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12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
4 H FRETTER-ER
A BUCK GROWS UP
ADAPTING
AGAIN, THE SKY IS FALLING
ALL YOU NEED IS ... CARDBOARD
AMANNAMEDJED
AND THEN IT GOT COLD
AND THEN IT WARMED UP TO ZERO
ANGRY GOAT FARMER
ANTIQUE GOAT FARMING
ANYTHING BUT THAT
ARE BUCKS EVER BABIES
AROMA THERAPY
ARTFUL DODGERS
ARTIC FRONT
AUTUMN BOQUET
B U B - B U B - B U B
BABY BACK EXCUSE
BABY MONITORS
BACK TO NATURE
BAIT
BARKING AT GOATS
BARN SOUR TRUCK
BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED
BE HAPPY
BEAUTY MISTAKES
BEHAVIORS
BEHIND THE GATE
BIG 10-4 GOAT FARMER
BIKINI WEDNESDAYS
BILLBOARD GOAT FARMING
BILLIES & STICKWEEDS
BLIZZARD OF 92
BLONDE GOAT FARMER
BLONDE HUMOR
BOTTLE BABIES
BOTTLE BABY TALK
BOTTLE BABY WITHDRAWAL
BOXING SUNBEAMS
BRONCHITIS.
BRUISE OR DIRT
BUCK LOVE
BUCKETHEAD
BUCKS IN STOCK
CALLING YOOOOU
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
CANE I DO IT?
CARPAL TUNNEL HAY
CATCHING PEARL
CHICK CHICK CHICORY
CHOCOLATE PLUM
CHRISTMAS KIDDING
CHUCK
COLD IS OUR FRIEND NOT
COUGH DROP WORMER
COUNTING
CRUMPLED
CUD CHEWING CONTENTMENT
DAYCATIONS
DEAR FAVORITE RELATIVE
DELOUSED
DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW ...
DOES ON KIDDING
DOWNSIZING
DRAMA QUEEN
DRENCHED!
DRESS FOR SUCCESS
DUCT TAPE.
DUMPSTER RAIDERS
EARPUGS
EGG SHELL MASSACRE
EMMITT
EMPTY NEST SYNDROME
EQUIPMENT OPERATORS - DANCERS
ESCAPE ARTIST
ESCORT SERVICE
FALLING SKY
FARM WALK
FARMER C S I
FEEL LIKE A NUT
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
FIRST YOU TAKE YOUR SOCK
FLOATING MUSHROOMS
FORKS IN THE ROAD
FULL OF BULL
G G
GATE ATTACK !!!!
GIRL WATCHER
GLIDING
GLOBAL SUPPORT CENTER
GNAWED AND BASICALLY CHEWED
GOAT ADDICTION
GOAT CELEBRATIONS
GOAT FARMER SONG
GOAT FARMER WEIGHT TRAINING
GOAT FARMER'S CREED
GOAT FARMING CAMP
GOAT HOLIDAY GIFTS
GOAT HUNTING
GOAT KLEENEX
GOAT LANGUAGE
GOAT OLYMPICS
GOAT PROFILER
GOAT SCIENTIST
GOAT WHEELS
GOAT WRITER
GOATS RULE
GOOD GRIEF
GOT RUNS?
GOTTA WORK KIDS
GRAND CANYON OF CHILDRESS
GREAT KIDDERS
HAULING GOATS
HAVE MILK WILL TRAVEL
HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE
HAY MONITOR
HE-BE-GEE-BE'S
HELP! HELP! HELP!
HELP! I'M IN THE BATHTUB
HELPING HOOVES
HERD OF TURTLES
HERE COMES KIDDING TIME - A CHRISTMAS TUNE
HOBBLE, HOBBLE
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS (A GROANER)
HOME DECORATOR
HORNLESS
HOT CHOCOLATE
HOW TO BUY GOATS
HOW YOU FEELING?
HUGS
HUNDERD YEARS
HUNTING LUMBERJACKS
I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE
I FEEL PRETTY
I PREFER LONG EYE LASHES
I REALLY DO HAVE A HOME
I'LL HOLD HIM BACK
I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT
I'M STILL HERE?
INDIAN SUMMER
INNOCENT 1ST TIME KIDDERS
INTERNET AUCTIONS
INVESTMENTS
IRON WILL
IT TOOK TWO
JINGLE BELL GOATS
JOKE - GET A JOB!
JOYFUL
JUMPY LITTLE SNOWBIRD
JUST 1 MORE GOAT
KEYSTONE KOPS
KID CATCHING
KID IN A BOX
KID SENSORY OVERLOAD
KIDMARES
KNUCKLE SANDWICHES
LADYLIKE BUCK SELLER
LAST BUCK STANDING
