We are trying to figure out temporary fencing for our 5 Nigerians, so that we can move their grazing spots around. I've been reading about Electronet and wondered if anyone else uses that and if so what height, etc works given the way these guys jump!
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Thanks for this - can you tell me what height and kind of fence you get - with what size holes? I will try to source it here in Canada.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
It would be interesting to know what netting people were using when they lost kids. I would not use the poultry netting with goats, because it would be harder for a goat to pull its head back through the smaller squares. Also, it has vertical strings instead of plastic struts, so it's looser and could wrap around their neck more easily. The plastic struts are one of the reasons I can't imagine a kid strangling itself in Electronet. There isn't enough loose material to wrap around its neck. There are other nets that have vertical strings also, and I could see a kid getting a lot more tangled in those or the poultry netting than in the Electronet. Premier has a lot of different nets, and there are other companies starting to come out with look-alikes, which could be problematic in some ways. The people at Premier raise both sheep and goats, and I always call them and tell them what I need, and they're able to tell me which product would work best for me -- and they've always been right. And last time I called, they directed me to one of the cheapest chargers they sell, which I thought was really nice, since I was about to buy one that cost twice as much!
But back to the fence -- If a kid got tangled in it, it could have been electrocuted. If it's laying down on the ground in a panic, it is going to get a much bigger shock than if it just has four feet on the ground. A human child was electrocuted in 1991 when it crawled into an electric fence -- its head touched the fence, and its body was in contact with the ground. I've had kids hang themselves in hay feeders, but I just don't see how one could get strangled in Electronet. It's not that strong, and I don't see how it could get wrapped tightly enough around their neck. But whether it was strangulation or electrocution, you should watch them when they first encounter the fence. Kids really do learn quickly. We also use the Electronet with sheep, and we've never had any trouble with lambs getting tangled either.
You can't eliminate all risk from raising goats. I've lost kids in hay feeders, and I had a buck break his leg trying to jump a livestock panel, but I still use them. I know other people who've had kids hang themselves and break legs in hay feeders. I've never had any problems with Electronet, so in my experience, it's one of the safest things on my farm, especially since I have also never lost a lamb or kid to a coyote when using it.
It would be interesting to know what netting people were using when they lost kids. I would not use the poultry netting with goats, because it would be harder for a goat to pull its head back through the smaller squares. Also, it has vertical strings instead of plastic struts, so it's looser and could wrap around their neck more easily. The plastic struts are one of the reasons I can't imagine a kid strangling itself in Electronet. There isn't enough loose material to wrap around its neck. There are other nets that have vertical strings also, and I could see a kid getting a lot more tangled in those or the poultry netting than in the Electronet. Premier has a lot of different nets, and there are other companies starting to come out with look-alikes, which could be problematic in some ways. The people at Premier raise both sheep and goats, and I always call them and tell them what I need, and they're able to tell me which product would work best for me -- and they've always been right. And last time I called, they directed me to one of the cheapest chargers they sell, which I thought was really nice, since I was about to buy one that cost twice as much!
But back to the fence -- If a kid got tangled in it, it could have been electrocuted. If it's laying down on the ground in a panic, it is going to get a much bigger shock than if it just has four feet on the ground. A human child was electrocuted in 1991 when it crawled into an electric fence -- its head touched the fence, and its body was in contact with the ground. I've had kids hang themselves in hay feeders, but I just don't see how one could get strangled in Electronet. It's not that strong, and I don't see how it could get wrapped tightly enough around their neck. But whether it was strangulation or electrocution, you should watch them when they first encounter the fence. Kids really do learn quickly. We also use the Electronet with sheep, and we've never had any trouble with lambs getting tangled either.
You can't eliminate all risk from raising goats. I've lost kids in hay feeders, and I had a buck break his leg trying to jump a livestock panel, but I still use them. I know other people who've had kids hang themselves and break legs in hay feeders. I've never had any problems with Electronet, so in my experience, it's one of the safest things on my farm, especially since I have also never lost a lamb or kid to a coyote when using it.
Apparently the electronet for poultry is 48" high and with much smaller squares - I wonder if the goats that got tangled were in the larger mesh fence?
