Last Updated on January 10, 2023
Out of all of the farm animals I’ve ever owned, goats have been the hardest to keep in. Based on my experience, here are the best goat fences to make sure your goats don’t escape.
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Raising goats is always an adventure. They are the best escape artists on my farm. Because of that, it pays to have a good goat fencing system. Who wants to spend their time chasing goats?
Depending on how you raise your goats, you have several options which includes both electric and non-electric fences. I primarily keep my goats in with electric fences but others may prefer permanent steel fences depending on their setup.
Either way, here are my favorite kind of goat fences.
Best Portable Goat Fence
Premier ElectroStop Goat & Sheep Electric Fence
I’m a big fan of rotating my animals around my farm. Because of that, Premier 1 ElectroStop Goat Electric Fence works great for me.
I primarily use my goats for brush control so I like to move them to new areas and let them clean it up for us so I don’t have to.
Portable electric netting let’s me do that easily. This movable goat fence can also act as temporary goat fencing when necessary.
Goats are incredibly good escape artists. They have even escaped from some of my other more traditional electric fence setups in the past.
ElectroStop Netting makes it really hard for them to escape. They can’t squeeze through it and, if it’s high enough, they can’t jump over it.
I actually use this type of netting to train my goats to electric before moving them on to my permanent pastures with more traditional electric fences.
This version of the Premier 1 Goat Electric Fence has double-spike posts which I have found to be much better at keeping the fence up than the single-spike posts.
So if you are looking for a way to move your goats around your farm or to help train them to electric fence, the Premier 1 ElectroStop Goat Electric Fence is my choice for best portable goat fence.
Best Electric Fence for Goats
Gallagher Electric Fence Poly Wire + Fi-Shock Step-In Fence Post
The Gallagher Electric Fence Poly Wire & Fi-Shock Step-In Fence Posts is my choice for best electric fence for goats.
This is the type of electric fence I use to build almost all of my semi-permanent or permanent paddocks on my farm.
It works great for goats too as long as they have learned to respect electric fences.
I’ve found with goats that I have to put around 4 rows of wire and have to keep my fence posts closer together to make it more effective. Otherwise, they will attempt to squeeze through it.
But once you get your set up spaced out correctly, a few shocks will keep them in check.
Best Permanent Goat Fence
Red Brand 47inch x 320ft Woven Wire Fence + T-Posts + Wire Clips
The Red Brand 47inch x 320ft Woven Wire Fence + T-Posts + Wire Clips is my choice for best permanent goat fence.
Typically, there are two main choices for steel fences for goats. You can go with a welded wire fence or a woven wire fence.
Welded wire can sometimes be cheaper, however, if the welds fail, the fence will break apart. With woven wire, you may spend more but you don’t have to worry about it breaking apart.
That is why I choose woven wire fence over welded wire fence. And Red Brand is one of my favorites.
This woven wire fence is 4 feet tall, 330 feet long, and made up of 10 gauge wire. It’s tough.
You will want to attach it to either wooden fence posts or t-posts like the ones I’ve listed above.
If you use t-posts, make sure you get the clips like I’ve listed above as well. Those will make the job of attaching it to the fence much easier.
Amazon hardly ever has this fence in stock so another option is to buy it from Tractor Supply.
If you are limited to Amazon then this welded wire fence is typically in stock and can be another option.
Also, hammering in t-posts without a t-post pounder is tough. I recommend the MTB Fence Post Driver to make hammering in t-posts for your goats much easier.
Best Electric Fence For Small Goats
Starkline 35″ x 164″ Electric Goat Netting
The Starkline 35″ x 164″ Electric Goat Netting is my choice for best electric fence for small goats.
If you have smaller goats then you don’t need to spend more for a taller fence. A shorter fence will do the job and save you some money.
This fence is very similar to the Premier 1 ElectroStop Goat Electric Fence that I reviewed above but it is shorter.
It’s 35 inches high and 164 feet long so you can create a decent sized paddock with it. It also has double-spike posts which I highly recommend in order to help keep your fence up.
