, thanks very much for this video, very informative. I was going down the path of fixed fencing and shelters which would have been a waste of time when with goats I would like to move them around the property to focus on grazing different areas and providing a change of scene. I will try your method of shelter and electric fencing and see how I go! I can also reduce all these posts and wire for other animals too.
Hi Andrew!! We are preparing to do this very same fence and we were researching about the rough forage we will be putting it on and trying to decide what energizer to go with. This video was the most helpful I have watched in weeks! Straight to the point yet full of details. Thanks!!!
Thanks for watching, I’m glad it was helpful! Here is a link on how to build your own solar electric fence energizer: th-cam.com/video/QdZFeio6jQY/w-d-xo.html
I saw you clip only on one strand (on minute 4:42 of the video). How do you energize all 4 strands at once? How do you connect them? ...Thanks, Great Video!
I only use one strand of wire to make all four fence strands. Once I complete one loop I move the strand up and continue to the next and so on. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your video! Do your goats actually stay in that fence? I recently bought the Gallagher smart fence , which has four lines, and my girls walked right through it! I think I need more like five lines. I totally had it electrified and was registering 8 to 10 V. It hurt when I touched it! But they just went right through it like they didn’t feel it.😮
How many joules would you recommend to keep goats out of the garden and dogs in the yard? Do you think I can use the same energizer to do accomplish both these tasks within the same 1.5 acres?
Do you need to cut your string each time you do a new set-up? I'm looking to move mine often but dont want to be alway be cutting at the end so that its the correct length.
I have a friend who trained his to a single wire. And it worked well. He does have a good perimeter fence around his property though. I would not use a single wire as your main fence. The trick is to not let them go hungry and they will stay behind a fence most goats would cross. I use four lines mainly because of predators and I have no perimeter fencing.
saxon james, to train them to a wire start in a smaller area that they cannot get out of, like a corral. Put your electric fence along the inside of the corral. Make sure the energizer is hooked up properly so you have a strong spark. Once your goats are in there they should be trained within 24hrs. If you don’t have anything to confine them in you can use a tree or something solid within your fence that you can tie the goat to with a dog collar and leash so it’s close enough to the wire to touch it. Basically anything that will keep the goat in while it learns what the electric fence is will work. I plan on making a video shortly explaining in more detail how to train them.
I apologize for sounding like an idiot, but how did you attach your insulators? I bought some of the screw on insulators, but you can't put them on from the bottom. Did you slide them on the pig tail end? Thanks
Hey Andrew, thanks for the clear and helpful video. The link you left in the video description I assume is for the posts you use for straight ones? Do you have a link for the galvanized steel posts which you've used for corners? Thanks a ton, Mendel
I don’t have any experience with Nubians. Mine are fainting and boar mix. They don’t jump very high so I don’t have a problem with them jumping over the fence. I have had some jump through the fence though and I get rid of the ones who do. They will teach the others to escape if you don’t stop it soon. Thanks for watching!
Hey Andrew. My husband and I are looking to install an electric fence for our incoming pair of nigerian dwarfs. What did you use as a gate for this fence?
There are no gates on this fence. I’ve just trained my goats to walk underneath all the wires when the bottom three are raised up to the top wire. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
@@AndrewMast , do you ever have any trouble with wild dogs getting into the goats? We have packs of them where we are and I’m not sure the fence would keep them out. Thanks in advance mate.
I don’t think it would contain chickens. We have our chickens in electric netting. It works fairly well. They will escape every once and a while. But they will usually go back in when it gets dark. I could be wrong though. It might be worth a try. It would protect them from predators if you kept their coop inside the fence. Thanks for watching!
Hi Andrew. Thanks for the great info and enjoyable/easy to watch presentation. Have you had issues with predators? Do you foresee any issues with using this setup for 5-10 acres?
I’ve used this setup for almost 3 while years now and have had no predator issues. I’ve seen plenty of coyote sign just outside the fence. I thought at first I might have problems but have been very happy with how it works. I wouldn’t use this type of fence as a barrier between your goats and a public road. We have our. Goats far enough away from a public road that I wouldn’t fear them wandering that far if they were to escape. The only issue I see with it covering 5-10 acres is you’d have to check the boundaries pretty often to make sure branches haven’t fallen onto the fence. It’s really light wire so even small branches can cause it to lower to the ground. I don’t worry too much about that here because I move them often enough that it’s rarely a problem. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I'm looking at doing something similar. It looks like your set up is working great. I had a few questions, maybe you might answer? What is your line post spacing? How large an area are you fencing at one time? How many goats are you running?
