Electric Fencing Question

[Ann Bodling]

Hi everyone.

I have an electric fence questions, for those who use them. I am thinking of adding electric fence netting and was talking to a Premier 1 fencing specialist to help me figure out some details of what I need. He mentioned that they recommend using poultry netting for Nigerian Dwarfs because they are so social and tend to want to put their heads through the mesh of a standard fencing you'd use for sheep or larger goats.

Would fence owners here please comment on their own experiences with electric netting with Nigerian Dwarfs?

Thanks so much,

   Ann

[Ann Bodling]

Thanks, Tammy. No, I hadn't heard of it. I'll listen right now!

[Tammy Gallagher]

Hey there Ann!

Have you listened to this podcast yet? Lots of helpful info here :)

https://thriftyhomesteader.com/electric-fencing/
tammy

[Ann Bodling]

Thanks, Deborah. That is kind of what I was thinking.

One more question then...my goats are a year old and so I missed the chance of training them when they were babies. Do you have tips on training older goats to the sheep and goat netting? I'm afraid of bringing them into a netted area and them being shocked and running into the netting trying to get away. I read about being there to monitor their reactions, but what do I do, short of turning the fence off right away? I want to go ahead and expand their grazing area but I keep envisioning all that could go wrong and not being prepared to handle those situations.  Thanks a lot!

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Unfortunately I have heard of Nigerian dwarf goats getting tangled in the poultry netting because the verticals are strings so it’s very easy for them to get tangled up in it. And unfortunately some have died. We use the sheep and goat netting. It is only a problem with bottle babies. Dam-raised kids stay with mom. Bottle babies think that you are mom so they try to go through the fence when you first put them in there. You just need to be there to make sure that they don’t get through the fence. Once they get shocked (or twice) — they stay away from it. The only time I have ever heard anybody say anything negative about their fences is when a kid got tangled up in one and died. It only takes a few minutes of training to make sure that the kids don’t go through the sheep and goat netting. The vertical struts are rigid plastic so it’s not like a loose fishnet that they can get tangled in.