Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Doug Willhite <drwillhite@earthlink.net>]

Hi Stephen & Norma,

I've noticed that the hardest wear and tear on our livestock fences  
comes when there are goats on both sides of the same fence.  That is  
when the ladies-in-heat and the bucks get really aggressive about  
trying to knock through the fence.  Even if the does aren't in heat,  
all the goats seem to want to be together.  That is when they're most  
content.

To avoid having them on both sides of the same fence I keep all our  
meat goats together in one herd as often as possible. When I do  
separate the bucks from the does, or the mama's with kids from the  
others, I try to make sure there is at least one pasture in between  
them. We currently have six pastures ranging from three to ten acres  
each (with a couple more pastures on the way.)  Space limitations  
would certainly make this approach more difficult.

*Hey Stephen,  We're practically neighbors! My wife, Hillary, and I  
have a farmstead seventeen miles north of Warner Springs.  We'd  
really enjoy coming by to meet you and see your Escondido dairy goat  
farm sometime!

take care,
doug

PS  Regarding keeping chickens safe from predators -- that's a whole  
other issue.  I had to build what we call "chicken condos."   I will  
write more about our chicken condos soon!
_________________________________________


From: Norma Sutton <sweetspringfarm@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] fencing for livestock

Those sound like what they are calling horse panels here.  Great stuff!
Norma

On 5/14/10, blademan25@yahoo.com <blademan25@yahoo.com> wrote:

> I just completed constructing pens for my dairy goat herd in  
> January.  It
> has the 2X4 openings and is 68 inches high and VERY HEAVY GAUGE.   
> The panels
> were 24 foot lengths and we put posts every 10 feet.  I have had no  
> issues
> with escaping goats or any predation from coyotes although the  
> raccoons
> wasted no time in wiping out all my laying hens in there.  We also  
> laid some
> thin gauge fencing on the ground outside of the pen to prevent  
> coyotes from
> attempting to dig under.  The males are separated from the females  
> and they
> will not be able to scale that fence either.  The fencing dealer  
> referred to
> these panels as "stud panels."    I have had goats for over 20  
> years and
> this is the first fencing that I doubt will ever need to be  
> replaced as
> compared to all other fencing being destroyed every 2 years (by the  
> goats).
>
>
> Stephen Heilman
> Escondido CA
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