The post spacing depends on the terrain if it’s really uneven they can be as close as 3-4ft apart. When there is a flatter area I’ll space them out to about 20ft. The line spacing is typically no more than 8 inches of the ground for the first line and then about 8-10 inches apart on the other three. The paddock size averages about 5000sqft. Up to 10,000. Right now we have 12 goats. 11 females and one Billy. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Do you buy one reel per line? That could be expensive if I buy the nicer reel. Can you use the one reel for everything or do you recommend multiple reels?
@@AndrewMast Redstone said they were out of stock on those. I haven't looked elsewhere yet. Do you see any advantage to getting the reels and lines and posts separately instead of getting SmartFence? It seems pricey, but you think it worth it? These will be my first goats and first electric fence ever. I am going to try out first with four in an area I want to start clearing and then move them on to another area when they are finished. My land, like yours is hilly and with brush/trees
Couple questions. I can't tell the difference on the site between the regular and the heavy duty pigtails. Also, do you think they would go into frozen ground ok?
The heavy duty are thicker metal and they are galvanized. Also the bottom where you push it into the ground is woven together with the stake not just welded so there is no chance of it conning off. I believe the heavy duty ones are your best bet with frozen ground. They come with a blunt tip, so you may want to sharpen a point on them for frozen ground. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
I can’t seem to find them at a good price either. I bought mine for on our local farmers Co-op. Here is a similar one I found online: www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=cdb64952-23df-44cc-a9b4-aede532075bd&itemguid=d7fc45cc-eef0-42af-8423-549d387d9d9d&sfb=1&grp=6000&grpc=6E00&grpsc=6E70&sp=m&ccd=IFM003&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0rSABhDlARIsAJtjfCdz-TL2Pfqkg-EGZHUHW8MWsAF8F9foZ0TF893tOigVrw2yDdk_uwAaAlhXEALw_wcB
Thanks for sharing! Looking for electric fence ideas for our goats and came across your video. Appreciate your info on the posts as I was trying to decide between the two kinds. How is the fence holding up, keeping the goats in?
Thanks for watching! This will be the third year I’ve had this setup and it’s holding up well. Only issues with the goats escaping has been on my part or after a storm that causes a limb to fall over the fence.
You said you used the gallagher reel. Do you also use gallagher posts as well? I was having trouble finding a pig tail with a 2 prong step in online. Also what insulator clips do you use. Thx in advance
www.theisens.com/products/heavy-duty-pigtail-treadin-post/G64245/ These are the Gallagher posts I use. I was able to find them at our local farmers Co-op for about $4 each. I believe premier 1 supplies sells a similar one. These are the insulators I use. north40.com/gallagher-rod-post-screw-on-claw-insulator-25-pk Any rod insulator would work for it. It is a little hard to force the insulator around the pigtail but it will go when it’s placed right. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Andrew, I’m in Australia and have got 20 acres and lots of blackberry, I have to control the blackberry and wanted to do this without poison. I’m thinking of goats. What breed of goat do you have? I will be using the electric fence you discussed in this video. I’ve subscribed because you seem to know what you’re doing. There’s lots of dodgey info on TH-cam. Cheers Greg
Goats love blackberry bushes so they would do well at clearing that. I have fainting goats. They seem to be less likely to escape than a lot of other breads of heard of. Thanks for subscribing! And I’m planning on doing more goat videos soon, so stay tuned!
Large adult goats will take the hit every time if the forage is better on the other side. I've seen it with my own eyes. Especially if the lead female makes the first move, all the wethers and bucks will follow. No disrespect, but this fence would be a nightmare, leading to tangled goats being shocked for hours. The amount of time you will spend fixing this fence, you'd be better off not having the goats.
How TF is this not permanent fencing? I grew up on a farm, and electric fencing is permanent too. And I'm guessing you won't be tearing this all down every season... Title should be changed to "Keeping Goats With Cheap Fencing". What a waste of time.
I actually move the goats once or twice a week even in the winter. I have three fence setups so when I move them to a new paddock the old one is taken down and moves up to the next area and so on. They move to about 60 different areas during the year so I wanted something cheap to start out with, that’s why I chose this type of fencing instead of a more permanent kind. I’ve got another video on the channel showing how I move them. Thanks for watching!
I spent a few hours trying to watch opinions on electric fence and you're the first person that's not doing some obnoxious gimmick or yelling all the time. Big thanks and a subscribe from a simple guy trying to raise sheep and chickens.
Thanks! Sometimes simpler is better.