So if you have small goats then this fence is a great choice.
Best Cheap Electric Goat Fence
Gallagher Electric Fence Poly Wire + Fence Shock 48 Inch Step-In Posts
If you are trying to build an electric goat fence on a budget then using the gallagher electric fence poly wire plus step-in posts is the cheapest way to go.
This is basically how I build all of my semi-permanent goat fences on my farm.
When setting up your fence, you will need to adjust the spacing between the posts based on how much your goats try to escape. The closer the posts, the tighter the poly wire will be which will make it harder for them to escape.
I typically run 4 rows of poly wire with mine but you may need to run more, again, depending on how much your goats try to escape.
The Gallagher Electric Fence Poly Wire + Fence Shock 48 Inch Step-In Posts are my choice for best cheap electric goat fence.
Best Electric Fence Charger for Goats
Patriot P30 Dual Purpose Electric Fence Energizer
By far, my favorite electric fence charger for goats is the Patriot P30 Dual Purpose Electric Fence Energizer. I personally use this energizer on my farm and it is awesome.
It is rated for up to 65 miles or 200 acres of fence and is designed to pack a punch. You want something strong on your farm to not only keep your animals in but also keep predators out. And this electric fence charger does the trick.
The P30 Dual Purpose Electric Fence Energizer is my choice for best electric fence charger for goats.
Best Solar Electric Fence Charger for Goats
Gallagher S100 Solar Electric Fence Charger
The Gallagher S100 Solar Electric Fence Charger is my choice for best solar electric fence charger for goats.
If you don’t want to be off-grid or your electric goat fence isn’t near a power outlet then using a solar electric fence charger is your best option.
When using a solar electric fence charger, you want to make sure it’s powerful enough. And this Gallagher S100 fits the bill.
It powers up to 30-miles or roughly 60-100 acres of fence. And it can power your fence up to 3 weeks without the sun.
Questions and Answers
How to build a goat fence?
There are several ways to build a goat fence and they all depend on the type of goat fence you are trying to build.
If you are trying to build an electric fence for goats then I recommend the Gallagher Electric Fence Poly Wire & Fi-Shock Step-In Fence Post that I linked to in the article above.
With this type of electric goat fence, all you have to do is insert the step-in posts into the ground and then run 4 rows of polywire. Connect it to an electric fence charger or an electric fence solar charger and you are good to go.
If you are trying to build a permanent goat fence then I recommend the Red Brand 47inch x 320ft Woven Wire Fence + T-Posts + Wire Clips that I linked to in the above article.
Simply hammer in your t-posts every 8 to 12 feet, unroll your woven wire fence, and use the fence clips to secure it.
How tall should a goat fence be?
In my personal experience, a goat fence should be around 48 inches or 4 feet tall. Most goats will not be able to traverse a fence this tall. If you have small goats then you can probably get away with building a 36 inch or 3 feet tall fence.
Either way, you will want to keep objects that the goats can stand on away from the fence because they will use these to hop over a fence. But as long as there is nothing near the fence then these fence sizes should be tall enough.
How to keep goat from getting stuck in fence?
The best way to keep a goat from getting stuck in a fence is to build a fence that doesn’t have gaps large enough for the goat to stick their head in. However, if the fence is already built, you can strap a stick to the goat’s horns to keep them from sticking their head in the gaps in a fence. This sounds silly but it works.
How to keep goat from jumping fence?
If your fence isn’t tall enough to prevent a goat from jumping it then you have a few options. First, make sure there are no objects near the fence that the goat can use to leap over the fence.
Next, use a single strand of fence wire to extend the height of the fence. You will have to attach something to your posts in order to extend the height so you can attach the wire.
Once that has been done then it should deter the goat from jumping the fence.
How to keep grass from growing under my goat fence?
If you want to prevent grass from growing into your goat fence then you have several options. Check out my article on How to Keep Grass From Growing Under a Fence to see all of your options.
I also recorded this video to show you my favorite way to keep grass from growing into my electric fence.
