Electric goat fences

Goats are intelligent animals. You’ll soon notice this even if you only spend a short amount of time with them. They are also innately curious by nature. For this reason, you’ll quickly realise that an ordinary fence for goats does not really present a major hurdle for them. Depending on the species, some goats can jump over heights of 1.30 m from a standing position. To put this into human perspective, this would mean that a person could easily jump over a 4-m high wall. Consequently, these intelligent and sporty animals require an additional deterrent. This is where electric fences for goats come in handy. Once the goat has experienced an electric shock, it will keep away from the electric goat fence. Combined with this negative experience, its intelligence will soon teach it to respect, and keep away from, the barrier. However, you should make sure that the fence operates continuously as animals are known to have a sixth sense and know if the fence is not switched on.

Reasons for choosing an electric goat fence

An electric goat fence generally has two main purposes. On the one hand, it prevents the goats from escaping out of the field. On the other, it prevents intruders from harming the goats. When making our recommendations, we at Voss.farming make sure that both of these requirements are fulfilled. This means that, because of the goats’ characteristics mentioned above, we recommend high-quality and high-performance electric fence products in order to ensure safety. If there is a wolf protection scheme in your region, you will even be given appropriate support. If you are interested, our Weidezaun.info team would be delighted to provide you with more information.

Electric goat fences and legal requirements

In case you didn’t already know, the Council of Europe has published “Recommendations for keeping goats”. Firstly, this specifically mentions the fence height. A goat fence must be tall enough to prevent the goats from jumping over it. The particularity of this fence is then also referred to in relation to the type of goats being fenced in. Horned goats may only be kept in enclosures which pose a minimal risk for these animals in terms of getting caught. This means that you must keep your fence well maintained and regularly replace it. The definition of “minimal risk” is the responsibility of the relevant authorities. If you keep horned goats and are unsure which type of goat fence to construct, we will be delighted to help.

Is your electric fence still OK for goats? – refer to our checklist

• One of your main tasks includes checking your fence daily.
• Remove all plants and any disturbances in contact with the fence – pay attention to this as many small disturbances work together to weaken the fence.
• Are there any areas of wear and tear on the fence? Has the polywire been nibbled or become frayed? These are the first signs that these elements need to be replaced.
• Measure the voltage level on different parts of the electric fence – a goat fence should have at least 2,500 V. If this is not the case, even if the goat fence is kept in good condition and maintained to an optimum, you should think about purchasing a new energiser for an electric fence for goats.

Our team will be delighted to advise you about how to build your goat fence. Based on our many years of experience, we will help you assemble your fence, while respecting your individual requirements and the local conditions.