Oh my gosh. Thank you for this. We've been researching for months and your video is the first time actually getting to the point and fully explaining it without unnecessary info. Exactly what we are looking for as our property is everything but flat.
Thank you again. You've gained a follower and we're looking forward to more of your knowledge!
You are right about the netting … I learned that the hard way
You are totally right about going with a good quality geared fencing reel. It will save you much frustration. In our area we need animal livestock guardians, as the predator pressure is high. Also, unless you want to use toxic herbicides to keep the fence maintained, there are three options. Nursery fabric (we do this around our garden, with a 3' wide roll folded double to 18”), or a band of sawdust under the fence, or move the fence inward from the property line several feet (I use 6') so you can mow both sides of the fence line. I like this best. 😊 If you use landscaping fabric, you will need a small butane cutting torch (with soldering iron knife-tip) to cut holes for your posts. It's quick and seals the fabric.
Just found your video. I appreciate your info. I have chickens that free-range but have 2 -12 week old goats that are ready to join us. However, I'm not ready for them yet!! I have premiere 1 fencing.. but I think I want to go the route you've done here for a goat area. We have a rugged, wooded terrain. I should be able to clear a narrow route for the fencing to run. I think I'm going to make a couple smaller semi-permanent paddocks so I can rotate them back and forth. So, it's been 10 months since you've posted this video. Can you tell me how it's going? Are you still happy with this sort of electric fencing for your goats? I have a couple 1.2 Jules solar energizers, but will buy a more powerful one, as you've suggested I'm going to copy you item by item if you're still satisfied...cuz I'm about worn out looking at everything and the goat family is really ready for them to go!! Thanks in advance for your opinion. Have subscribed and look forward to checking out your other videos.
This is the most informative and useful video I've found in this topic. Great job!
You mention two separate posts, but I only see one type of post in your comments. Which one is that?... and do you have a link to the post that is not there?
Great Video Andrew. You do a great job with your goats!
Goats are masters of escaping.
Not all goats give up after touching electric fencing
Large adult goats will take the hit every time if the forage is better on the other side. Especially if the lead female makes the first move, all the wethers and bucks will follow. No disrespect, but this fence would be a nightmare, leading to tangled goats being shocked for hours.
I tried that they walk right through it and will break it down.
Very nice sir, happy farming new subscriber thanks and Godbless... 🙏
I'm thinking of using an electric fence. We also have very uneven ground so you helped me choose the type.
Will look at your other videos. 👍
Can I use chicken wire to keep goats contained?
Hi Andrew, thanks very much for this video, very informative. I was going down the path of fixed fencing and shelters which would have been a waste of time when with goats I would like to move them around the property to focus on grazing different areas and providing a change of scene. I will try your method of shelter and electric fencing and see how I go! I can also reduce all these posts and wire for other animals too.
Hi Andrew!! We are preparing to do this very same fence and we were researching about the rough forage we will be putting it on and trying to decide what energizer to go with. This video was the most helpful I have watched in weeks! Straight to the point yet full of details. Thanks!!!
Thanks for watching, I’m glad it was helpful!
Here is a link on how to build your own solar electric fence energizer: th-cam.com/video/QdZFeio6jQY/w-d-xo.html
I saw you clip only on one strand (on minute 4:42 of the video). How do you energize all 4 strands at once? How do you connect them? ...Thanks, Great Video!
I only use one strand of wire to make all four fence strands. Once I complete one loop I move the strand up and continue to the next and so on. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your video! Do your goats actually stay in that fence? I recently bought the Gallagher smart fence , which has four lines, and my girls walked right through it! I think I need more like five lines. I totally had it electrified and was registering 8 to 10 V. It hurt when I touched it! But they just went right through it like they didn’t feel it.😮
Do you just use the pigtails for corner? Have you had any issues with predators with the short fence?
Appreciate the video Nice and straightforward and concise!
How many joules would you recommend to keep goats out of the garden and dogs in the yard? Do you think I can use the same energizer to do accomplish both these tasks within the same 1.5 acres?
Do you have pygmy goats?
Do you need to cut your string each time you do a new set-up? I'm looking to move mine often but dont want to be alway be cutting at the end so that its the correct length.
Thanks for info
Thank you for taking the time to make this video ❤️
Thanks for watching!
Hi Andrew, do you think that a single or double wire system would work? Thanks.
I have a friend who trained his to a single wire. And it worked well. He does have a good perimeter fence around his property though. I would not use a single wire as your main fence. The trick is to not let them go hungry and they will stay behind a fence most goats would cross. I use four lines mainly because of predators and I have no perimeter fencing.
