How to Set Up a Hot Wire Fence for Goats

Clear the fence line of debris and mow the grass down to a height of 2 inches or less.

Pound steel T-posts into the ground at the corner post and gate post locations. Hammer them in to a depth of 12 to 18 inches using a hand-held post driver.

Install plastic clip-on insulators on the corner posts and gate posts six inches from the ground. Run steel fencing wire through the insulators and along the entire perimeter of your fence, excluding the gate opening. Pull the wire taut, cut it and wrap it back on itself to secure it when you get to the last insulator. Use bolt cutters to cut a 48-inch-tall livestock panel to match the width of the gate opening. Secure the livestock panel to the gate posts with elastic bungee cords.

Pound steel T-posts into the ground along the outside edge of the wire to serve as line posts, locating them 12 to 18 feet apart to ensure adequate wire support. Wrap plastic clip-on insulators around the base of the line posts 6 inches from the ground. Slip the wire through the insulator hooks on each insulator.

Install an additional set of plastic clip-on insulators on every post. Locate the insulators 8 inches above the first set of insulators. Run the steel fencing wire through the set of insulators, pulling it taut and fastening it off on itself just as you did with the bottom wire. Repeat this entire process two more times, locating each additional wire 8 inches above the previous wire.

Connect each wire to the one that is directly above it using a strip of insulated cable. Peel back the first 1½ to 2 inches of insulation from both ends of the cable and wrap them around the bottom wire and the second-from-the-bottom wire. Repeat this process to connect all the wires together.

Run a strip of insulated cable from the bottom wire of the fence to the fence energizer, securing it by wrapping the exposed ends of cable around the bottom wire and around the fence terminal on the charger.

Bury 3 6-foot galvanized steel rods into the ground 10 feet from each other; locate the closest one approximately 10 feet from the fence energizer. Hammer the rods into the ground, leaving the top two to three inches exposed. Connect the steel rods together using strips of insulated cable and copper grounding clamps.

Connect the fence energizer to the nearest grounding rod with an additional strip of insulated cable. Peel back the first two inches of insulation on both ends of the cable. Attach one end of the cable to the nearest grounding rod and the other end of the cable to the ground terminal on the fence energizer.

Dip empty aluminum soda cans in molasses and suspend them from the fence with additional pieces of electric wire. Locate the aluminum cans about 3 to 4 feet apart along the length of the fence.

Turn on the fence energizer and let your goats loose in the enclosure. When the goats approach the cans out of curiosity, they'll extend their heads cautiously forward to investigate them. Once shocked by a can, they'll jump backwards instead of darting forward through the fence. Typically, one or two experiences like this provide enough encouragement for your goats to avoid contact with the fence altogether.