Jan said:
Deborah, My daughter has lost one kid in the net because she stuck her head in and panicked and couldn't get out. She has pulled several out of the net. The goat forum she is involved in has had at least three death where thye were using the net.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
We've used ElectroNet for five or six years, and I know a few other people who use it with goats. I've only had one buck jump it one time, so I have no idea what got into his head to make him do it, but that's the only time it happened. There wasn't even a doe in heat anywhere near, so maybe he just got bored or decided that the grass was greener on the other side. He did it right in front of me and just started munching on the grass as soon as he did it.
I don't know how a goat could strangle in it. We use it for bucks, does, and kids. Most touch it once and don't do it again. One might do it a second time, but that's it. It's kind of sad the first time new kids go out there because they will get shocked once or twice, and they squeak and run, but after that it's quiet out there because they all understand how it works. You should NEVER put ElectroNet out if it is NOT hooked up to a charger -- and I cannot emphasize that enough! That's when the animals think they can mess with it, and they'll wind up tearing up the net. You need to be there for the first 20-30 minutes new animals are using it, so you can turn off the charger and untangle them, if necessary. That won't happen to any single animal more than once. Most will just touch it with their nose or rub it with their side and get shocked, and run in the opposite direction. Every now and then, you might have one who will stick their head through to eat the grass on the other side, and when they get shocked, they can't easily jerk their head back. So, you just need to turn off the fence and get them out. Out of 34 kids this year, one did that. The danger is that they'll rip up the netting, not that they'll strangle themselves.
The netting is very easy to move. I can do it by myself. One roll fence in enough area for five adults for 2-4 days, depending on how much grass you have. We have also used 16' livestock panels and pig panels, and it takes two or three people to move them, because they are heavy. With five adult goats, you would definitely have to move it every day, perhaps twice a day, depending on how much grass you have and how much hay you want to feed. Livestock panels are not without their dangers. I have a buck who broke his leg trying to jump one.
Deborah,
My daughter has lost one kid in the net because she stuck her head in and panicked and couldn't get out. She has pulled several out of the net. The goat forum she is involved in has had at least three death where thye were using the net.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
We've used ElectroNet for five or six years, and I know a few other people who use it with goats. I've only had one buck jump it one time, so I have no idea what got into his head to make him do it, but that's the only time it happened. There wasn't even a doe in heat anywhere near, so maybe he just got bored or decided that the grass was greener on the other side. He did it right in front of me and just started munching on the grass as soon as he did it.
I don't know how a goat could strangle in it. We use it for bucks, does, and kids. Most touch it once and don't do it again. One might do it a second time, but that's it. It's kind of sad the first time new kids go out there because they will get shocked once or twice, and they squeak and run, but after that it's quiet out there because they all understand how it works. You should NEVER put ElectroNet out if it is NOT hooked up to a charger -- and I cannot emphasize that enough! That's when the animals think they can mess with it, and they'll wind up tearing up the net. You need to be there for the first 20-30 minutes new animals are using it, so you can turn off the charger and untangle them, if necessary. That won't happen to any single animal more than once. Most will just touch it with their nose or rub it with their side and get shocked, and run in the opposite direction. Every now and then, you might have one who will stick their head through to eat the grass on the other side, and when they get shocked, they can't easily jerk their head back. So, you just need to turn off the fence and get them out. Out of 34 kids this year, one did that. The danger is that they'll rip up the netting, not that they'll strangle themselves.
The netting is very easy to move. I can do it by myself. One roll fence in enough area for five adults for 2-4 days, depending on how much grass you have. We have also used 16' livestock panels and pig panels, and it takes two or three people to move them, because they are heavy. With five adult goats, you would definitely have to move it every day, perhaps twice a day, depending on how much grass you have and how much hay you want to feed. Livestock panels are not without their dangers. I have a buck who broke his leg trying to jump one.
We've used ElectroNet for five or six years, and I know a few other people who use it with goats. I've only had one buck jump it one time, so I have no idea what got into his head to make him do it, but that's the only time it happened. There wasn't even a doe in heat anywhere near, so maybe he just got bored or decided that the grass was greener on the other side. He did it right in front of me and just started munching on the grass as soon as he did it.