@@AndrewMast awesome, thanks mate, I'll give it a go. Any tips on how to train them to the wire?
saxon james, to train them to a wire start in a smaller area that they cannot get out of, like a corral. Put your electric fence along the inside of the corral. Make sure the energizer is hooked up properly so you have a strong spark. Once your goats are in there they should be trained within 24hrs. If you don’t have anything to confine them in you can use a tree or something solid within your fence that you can tie the goat to with a dog collar and leash so it’s close enough to the wire to touch it.
Basically anything that will keep the goat in while it learns what the electric fence is will work.
I plan on making a video shortly explaining in more detail how to train them.
@@AndrewMast thanks for that :)
I apologize for sounding like an idiot, but how did you attach your insulators? I bought some of the screw on insulators, but you can't put them on from the bottom. Did you slide them on the pig tail end? Thanks
Yes, I slid them over the pig tail. It was a little difficult but it worked.
I considered this, but it would leave too much sag over time
Good content
#naturalgramma
RevHank and Laura Reid
Hey Andrew, thanks for the clear and helpful video.
The link you left in the video description I assume is for the posts you use for straight ones?
Do you have a link for the galvanized steel posts which you've used for corners?
Thanks a ton,
Mendel
Thanks for the comment. I just added a link for galvanized posts. Thanks for watching!
Does this set up work to keep predators out like coyotes?
How far do you space the pigtail posts mate
Will the pig-tail posts with a 35" above ground length work with Nubian Goats (which are larger goats)?
I don’t have any experience with Nubians. Mine are fainting and boar mix. They don’t jump very high so I don’t have a problem with them jumping over the fence. I have had some jump through the fence though and I get rid of the ones who do. They will teach the others to escape if you don’t stop it soon. Thanks for watching!
@@AndrewMast Thanks for the reply and for the great videos!
Excellent video.....great info
Good information. Thx.
Hey Andrew. My husband and I are looking to install an electric fence for our incoming pair of nigerian dwarfs. What did you use as a gate for this fence?
There are no gates on this fence. I’ve just trained my goats to walk underneath all the wires when the bottom three are raised up to the top wire. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
Great video down to earth and on point
Well done mate, hi from Australia.
Thanks! And thank you for watching!
@@AndrewMast , do you ever have any trouble with wild dogs getting into the goats? We have packs of them where we are and I’m not sure the fence would keep them out. Thanks in advance mate.
👍 Nice work! Thanks
Would this setup contain chickens if you ran 5 strands? Or do you have to use netting?
I don’t think it would contain chickens. We have our chickens in electric netting. It works fairly well. They will escape every once and a while. But they will usually go back in when it gets dark. I could be wrong though. It might be worth a try. It would protect them from predators if you kept their coop inside the fence. Thanks for watching!
Hi Andrew. Thanks for the great info and enjoyable/easy to watch presentation. Have you had issues with predators?
Do you foresee any issues with using this setup for 5-10 acres?
I’ve used this setup for almost 3 while years now and have had no predator issues. I’ve seen plenty of coyote sign just outside the fence. I thought at first I might have problems but have been very happy with how it works.
I wouldn’t use this type of fence as a barrier between your goats and a public road. We have our. Goats far enough away from a public road that I wouldn’t fear them wandering that far if they were to escape. The only issue I see with it covering 5-10 acres is you’d have to check the boundaries pretty often to make sure branches haven’t fallen onto the fence. It’s really light wire so even small branches can cause it to lower to the ground. I don’t worry too much about that here because I move them often enough that it’s rarely a problem. Thanks for watching!
Thanks. Great video
Thanks for info
Great video. I'm looking at doing something similar. It looks like your set up is working great. I had a few questions, maybe you might answer? What is your line post spacing? How large an area are you fencing at one time? How many goats are you running?
The post spacing depends on the terrain if it’s really uneven they can be as close as 3-4ft apart. When there is a flatter area I’ll space them out to about 20ft. The line spacing is typically no more than 8 inches of the ground for the first line and then about 8-10 inches apart on the other three. The paddock size averages about 5000sqft. Up to 10,000. Right now we have 12 goats. 11 females and one Billy. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the video
Great content!
#naturalgramma RevHank and Laura Reid
Thank you! And thanks for watching!
Thank you!
Nice video bud!!
Great video 👍 , did you built that solar fence charger setup ?
Yes I did. Here is the link to the video. th-cam.com/video/QdZFeio6jQY/w-d-xo.html
Do you buy one reel per line? That could be expensive if I buy the nicer reel. Can you use the one reel for everything or do you recommend multiple reels?
