How to Keep a Goat Inside Barbed Wire

Keeping goats inside barbed wire is always a challenge. Although most people fence goat enclosures with woven wire, barbed wire is also used successfully. To contain a goat behind a fence, you need to think like the animal. You must understand that a goat is mischievous, curious, smart and very athletic. The animal can jump over and crawl under fences and work its body through small holes. With this knowledge, you can recognize a potential goat escape route and then make it unusable. It is very important to keep barbed wire stretched tightly if you intend to keep goats inside a pasture.

Things You'll Need

8-inch diameter corner and brace posts
4-inch diameter line posts
4-inch by 4-inch by 8-feet timbers
Barbed wire
Fence staples
Twist stays

Instructions

- 1
  Set six-to-eight-inch diameter posts at least three feet into the ground at each fence corner. Either pour concrete in the hole around the posts or pack soil firmly around them.
- 2
  Build braces in the fence line on each side of the corner post and at distances equal to the length of barbed wire in a roll. Set six-to-eight-inch diameter brace posts eight feet from the corner post or eight from each other in the fence line. Install a four-inch by four-inch timber horizontally between the two posts. Position the timber about one foot from the top of the posts. Run a piece of barbed wire around the corner post at the top of the brace and down and around the brace post at ground level. In the middle of the brace, twist the wires together until they are tight.
- 3
  Set four-inch diameter posts three feet into the ground about ten feet apart along the fence line. Fill the post holes with dirt firmly tamped around the posts. Concrete is another alternative for filling the holes.
- 4
  Stretch eight to ten strands of 15 half-gauge barbed wire along the fence. Evenly space the wires and firmly attach to the posts with fence staples.
- 5
  Install two twist stays between posts along the fence line.