Choosing Better Fence Contractors

Posted on: 17 April 2017

Whether you're adding goats to your backyard as a fun family pet or for a steady supply of delicious and healthy milk, choosing and installing secure fencing is the first step. Without the right fencing, your goats will escape into the neighborhood, possibly damaging other people's landscaping, getting hassled by territorial dogs, etc. Chain link fencing is a great choice for small goat enclosures in more suburban and busy rural areas. Here are five different reasons.

Climb Resistant

First, chain link fencing is fairly climb resistant except for the most motivated goats, which are likely to climb out of practically any enclosure. The diamond shaped gaps in the fence aren't as supportive as horizontal slats or rails, and the strong vertical supports between lengths of fencing also prevent the fence from bowing and creating a platform for goats to jump on. If you have problems with your goats using the fence gaps as foot holds, you can weave vinyl or metal strips into the fencing to close up the gaps for increased privacy and interference with climbing.

Height Options

Short fencing is easy for even a short pygmy goat to jump over, and even a fence that seems tall to you may be too short for a standard sized goat breed like Nubians or Boers. Goats need a fence that is a minimum of 42 inches tall, and extra height over that only helps discourage climbing and jumping that leads to escape. It's easy to find chain link fencing at practically any height you need, even up to seven or eight feet when necessary to keep that particularly skilled escape artist in the pen. This can eliminate tricky attempts to run two different vertical runs of fencing for a taller perimeter built with shorter materials.

Stiff to the Top

Aside from trying to climb a fence regardless of its height and making every attempt to jump over it, many adventurous backyard goats also find ways to push lighter and smaller fences over with their weight. Standing up on the rear hooves and leaning against a length of welded wire or cattle panel is often enough force to push a fence lower so another goat can escape. Since chain link fencing is installed with extra tension wire at both the top and bottom of each panel, it's much harder for even the biggest goats to bend or push over the fence.

Small Spacing

The size of the gaps in fencing used for goats is very important because large gaps allow dogs to get in, small goats to get out, and horned goats to hang their horns and hurt themselves. Goat husbandry experts recommend using fence with gaps at least 4 by 4 inches or smaller, and most chain link fencing already fits this requirement. Smaller gaps are better for keeping predators out and the goats in, so three and two inch square diamond gaps will also work well for your goat enclosure.

Visual Appeal

Finally, don't forget that chain link fencing is simply more acceptable for most neighborhood settings, whether you're in a small town or a suburb of a big city. Choosing a fencing type that matches the rest of the neighborhood instead of appearing clearly agricultural can go a long way in preventing complaints about you adding livestock to your backyard. Chain link fencing is also easy to customize with vertical slats and stretchy fabric covers to create privacy around your goats if you are concerned about nosy neighbors. When it comes to backyard goats, chain link fencing through a place like City Wide Fence Co truly is the best fencing option.