The Frugal Homesteader Pt. 3 (Electric Net Fence)
(My last article in this series covered the use of pallets to build a quick and affordable fence for a chicken yard. Today's article is more of a "best bang for your buck" than a "cheap as possible" solution.)
Our property, now known as The Garden of the Goats is about 9 acres (or 3-4 hectares, I believe) with one half being native timber (which is what we call a forest around these parts). The timber is thick with undergrowth comprising of poison ivy, poison oak, wild blackberries, wild gooseberries and saplings of every kind. This undergrowth can be miserable to navigate and sometimes I would like to go for a walk and appreciate the beauty of the land without suffering a poison ivy rash for the next several days. Enter a few goats and electric net fence from Premier1supplies.com (Disclaimer: I am not being compensated by Premier1 or any other company for that matter. They have a great product, so I am telling people about it.)
As far as homestead equipment goes, electric net fence is probably the best investment I've made thus far. It is lightweight, low cost and can easily be set up, taken down and moved by one person in a matter of a few minutes.
(On person can carry a 164' fence. While a little cumbersome at first, it is quickly mastered and worth the effort.)
These features make it ideal for many applications such as moving through the woods to clear undergrowth, implementing a mob grazing routine or taking to another location for the clearing of unwanted brush or vegetation for a friend, a neighbor or for profit. An electric net fence energizer can be powered by 110v, 12v battery or a solar charger depending on your specific needs. The fencing comes in many different configurations with options for height, wire spacing, animal type (horses, pigs, poultry and just about everything else), and it comes in different lengths as well.
(Here is my energizer with a 12v deep cycle battery. I chose the battery over the solar option because my goats will spend a lot of time in a heavily wooded area without the exposure to direct sunlight needed for a solar panel. Notice I mounted it to a low cost dolly for easy transport.)
After making the decision to get goats, I knew we didn't want to keep them confined in a small space. 70% of a goat's diet comes from above it's shoulders, if available. Goats are browsers and prefer brush over grass any day of the week. With a property like ours there is no reason to let all that goatness go to waste. Our goats are more than happy to clear unwanted vegetation, but without electric net fence it wouldn't be possible. I currently have two nets connected, making two separate paddocks. This keeps the breeding pair separate until it is time to multiply and start making milk. The battery and energizer are rated for far more fence than I will ever need, so there is no reason to buy another energizer setup as long as I keep the two paddocks together.
(Here are the two paddocks with the energizer dolly in the middle, connecting the two.)
Cost
The ability to move the fence anywhere on the property has made this option the most sensible one for us at this time. In the short time we have had it we have moved it several times, including my wife moving it by herself while I was at work. If you haven't already clicked on the link to Premier1supplies.com, you should do so. The cost will vary depending on your needs, but just to give you an idea, a 164 ft fence with the intellishock charger kit and extra posts will cost less than $300 at current prices. You will still need to purchase a battery locally, but then you are in business!
How About You?
- Do you have any experience with electric net fence?
- If so, what pros or cons can you share?
Please comment, upvote and follow and maybe we can learn something together!
nice....your post deserve upvote and resteem....
Thank you!
u r welcome...
So, how long will the battery stay energized? Bummer about poison ivy and oak. I have not had good experience with the ivy. It looks like a very nice setup, I have 2 sisters that each have about 5 acres, they are located about a mile apart. I wonder if they are aware of them. Both have goats, not sure how many anymore.
SDG
According to the charts, the battery I purchased (deep cycle marine battery @ 100 amp hours I believe) should last about 50 days with the Energizer I have. Tall grass will ground it and diminish this time, however. I try to mow or trim a path where the fence will go to reduce this issue. I keep my goats in the barn at night so I just put a charger on it every few days.
So are the goats going to clear some of your over grown forest? And can they eat the poison ivy?
Oh yes. That is the plan. They make light work of poison ivy. We only have 4 very young goats right now, but as they grow and reproduce it will be quite the mowing crew.
So will you have problems with the oil of the poison ivy getting on the hair of the goats and then transferring it to you? That was part of my problem was getting the oil transferred from a dog.
My understanding is that it can be a problem. We will just have to be careful until they knock it down.
There is that expensive wash that's supposed to neutralize the oil, I had a pharmacy at one time and we never had anyone come and buy it. We are in an area that is pretty much corn/soy fields and price of farmland is high so farmers are taking out the old farm house groves and such
You can also make a remedy from jewel weed I believe. It is supposed to be nature's antidote for poison ivy.
Good post. I too have goats and am trying to figure out how best to rotate them. Now I know what to do. Thanks! BTW, I couldn't see any of your pictures in the post.
Glad I could help someone! Sorry about the pics. They show up for me. I don't know how to fix it.
I wish I knew about the electric fence. But I love your stuff man. Keep it up. Congrats on the post also.
Thanks. I'm at work finishing a 48 hour shift, but I have a rough draft for the next one. Stay tuned!
You got it. And that shift sucks. We used to do 12 days 7 days a week in Afghanistan. Basically the whole year is one big shift minus vacation. Lol.
Yeah I know a few contractors. This job kept me from so much family stuff I just couldn't go.
Yea. It's good money but sometimes not worth it.
Nice Thank you.
We have two sections of Premier 1's Chicken netting. We've used it to move the chickens around the pasture and protect their feed area from the goats.
It's terribly useful stuff.
My wife also uses pallets to wall off the mulberry trees she's got planted in the pasture along the driveway to keep the goats off of them. Theyll be big enough in a couple of years to provide both shade and some extra nibblings for the dairy goats.
Great post. It reminds me of our place. About 13 acres.
Thank you. I'm really glad I got the fence. It has saved us some work for sure.
A question for both of you @goatgarden and @goldgoatsnguns :
We are considering a solar electric fence to build a new run for the chicken(s) and wonder if a top netting will be safe. Will it melt or keep pulsing?
What do you use for shelter?
We have been putting them in the barn in stalls when it rains and at night, but I just made some small shelters with a pallet and half of a cattle panel each. I took pics so I plan on posting soon.
Got it. I just separated my two baby bucks to an old pen and have some dog houses for now because I had to dash out twice during popup showers. I carry them to the barn at night and in the morning back to the pen which is becoming a pain (building a perm buck pen now). So your pallet shelter is in the electric fence pen in case of unexpected rain? And do they now stay in the pen til cleared or back to barn at night?
Yes, the shelters are out in the electric fence. Back in the barn at night. We may start leaving them out at night when the dog (great pyranese/Anatolian shepherd) is a little more mature and dependable.