I don't know how a goat could strangle in it. We use it for bucks, does, and kids. Most touch it once and don't do it again. One might do it a second time, but that's it. It's kind of sad the first time new kids go out there because they will get shocked once or twice, and they squeak and run, but after that it's quiet out there because they all understand how it works. You should NEVER put ElectroNet out if it is NOT hooked up to a charger -- and I cannot emphasize that enough! That's when the animals think they can mess with it, and they'll wind up tearing up the net. You need to be there for the first 20-30 minutes new animals are using it, so you can turn off the charger and untangle them, if necessary. That won't happen to any single animal more than once. Most will just touch it with their nose or rub it with their side and get shocked, and run in the opposite direction. Every now and then, you might have one who will stick their head through to eat the grass on the other side, and when they get shocked, they can't easily jerk their head back. So, you just need to turn off the fence and get them out. Out of 34 kids this year, one did that. The danger is that they'll rip up the netting, not that they'll strangle themselves.
The netting is very easy to move. I can do it by myself. One roll fence in enough area for five adults for 2-4 days, depending on how much grass you have. We have also used 16' livestock panels and pig panels, and it takes two or three people to move them, because they are heavy. With five adult goats, you would definitely have to move it every day, perhaps twice a day, depending on how much grass you have and how much hay you want to feed. Livestock panels are not without their dangers. I have a buck who broke his leg trying to jump one.
Replies
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_i...
All the measurements and specifics are in the description.
Debbie Nightingale said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
But back to the fence -- If a kid got tangled in it, it could have been electrocuted. If it's laying down on the ground in a panic, it is going to get a much bigger shock than if it just has four feet on the ground. A human child was electrocuted in 1991 when it crawled into an electric fence -- its head touched the fence, and its body was in contact with the ground. I've had kids hang themselves in hay feeders, but I just don't see how one could get strangled in Electronet. It's not that strong, and I don't see how it could get wrapped tightly enough around their neck. But whether it was strangulation or electrocution, you should watch them when they first encounter the fence. Kids really do learn quickly. We also use the Electronet with sheep, and we've never had any trouble with lambs getting tangled either.
You can't eliminate all risk from raising goats. I've lost kids in hay feeders, and I had a buck break his leg trying to jump a livestock panel, but I still use them. I know other people who've had kids hang themselves and break legs in hay feeders. I've never had any problems with Electronet, so in my experience, it's one of the safest things on my farm, especially since I have also never lost a lamb or kid to a coyote when using it.
Jan said:
My daughter has lost one kid in the net because she stuck her head in and panicked and couldn't get out. She has pulled several out of the net. The goat forum she is involved in has had at least three death where thye were using the net.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
I don't know how a goat could strangle in it. We use it for bucks, does, and kids. Most touch it once and don't do it again. One might do it a second time, but that's it. It's kind of sad the first time new kids go out there because they will get shocked once or twice, and they squeak and run, but after that it's quiet out there because they all understand how it works. You should NEVER put ElectroNet out if it is NOT hooked up to a charger -- and I cannot emphasize that enough! That's when the animals think they can mess with it, and they'll wind up tearing up the net. You need to be there for the first 20-30 minutes new animals are using it, so you can turn off the charger and untangle them, if necessary. That won't happen to any single animal more than once. Most will just touch it with their nose or rub it with their side and get shocked, and run in the opposite direction. Every now and then, you might have one who will stick their head through to eat the grass on the other side, and when they get shocked, they can't easily jerk their head back. So, you just need to turn off the fence and get them out. Out of 34 kids this year, one did that. The danger is that they'll rip up the netting, not that they'll strangle themselves.
The netting is very easy to move. I can do it by myself. One roll fence in enough area for five adults for 2-4 days, depending on how much grass you have. We have also used 16' livestock panels and pig panels, and it takes two or three people to move them, because they are heavy. With five adult goats, you would definitely have to move it every day, perhaps twice a day, depending on how much grass you have and how much hay you want to feed. Livestock panels are not without their dangers. I have a buck who broke his leg trying to jump one.
Jan said: