April 12, 2010

Goat Fence: The Home Stretch

Some days it seemed as though we'd never get to this point...

9, 100 ft rolls of 48 inch welded wire fencing
The day to purchase the almost 900 feet of welded wire fencing we need for the goat field. It rained all winter and the ground was too wet to put in fence posts. Last month it finally dried out and we made good progress then.

The back side of the field, along the wood line
We got all the h-braces completed and t-posts in.

Corners braced with either wire or cedar posts
We also finished bracing all the corners. This is an odd shaped field (see field #1 on our Master Plan), which meant we had six corners to set and brace. We will also end up putting in five gates. This is not only for access to the field itself, but other parts of the property.

This area is by far the most complicated to fence. Field #2 on the other hand, has four corners and will need only three gates. For it, the back side will use the fence for field #1, so it should go more quickly. After that, we want to fence the back of the property, the woods, which is shaped like a triangle. The challenge back there will be areas where trees are down along the property line, and have to be cleaned up first. The terrain is a little rougher back there as well.

Dan is hoping we'll have the fence up and ready by the end of the month. That would be great because the field is becoming quite a jungle. We either need to get it grazed down, or we need to have it brush hogged. The first option is our first choice!

Text & photos of Goat Fence: The Home Stretch copyright 


21 comments:

Sharon said...

My brother had a flock of sheep and goats fenced in on his six acres for exactly that same reason. They had a B&B and had built-in groundsmen.

Renee Nefe said...

YAY! I hope the fence goes up easily and you get your "kids" soon.

beekeeping supplies said...

Its really very beautiful view. thanks for sharing with us....

Theresa said...

I can hear the goats lining up for a nibble at that field already. BAAAAAAAAA! ;-)

Razzberry Corner said...

You're so close! Good luck with the fencing!

Nina said...

What breed of goats are you considering getting? How many? We used to have Nubian and Angora goats. They are totally different in personality. Dairy goats are just so friendly, personable and curious. They make great barn pets. The angoras were much more shy and timid, but nice just the same.

Leigh said...

Sharon, I like the idea of built-in groundsmen. Of course, there will be some areas (the garden) that I won't want them in!

Renee, me too!

Beekeeping Supplies, thanks!

Theresa, I'm guessing they'll have a "field" day with all there is to eat. Ha ha.

Lynn, so close and yet so much to do. Especially considering that the fence has to be attached to all 90 t-posts with 5 clips per post. Not sure how fast that will go.

Nina, I reckon it will depend on what's locally available when the time comes. Dan doesn't like the La Manchas because of their ears. He likes the look of Alpine, and I like the look of Nubians, plus their milk quailty, though I understand they are very emotional and dramatic goats. I've only had Toggenburgs, but am not sure if I could find any close by. Most folks aournd here have Boers, but I'd prefer dairy goats.

Lise said...

Ooh...I'd love to have goats! My partner's not sold on the idea though...they scare her!

Thanks for commenting on my blog today. :-)

Woody said...

Have fun...

Tina T-P said...

Sheep fence, it's a SHEEP fence! Shetland sheep, of course - very friendly, and will clean up an area just as well as goats will. (plus giving you all that yummy wool! (and I think given the opportunity, your DH will find them irresistible!) T.

Leigh said...

Lise, yes, it helps if all parties concerned are in agreement! Dan and I decided awhile back that we would only go ahead on projects we were in agreement about. Anything else just sits on the back burner. This works for us.

Woody, LOL. I hope its fun. Or at least I hope we're finished with the project by the time it isnt' fun anymore.

Tina, LOL. Actually, the main reason I decided to wait on sheep is on advice from a gal in my weavers guild who raises Shetlands. One thing she mentioned to me was thorny bushes (wild roses, blackberries, briars, etc), and that if there was a lot of this stuff, I'd be forever "rescuing" sheep whose fleece got in it. These plants have pretty much taken over the field, so once the goats take care of this, Shetland's will be on my list. :)

Benita said...

That a lot of corners! I remember helping to intall fences as a kid on the dairy farm, and it is hard work.

Any idea of when you'll get your goats and from where?

cwisner said...

Oooh, I still remember putting up that same kind of fence years ago. It does last and last but it was a heavy booger and only my husband and me to put it up. I hope you have some extra help going through the woods. Good heavy gloves and lots of pain killers are also advised. I'll be thinking of you.
Charlotte

Robin said...

Nice! It is a wonderful feeling once you get the fence up. Lee and I need to work on putting more of ours up. Are you expecting to get goats this year?

Leigh said...

Benita, this is my first time at putting up fence and I see why you say it's hard work! Still, it's the kind of work that's rewarding and makes us feel tired but happy at the end of the day. Kids though, probably wouldn't experience the same thing. :)

Charlotte, all good thoughts are appreciated! We wish we had some help, but it's just Dan and me. That's one of the reasons it's so slow going. We can only work on it while he's home. But, a little here and a little there ...

Robin, yes, we are definitely planning on getting goats this year. If we don't, the woods will start to claim back the field!

Julie said...

That sounds like alot of work! We will be starting to put up fence and we just have one acre.

Looking forward to seeing all the new family members!

Cathy said...

Oh yes, I remember all the fencing at the farm - 80 acres + crossfencing. We had to have 1/2 mile bulldozed (yes) before we could put up the new fence. I had nubian and pygmy goats and barbados sheep to keep the small acred areas cleaned up. I raised Texas Longhorn cattle and seed and hay. It was hard work. I always thought 5 acres sounded perfect. :-)

Leigh said...

Jule, it is a lot of work! We figure this one area is about an acre. Hopefully yours will be simpler to install. The second fence will be for about an acre and a quarter field. Not sure when we'll get to that one however.

Cathy, that sounds lovely! Yes, it's a lot of work. The only problem with 5 acres, is that we can think of more things to do than we have land for!

Laura @ LivingOurWay.com said...

Sometimes it feels likewe are never going to get to the point of putting up goat fence so I know how you feel! I look forward to reading more about your goats.

Matt Covey said...

I'm about to fence in my property for my dogs in a similar fashion. I would love to see any updates.

Leigh said...

Hi Matt, thanks for visiting and the comment. The fence worked out really well. I do have some updates, you may have to scroll through to see photos -

That fence, Got Goats? We Do!

Another area fenced, Vacation Fence Project

Progress on the Fence

and completion of that one, Grand Opening...

Good luck on your fencing project!