LEFT OVERS
LETTERS
LETTERS FROM THE FARM
M. D. GOAT
MAD AGGIE
MANIPULATE WHAT?
MASTER BLASTER
MAYBE THIS TIME
MEMBER ME
MIND CONTROL
MR. SNUFFY
MUSHROOM HUNTING
MUTTER MUTTER
NAMING GOATS
NANNY BERRIES ~ DEAR FAVORITE RELATIVE
NEW "KID" ... SHOWING
NEW HAY IN THE HOUSE
NEW KIDS.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
NORMAL
OCTOBER KIDDING
ODE TO ODOR
OH, MY
OUCH
PANIC ATTACK!
PAW PAWS
PHILOSOPHY OF HYPOCRISY
PHONE CALLS
PHONE CLASS
PICK POCKETS
PIRANHA PEN
PLAYING DEAD
PLEASED AS PUNCH
PLEASING GOAT CUSTOMERS
PLOP
POOF POOF
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
PRESENTS
PRISCILLA THE HUN
PRO WRESTLER OR PUPPY
PROFESSIONAL POO CHECKER
PSYCH ME OUT
PUTTING ON A SHOW
QUIPS & QUOTES
QUIPS-N-QUOTES II
REAP THE WILD WIND
RECORD KEEPING
REDNECK TANK TOP
REFEREE
REQUESTS
ROAD TRIP 2003
ROCK ON
ROLL'UM ROLL'UM
ROLLIN', ROLLIN', ROLLIN'
RUB DIRT ON IT
S-T-R-E-S-S
SANDWICHED
SAWDUST.
SCHEDULING
SCREAMING BANSHEES
SECRET AGENT
SHAGA GOOBLE SHAGA BLIP
SHANNIGANS & KID SLOBBERS
SHORT TIGHT STEPS & OTHER ODD EVENTS
SHOTS
SHOULD EVERYONE VOTE
SLEEP DEPRIVATION
SMART GOATS
SMUDGED
SNAP, CRACKLE, POP
SNATCHED BALD
SNEAKY
SONG OF THE FROG
SPIES, SECRET AGENTS, SPOOKS, AND OTHER GOATS
SSSNAKE
STAMPEDE!
STARGATE BOERS
STEAM-IRON SANDWICHES
STEP BY STEP
STICK IT WHERE
STOMPING ORANGE STRINGS
STUCK AGAIN
STUDENT ANALOGIES AND METAPHORS
STUPID IS...
SUNSHINE BOO BOO'S
SUPER HERO
SUPER SUCKERS
SUPPER AT SEVEN A.M.
SURVEY SAYS
SURVIVING KIDDING
SWASH - BUCKLING BUCKS
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
TALKING POCKETS
TATTOOING
THANK GOODNESS FOR MUD
THE $37.50 BUCK
THE 2003 DARWIN AWARDS
THE COWBOY WAY
THE DACHSHUND AND THE LEOPARD
THE DANGERS OF GUM BOOTS
THE FARM WOOKIE
THE FLYING GOATZANIES
THE FRAGRANCE OF HAY
THE GAME'S AFOOT
THE GOAT WHISPERER
THE MOB SQUAD
THE MORAL BUCK
THE PET CHICKEN
THE PIED PIPER
THE PLAN
THE SCARECROW GOAT SELLER
THE SMELL OF MONEY
THE TALKING GOAT
THE TARP ANNIHILATOR
THE THINKER
THE TICK
THE TRUTH ABOUT DOGS
THE V WORD
THE WINDY TAX
THE WORM HAS TURNED
THEN THE KNEE DOCTOR SAID
THIS END UP
THUMP, BANG, WHOOP, AND HOLLER
THURSDAY, THURSDAY
TIE THE ROPE TO THE HAMMER
TOO MUCH FENCE
TORNADO ALLEY
TORPEDOS AND TIDAL WAVES
TOSS THE BLOCK
TOY TRUCK
TRAINING HUMANS
TRUE LOVE
TWITCHY HANKEY
UGH DAYS
UNCLE ARTHUR
UNWITTINGLY
USING CAFFEINE WISELY
WALK LIKE A TURTLE
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
WALK THIS WAY
WANNA BUY A GOAT (WINK, WINK, WINK)
WARNING LABLES
WAS THAT 65 OR 66?
WAS THAT CHRISTMAS?
WATER BUCKET TOAD
WAY TO THE HEART
WEANING WEANERS
WEE GOAT FARMERS
WELFARE GOATS
WHAT A DAY
WHAT DAY IS IT
WHAT'D YOU SAY?
WHATSTH THISTH
WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU VEGETABLES.
WHERE'S THE BRAKES
WHOOWEE
WIDE LOADS
WILD GOAT MILKING
WINTER LIST
WOE, DISPAIR...
WRONG.TURN!
YOU CALL HIM WHAT?
YOU COME HERE, NO, YOU COME HERE, NO…
ZAPPED!
Fencing Forever
from an article by Keith Smith dated April 1997
"May You Live In Interesting Times"