I used one reel for all four strands. I now use the Gallagher smart fence. It’s a much easier and faster setup.
@@AndrewMast Redstone said they were out of stock on those. I haven't looked elsewhere yet. Do you see any advantage to getting the reels and lines and posts separately instead of getting SmartFence? It seems pricey, but you think it worth it? These will be my first goats and first electric fence ever. I am going to try out first with four in an area I want to start clearing and then move them on to another area when they are finished. My land, like yours is hilly and with brush/trees
Couple questions. I can't tell the difference on the site between the regular and the heavy duty pigtails. Also, do you think they would go into frozen ground ok?
The heavy duty are thicker metal and they are galvanized. Also the bottom where you push it into the ground is woven together with the stake not just welded so there is no chance of it conning off. I believe the heavy duty ones are your best bet with frozen ground. They come with a blunt tip, so you may want to sharpen a point on them for frozen ground. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!
The web site sells orange and white. The only difference i can see is the hight. Maybe they don't sell the heavy duty anymore.
I can’t seem to find them at a good price either. I bought mine for on our local farmers Co-op. Here is a similar one I found online: www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=cdb64952-23df-44cc-a9b4-aede532075bd&itemguid=d7fc45cc-eef0-42af-8423-549d387d9d9d&sfb=1&grp=6000&grpc=6E00&grpsc=6E70&sp=m&ccd=IFM003&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0rSABhDlARIsAJtjfCdz-TL2Pfqkg-EGZHUHW8MWsAF8F9foZ0TF893tOigVrw2yDdk_uwAaAlhXEALw_wcB
Hi Andrew do you think you could do a video on how you train the goats to the electric fence?
That is one video I plan to make sometime. Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for sharing! Looking for electric fence ideas for our goats and came across your video. Appreciate your info on the posts as I was trying to decide between the two kinds.
How is the fence holding up, keeping the goats in?
Thanks for watching! This will be the third year I’ve had this setup and it’s holding up well. Only issues with the goats escaping has been on my part or after a storm that causes a limb to fall over the fence.
How do you make a gate for the paddocks?
There are no gates. I just lift the bottom three strands of wire up and they will walk right under them to the next area. Thanks for asking!
How much is the invest in the electric system?
You will have about $200-300 in the solar charger and about $200 in the fence. This would be the minimum investment in fencing. Thanks for watching!
@@AndrewMast how many land will cover?
Did you run a ground wire?
Yes I did. I hook the ground wire to one of the fence posts. It’s not a very big ground but it works for the smaller size paddocks.
You said you used the gallagher reel. Do you also use gallagher posts as well? I was having trouble finding a pig tail with a 2 prong step in online.
Also what insulator clips do you use.
Thx in advance
www.theisens.com/products/heavy-duty-pigtail-treadin-post/G64245/
These are the Gallagher posts I use. I was able to find them at our local farmers Co-op for about $4 each. I believe premier 1 supplies sells a similar one.
These are the insulators I use. north40.com/gallagher-rod-post-screw-on-claw-insulator-25-pk
Any rod insulator would work for it. It is a little hard to force the insulator around the pigtail but it will go when it’s placed right.
Thanks for commenting!
Hi Andrew, I’m in Australia and have got 20 acres and lots of blackberry, I have to control the blackberry and wanted to do this without poison. I’m thinking of goats. What breed of goat do you have? I will be using the electric fence you discussed in this video. I’ve subscribed because you seem to know what you’re doing. There’s lots of dodgey info on TH-cam. Cheers Greg
Goats love blackberry bushes so they would do well at clearing that. I have fainting goats. They seem to be less likely to escape than a lot of other breads of heard of. Thanks for subscribing! And I’m planning on doing more goat videos soon, so stay tuned!
Large adult goats will take the hit every time if the forage is better on the other side. I've seen it with my own eyes. Especially if the lead female makes the first move, all the wethers and bucks will follow. No disrespect, but this fence would be a nightmare, leading to tangled goats being shocked for hours. The amount of time you will spend fixing this fence, you'd be better off not having the goats.
How TF is this not permanent fencing? I grew up on a farm, and electric fencing is permanent too. And I'm guessing you won't be tearing this all down every season... Title should be changed to "Keeping Goats With Cheap Fencing". What a waste of time.
I actually move the goats once or twice a week even in the winter. I have three fence setups so when I move them to a new paddock the old one is taken down and moves up to the next area and so on. They move to about 60 different areas during the year so I wanted something cheap to start out with, that’s why I chose this type of fencing instead of a more permanent kind. I’ve got another video on the channel showing how I move them. Thanks for watching!