09/28/2026
This spring we invested in a 4 strand electric fence system from Gallagher. It took a bit of training on our end and with the goats, but once we both got the basics down, we were so happy to be able to let the goats out to forage in different areas unattended.
Goat math hit us hard this spring as our first year with a registered buck. He is now VERY proven. 😆 with 26 kids between our farm and his other mama Celtic Pastures Mini LaManchas in TN.
Rather than sell our first years does, we decided to grow them out and see what kind of improvements Brodie brought to our herd. For science, of course and not because we just love them all too much to move along. That being said, we doubled our herd this year and the feed bill followed.
Reading up and doing some math brought us to investing in electric poly-twine and step in posts. With a couple T posts to sure up corners, we connected the two doe pens and added about an acre of fence for half the price as the Gallagher smart fence.
The 4 reel smart fence is and was definitely worth the investment for training and portability in my opinion. One reel brings up all 4 lines at once and the poles are integrated into the reel. This makes moving the fence a little more streamlined and easier to set up. It was also good to train the goats with since we could set up a very short portion of fence in their paddocks for them to learn what it did. We've moved it a few times rotating smaller areas for brush maintenance and it works great!
The poly wire was easy to unreel and step in posts are cheap, light, and easy to move. It did take a couple hours to walk out and set up for the first time but we were also guessing on how much space we could cover. Now that it's set, I'd rather not move it, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much we got to close in. For about $80 we can easily enclose the rest of the un-fenced area we were hoping to cover.
I cannot believe we didn't do this sooner. The ladies are so happy to be free. They are frolicking and foraging and enjoying the life they deserve. I am overjoyed at the obvious change in their mentality and I hope we can invest in another fence charger soon so the buck pen can also expand this winter. ❤️
Long story short, look at these photos of our "free-range" goats in their natural habitat. ❤️❤️❤️
