Mickey Nielsen, Liberty Farm Cashmere
This article must be reproduced in its entirety and the name and contact information must be included at the beginning of any reprint. americancashmere@aol.com
Uses for Wire Panels
General pens - Mix and match different panels to suit the needs of your buildings and lots. You can never have too many pens.
To connect Walk-Thru & Drive-By Feeders.
Lot Fencing - panels make secure perimeter or subdivision fences for feedlots and handling yards. 48" tall panels stapled 2" above the ground provide 50" tall fences--enough to stop bucks. Space posts every 5 - 6 ft. The panels flex enough to provide curved sidewalls that are so useful in well-designed handling yards.
Field Gates - semi-permanent field gates, supported by wooden or steel T posts. Seldom used permanent gateways. For wide gateways, use two panels and open them from the middle. Because they're a physical barrier, they are more secure than electric gates. Kids, coyotes and/or guard dogs can't crawl through them, yet they are easily relocated when they are needed elsewhere.
Holding pens.
Alleyways.
Kidding jugs - To make 4 ft. x 6 ft. jugs.
Creep feeding pens--to provide baby goats with their own area, feed and heat lamp.
Bungee Cords
Uses for Bungee Cords
Hold wire panels together.
Hold wire panels to fence post.
Hold gates closed or opened.
Hold water buckets off the ground.
Tie down loads.
BellA bell is a great way to call in your goats. It works with a little grain training.
Fence Tool
A most handy tool to have around, it cuts, splices, and stretches wire, drives and pulls staples and post lugs, snips wire, making fencing less of a chore. Forged steel head, rubber and plastic coated handles. Tool measures 10-1/2" long.
2 Way Gate Latch: By SpeeCoFits round tube gates 1 5/8 -2 inch, Opens easily with one hand, gate can swing either direction when latch is released, helps to prevent gate end from swinging and sagging. Shuts and latches by its self with a push on the gate.
Goat Trough ProtectorKeeps your water troughs clean. http://www.caprinesupply.com/Hoof Trimmer
Lightweight hoof trimmers, rust-resistant, sharp and stay that way. Pointed ends help clean out dirt embedded in hooves, and the narrow blades insure accurate cutting.
Iodine Navel CupNavel cups were introduced by Premier to enable treatment of navels with less mess and waste--so the iodine ends up on the lamb's navel and not on you! A built-in clip allows the cup to hang onto the side of jugs so it's easier to find in a barn. Small neck reduces evaporation. No lid to unscrew, drop and misplace.
http://www.premier1supplies.com/
MediWrap™
Treating a foot with Maxatox, encasing it with a MediBoot and securing the boot to the leg with MediWrap is nearly a guaranteed footrot cure. For mild cases, skip the boot. Apply Maxatox and encase the foot with MediWrap for 24 hours. Also excellent for mending broken legs.
Pocket Scale
A cheap spring balance hand scale for lambs, kids, wool and feed. 0 - 25 lbs. to nearest lb.
PVC PipeShort lengths of PVC duct taped on the horns of a goat make a great crown for goats that insist on getting caught in the fence. By cutting short lengths in half and rounding the corners PVC makes a great splint for injured legs.
Sulmet Sulfamethazine Sodium 12.5%; Drinking Solution
Use to teat individual animals at the first signs of coccidiosis. From Fort Dodge http://www.caprinesupply.com/
Ultra BossReady to use pour-on insecticide.
Sold as a control for lice and flies on cattle and sheep. For sheep, label says to use 1.5 ml per 50 lbs. of body weight. No withdrawal time for milk or slaughter in cattle. Active ingredients: 5% Permethrin and 5% Piperonyl Butoxide. Four ounce squeeze and measure bottle.
http://www.caprinesupply.com/
PLANNING YOUR GOAT YARD
A smooth functioning goat yard is necessary if you have 20 goats or 2000 goats. Being able to work your goats with minimal human effort is cost and time saving; it also saves on the aches and pains of a human’s body.
The goat yard needs to meet the needs of five basic functions, holding, moving, drafting, arranging, and treating.
Goats are creatures of habit and once shown the way they willingly will follow this same routine over and over again. Goats are best moved through a yard slowly and quietly to avoid stress. Working dogs must be under control at all times in a goat yard, or kept out.
There are four important factors to consider when you design your goat yard.
Size of yard
Movement of goats and humans
Facilities Needed
Environment Requirements
Size of Yard
Your personal needs must be considered as you plan your yard, for example do you also handle cattle, sheep, or llamas. Plan your yard big enough to hold all your goats if you plan to enlarge. Use strong building materials for your yard, as this area will receive heavy use. Pay attention to the bottom of your yard to make sure kids can not escape.
Holding yards require 1 square yard for each goat.
Movement of Goats and HumansThe goal is to have goats and humans move through the yard with minimum effort. Gates, gates, gates, are the key here. Think about how you can best move the goats into a maximum number of pens and raceways to meet all of your needs. Then how are you going to move around the goats without interfering with the goat’s movements. To keep the goats moving through a yard keep pathways wide and the forward movement of the goats always in the same direction. Provide an unobstructed view of exits for the goats, avoid down hill movement as goats naturally prefer to move uphill. Goats tend to flow better around blind corners and curved corners. Rear goats are more willing to continue moving forward if they can see other goats in front of them, even if those goats are turning around a corner. Keep raceways short as goats tend to pack up and can easily be smothered. Goats will avoid stress, so if they experience undue stress coming into a yard it will be more difficult the next time. Forcing yards require 1 square yard for every 3 goats.
Facilities
As many different task are preformed in a yard on one to many goats at a time it is important to layout the facilities so you can recycle the goats through the main yard in and out of pens. Make sure that equipment can be moved in and out as needed, and there is a secure place to put equipment while treating and drafting goats through the yard. High outer fences (4 feet min.) are a must to contain goats. Fences that are made of solid material such as plywood must be taller as goats can see the top of these type of fences better than a wire panel there fore they are more likely to try to jump out if they are pushed to hard.
Environment
Consider the climate you live in and the times of the year you will be handling your goats. Make sure and provide shelter, shade, and water for goats and humans. Minimize dust, and mud by paving and good drainage in your yard. Isolate goats for treatment from the herd at the last possible moment to avoid stress. *
