Charlotte Clifford-Rathert demonstrates some new portable fencing options |
Goats
are curious animals and their gregarious social skills and healthy appetites
know no boundaries, or fences.
However,
new types of fences make it easier for goat owners to dissuade their “don’t
fence me in” bleating, according to Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, small-ruminant
specialist at Lincoln University Cooperative Extension and Research in
Jefferson City.
Clifford-Rathert
will speak at the MU Extension workshop “Pearls of Production: Women in
Agriculture” Nov. 8-9 in Columbia and on Nov. 1 at the 2013 National Small Farm
Trade Show and Conference, also in Columbia. She will be among the featured
presenters at the Missouri Livestock Symposium, Dec. 6-7 in Kirksville. The
annual event is organized by MU Extension and numerous sponsors.
Cost
and flexibility are key considerations for choosing what type of fence to use,
she said. Ease of construction and intensity of rotational grazing also are
factors.
There
are two types of conventional fencing: woven and barbed wire. Woven wire is
effective, but expensive and inflexible, she said. To minimize horned goats
from getting tangled in the wire, she recommends using 6 x 12-inch mesh wire
spaced 24-36 inches apart.
Electric
fencing is the least expensive type of fence and is durable, easy to install
and flexible, she said. Goats are highly intelligent and learn quickly to
respect electric fencing. For perimeter fence, she recommends using six to
eight wires at least 48 inches high, with a bottom wire 6-8 inches from the
ground, alternating hot and ground wires.
Sheep
and goats can be controlled with five or more strands of 12 1/2-gauge
galvanized high-tensile smooth electric wire. A minimum of 110,000 psi is
recommended, with 170,000 psi preferred by most operators.
Two
types of temporary fencing provide flexibility and ease for herd owners,
Clifford-Rathert said. Electric netting or commercial portable electric fencing
is lightweight and easy for one person to install for rotational grazing,
immunizations, hoof trimming, training or predator control.
One
type of portable interior electric fence system operates like a pullout
clothesline, with four strands of wire unwinding simultaneously. Corner posts
and braces anchor the wires. In brushy areas, Clifford-Rathert prefers this to
netting, which sometimes tangles and breaks, causing shorts in the electrical
system. Consider distance and access to water when choosing portable systems.
Reliable
chargers are necessary for electric fences, with backup provisions for
lightning, surge protection and electrical outages. The charger or energizer
should be low impedance with a minimum 5,000-volt output of 35 to 65 pulses per
minute. Solar chargers are good options in many areas.
Proper
installation of the charger is essential for reliability.
Galvanized
ground rods are readily available and should be used with galvanized clips on
the energizer. You can use copper rods with copper clips on the energizer, but
this can cause corrosion, she said. Regardless of what type of ground rod used,
it should match the metal on the energizer clip. Manufacturer warranties
require lightning protection, which should be installed properly to protect
your fencing investment.
For
more information on the Pearls of Production workshop, click here.
More
information about the Missouri Livestock Symposium is available at
www.missourilivestock.com, from Garry Mathes at 660-341-6625 or the Adair
County Extension Center at 660-665-9866.
(by Linda Geist, University of Missouri Writer)
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