What is the best wire for keeping goats in?

Answer 1

The best way to keep goats joyful and yet not able to wander off into some neighbors place or onto a road is: use a strong wide-wove NETTING. In New Zealand, it's called "Hurricane Fencing". Its' much larger in its gaps than chicken-netting. Make those fences strong and high because goats like exploring other places and can jump over some fences if they are low, and/or slip through the wires of the usual types of fences. This is for their safety, not to put them in jail.

Sometimes it's necessary to keep a goat for awhile in one place, and the paddock or field might be too large. One of the reasons is if the goat gets sick and needs to be nearby humans for the humans to give more tender loving care and some medicines more often. There are two thing we could do:

1. Organise a large shed or an old horse-stable (not a stall). Be sure theres' some nice foods and fibre in their diet, and a nice small pile of hay in a corner for them to eat, and another nice small pile of hay where they might like to sit down to sleep. A nice 100% woollen rug if its' cold, or a nice 100% cotton rug if it's warm, put the rug in a corner where theres' no wind and they will sleep nicely there. Rugs like that are often expensive, but can be bought economically, second-hand at second-hand shops and Charity-shops and op-shops. Those rugs are precious too, for animals rights groups who adopt animals who have been cruelly treated, and keep them on a refuge or a place waiting for a nice person to re-adopt the animals to be kind. Most animals don't like draughts of air and wind. Goats are hardy, but still be kind.

Another idea, if the weather is mild and not very cold, and if the goat needs to be kept nearby: Organise two posts or even better, two trees, older ones, standing straight in a line, about 21 yards apart. Tie with pliers or other tools to one of the shady trees, a 30 yard length of thick wire, in New Zealand it's called No.8 wire, its thick, strong and theres a saying about farmers, a joke with meaning, that says: A good farmer can make ANYTHING, anything at all, from a piece of No.8 wire and a pair of pliers!

Wrap a nice large piece of sponge around the trunk of the tree, fairly low on the tree. Fasten it temporarily or get a brave person to hold it in place.

Wrap one end of the wire around the tree and fasten it securely, around where the sponge is, but reasonably tightly so it won't slip and won't come undone with even quite strong pulls or pressure on it.

Take in your hands the wire that is now leading to the first tree: (wearing gardening gloves is good for this to avoid slightly hurting your hands): and walk along to the next tree, dragging the wire along with you. Have someone hold another piece of sponge on the next tree, and wrap the wire around the tree and fasten it there, secure and strong.

The goat will need to wear a collar. Attach a nylon lead instead of a chain, to the collar, and a clip to the other end of the nylon lead. Put the collar on the goat, attach the nylon lead or leash, and clip the clip on the other end of the lead, to the wire. There must be some amount of free air around the clip and wire line.
Now, the goat can walk up and down, eating or whatever, without going away too far. The clipped on leash will just slide along the wire while the goat eats, does it's private things, and at one end of the wire under the tree, have a little shelter or large kennel for the goat to shelter in.

This idea works, we used this idea for Heidi from time to time. She was happier than being locked up in a little pen. It's also a wonderful idea for dog-owners that worry their dog chained to a kennel is unhappy. Its' hygienic because the animals will decide to do their private toileting right away from the shelter, as is normal and good hygiene for anyone. If the wires are put in the right place, and the leash is long enough, the goat can carry on eating grass and so forth if it wishes. Sleepy animals like shelters to sleep in.