3/22/2021 0 Comments Our first goats!This weekend we got our first two little goats! They are about 8 weeks old and both are doelings. We did have a bit of a problem with our fence. The holes were too big and these two little rascals just hopped right out of their enclosure! Fortunately, they are both a big fan of food and we were able to capture them again. For now they are living in the livestock trailer until we get the fences fully goat-proof. We are still deciding on the names, but are thinking of old 1950's TV shows ... More updates to follow!
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3/8/2021 0 Comments Fencing 101This weekend we installed some new fencing near the front of our ranch. This area is far far away from the other pastures at the back of the property and will house the bucks. It's really important to keep the bucks separated from the does to avoid any unexpected surprises!
We started by planning out the size and location of the fencing and then it was off to to the store to buy all the supplies. We chose durable, strong 4' x 16' welded wire cattle panels to keep the goats in place (we all know how motivated boys can be!) Once we got back with our shopping list filled, we started placing t-posts. Unfortunately, we measured the distance wrong and had to remove all the t-posts we had placed (don't worry it was only 6 and the tractor really helped). After re-calculating our measurements, the t-posts were placed in the right spots, and we started placing the cattle panels in place as we went. After placing 4 cattle panels and feeling pretty proud of ourselves and how much progress we had made, we realized we had installed 3 of them upside down. Oh boy, what a rookie move. Time to start over - three times the charm right? We finally got the cattle panels in place (and right side up LOL) and now it was time to set the corner posts and H-posts in place. These require digging holes that are about 3 feet deep and set in concrete. Unfortunately, we didn't have a post-hole digger attachment for the tractor so, off to the hardware store for a manual post-hole digger we went. Talk about hard work. Fortunately, we have two strapping young lads who assisted with the hole-digging process. It was grueling, hard manual labor, but we successfully got it finished. We still have to install the gate, and run a hot line around the perimeter, and build a shelter for the goats, but we are pretty proud of the outcome of our hard work this weekend! Not to mention that we learned a lot lessons. Hopefully the next fence we place will go a little smoother. |
AuthorCity folk learning to be Texas goat ranchers. Archives
December 2022
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