That salutation seems to have been directed at Lowery Hilltop Farms. It has been a VERY interesting year. This is a tale of kidding stalls, a nursery room, day care, a teenager playground, segregation, an isolation pen, and pens for three breeding bucks. Thank goodness for movable stock panels and baling wire and bunji straps--

We and our nearest neighbor both used wire mesh fence. When he lost some sheep to predators we almost panicked. A few phone calls resulted in the purchase of a truckload of 4-gauge stock panels to build a 3-acre goat pen. $1000 seemed a lot of money to protect $200 worth of goats but we wanted to be sure they were safe.

A major flaw in our fencing was discovered during the first kidding season. Kids could crawl right through the spaces in the stock panels and the smaller adults kept getting their heads stuck trying to reach that perfect grape leaf or blade of grass in the next pasture. 2"x4" wire mesh, four feet high, attached to the stock panels seemed to be the best solution, so...
buy and put up more fence.

Segregation in the '90s

When the caprine population shifted from $50 Spanish nannies to $2500 Boer does we were amazed at how tame and docile this new breed was. We wondered if these new "tame" goats could compete safely with our "wild" goats. After much discussion about the budget and the amount of labor involved we decided to divide the area in half, segregating the two groups, so...
buy and put up more fence.

The Royal Suite

Then came DOC. Paying for the services of a top-quality buck was cost-prohibitive after investing so much in fence and those high- dollar breeding nannies. We wanted to raise the best quality breeding stock so we bought the best buck we could find - the 1996 National Grand Champion Boer buck. Such royalty deserves it's own place in the barn, a new concrete floor, and a separate pasture area, so...
buy and put up more fence.

The Maternity Ward.

The Spanish nannies had delivered their kids in the open barn or in the 3-acre pen but those fancy Boers would probably need special facilities. We read about dairy people that had dedicated kidding stalls for their prized milkers, so...
buy and put up more fence.

Kindergarten.

Our experience with a previous crop of Nubian/Spanish-cross kids had led us to believe that our only responsibility was to watch the kids be born, watch the kids play, sell the kids as meat, and re- breed the nannies. Then it hit us: We were now operating a Boer breeding operation and had to start treating each kid as potential breeding stock. The existing pens were fine for adult goats but were too big. Those frisky kids didn't want their weight checked, their C&D/Tetanus shots, or to have tattoos applied. But by now we had a solution for any containment problem...
buy and put up more fence.

The Cafeteria.

We read that kids confined to pens need to have free-choice grain in addition to milk from their dams. It was also noted that their dams would over-eat if they got into the kids' feed and the kids would get short-changed. The recommended solution was to have a feeding area in the pen where the dams couldn't go but the kids could, so...
buy and put up more fence.

Isolation Pens.

This was turning out to be such fun that we decided to buy more Boer does so Doc could make more kids. Common sense dictated that the new arrivals should be isolated from the existing herd and observed for two weeks to insure that no new diseases are introduced, so...
buy and put up more fence.

The Gender Gap.

Then came buck kids that just wouldn't leave their siblings alone. Those little critters sure matured earlier than we were used to. We didn't want un-planned brother-sister matings nor did we want doe kids pregnant before they were weaned. The buck kids had to be separated from their dams and sisters so...
buy and put up more fence.

The Playground.

Weaning time brought it's own set of thrills -- We had been selling our Spanish/Nubian kids when they were 3 months old so weaning had never been a problem. Now we were keeping the Boer kids to an older age and soon discovered that it's a little hard to wean kids if they are left in pens with their dams. The little critters had to have their own pen, so...
buy and put up more fence.

Day Care.

The next kid crop came three months later. NOW we could enjoy the kids without having to buy and put up more fence. Oops! You shouldn't mix 3-month-old just-weaned kids with 6-month-old "teenagers" -- the new arrivals didn't have the resources to be competitive at the feed trough, so...
buy and put up more fence.

The Bachelor Rooms.

We weren't ready to try line breeding so we needed two more bucks. They lived in the same pen all summer and once they settled on who was boss they even seemed to like each other. But summer is a light breeding season so they had no reason to kill each other. When the does started cycling we had to...
buy and put up more fence.

The Show String.

DOC sired some very good kids last spring and we decided to enter some of them in livestock shows. That requires frequent grooming and just the right amount of feed. They would have to live separate from the others most of the time. Thinking about their Grand and Reserve Champion trophies and all the ribbons they have won this year takes away the pain of having to
buy and put up more fence.

Ok, fine. So now we have 3 thousand dollars worth of fence on 3 acres. Sure wish we had thought of electric fence earlier.

It's been a VERY interesting year!

 

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