Fast Growing Goat Barrier

[Ernie]

Is there a good plant/vine/shrub I could start along a fenceline that'll help keep goats in? Something that maybe they won't eat. What would be ideal would be something that fruits as well (berries, etc.)

I've got about 380 feet of fence along the woods that is in pretty sore need of repair and I doubt I'll get to it this year. No goats in that pasture now, so I figure if I started something this year maybe by next year it'd be a decent barrier and I don't need to fret so much about the fencing.

[Ernie]

The woods are only about a 100 yards deep and beyond that is a neighbor's house. He doesn't appreciate goats. :)

I think my only solution is to bite the bullet, dig deep into the wallet, and repair that fence.

[gracie88]

Goats do not like turning around. When they get shocked on their way to somewhere they just go faster until they get there and then look back to see what was getting them. However, a strand or two on an existing fence would probably keep them from pushing it over or climbing it or whatever it is they do when your back is turned. :-/ It could give you a little more time with your current fence.

[annabella1]

To get goats to respect electric fences you have to train them to it. Put them in a small enclosure, and put electric fence inside the small enclosure. That way they can't get a running or jumping start. Once they know the wire bites they wont run into it in a larger field. It still is a good idea to have some kind of boundary that they can see outside the electric fence, to get their attention.

[AlchemyAcres]

Rosa Rugosa would work for this, but it'd require a mature hedge several feet thick.

There's a multitude of uses for the rugosa rose....wine is a good one! ;D

http://www.nicholsgardennursery.com/store/product.asp?pf%5Fid=1705&dept%5Fid=76&mscssid=1TU0 QAU8QV4T8J0159MG5WR22W3W5WXB

Plants can be a bit pricey, but you could take a lota cuttings in short order..........


~Martin :)

[panzer426]

I know someone who borrowed a couple goats from their friends to get rid of rosa rugosa patches that were enormous. Two people tall, in some places 30-50 feet deep and at least 100 feet long...in about 2 dozen patches roughly that size all over their property. Think it took about 2 months for the 6 or 8 goats to clear it all out.

[AlchemyAcres]

Hmmmm....
They'll put a hurtin' on young rose bushes around here....but won't mess with mature rose thickets...it's pretty much like munchin' on barbed wire!!


~Martin :D

[MadTripper]

Multiflora Rose...It can get out of hand and is a pain to get rid of however if you planned it right and kept it in line, it might just work. Getting it all set in a year is about impossible however one of the reasons it was brought to the states is the exact need you have. I have some on my property that are over 10 ft across. Here is a link with some info on the devil weed.

http://www.invasive.org/eastern/biocontrol/22MultifloraRose.html

[gracie88]

Ahhh, multiflora rose, one of the reasons I got my goaties, along with scotch broom and himalaya blackberries. Probably something that evil is what it would take to keep them in, but is it worth it?

I saw on another forum where someone was putting two rows of chicken wire (I think) about 2 feet apart and planting their shrubs in between. The bushes would then grow and engulf the wire and the livestock would browse on it. The wire kept them from over-browsing the bushes, and the bushes kept them from pushing through the fence. That way it did double duty as a fence and feed source. It seemed pretty clever; probably not a whole lot cheaper than the average fence but more durable maybe.