Fence goats at least 1.2 m high (1.5 m for large breeds or athletic animals) with vertical wire or solid panels instead of horizontal rails they can stand on, pulled tight, with posts no more than 2.5-3 m apart and braced corners. Electric fencing with two or three hot wires at 30, 60 and 90 cm is the most effective containment if you can generate power, and needs a purpose-built energiser.
Part of Barn & Livestock Housing Design
Fencing and containment is the barrier system that keeps goats and sheep in, and predators out, of the pasture and yard.
Goats Test Every Weakness, So The Fence Is Only As Strong As Its Weakest Point
Goats lean, push, climb and stand on anything they can. A fence that only looks tight will be found out within days. The rules follow from that: height enough to stop a jump, no footholds to climb, tension enough that leaning doesn’t bend it, and posts close enough that no section sags.
What You Need
- Posts of rot-resistant wood or metal, spaced 2.5-3 m apart at most, with braced corners
- Vertical wire, mesh or solid panels, not horizontal rails
- A tensioning method — wire strainers or a lever and ratchet
- For electric fencing: an energiser designed for fences, insulators, and an earth (ground) rod
See Fence Types for building methods and Fencing and Shelter for planning.
Method: Build A Goat Fence
Step 1: Set the posts. Place posts 2.5-3 m apart at most, and brace each corner with a diagonal strut.
Step 2: Hang the wire. Use vertical wire or solid panels, not rails. A horizontal rail is a ladder.
Step 3: Tension it. Pull the wire tight. Slack wire is leaned on and pushed down.
Step 4: Set the height. At least 1.2 m; use 1.5 m for large breeds or any animal that has shown it can jump.
Step 5: Consider electric wires. Run two or three hot wires at 30, 60 and 90 cm. They keep goats in and predators out.
Step 6: Test and walk the line weekly. Check for sagging wire, loose posts and animal-made gaps.
Worked Example
Posts for a paddock 30 m × 40 m. Perimeter = 2 × (30 + 40) = 140 m. In a closed loop the number of posts equals the number of gaps. At 3 m spacing: 140 / 3 = 46.7, so 47 posts. At 2.5 m spacing: 140 / 2.5 = 56 posts. Wire for three hot strands: 3 × 140 = 420 m, before any extra for corners and gates.
Common Mistakes
- Using horizontal rails — goats stand on them and walk out.
- Slack wire — goats lean on it and push through.
- Posts too far apart — the wire sags between them.
- A single low wire — a goat steps over it.
Safety
Electric fence energiser
Use only a purpose-built fence energiser, which delivers brief pulses of limited current. Never connect a fence wire directly to mains power or to a battery, which can deliver continuous current that may kill a person or animal. Keep electric wires away from places where people lean, climb or pass at head height, and never run an electric fence across a path without a visible gate or insulated handle.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Lambing Area — the pen inside the fence
- Combine with: Predator Protection — electric wire keeps predators out too