Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
We fenced in our garden area to protect the plants from the ravages of our crazy dogs, kids, and
goats. For this fence, we only need something tall enough to deter the goats, and squares small
enough to contain the chickens when we let them roam through the garden space. So we use
1×2-inch welded wire square fence but purchase the 5-foot-tall wire instead of the more common
4-foot-tall wire.
If deer are rampant in your area, even a 6-foot fence may not be enough. You can double-fence
your garden to help deter deer by placing a second 6-foot fence that is 4 feet from the perimeter
of the first fence. This “moat” area in between the two fences is too wide to be jumped in a single
bound and will deter deer from attempting to enter your garden. I know one gardener who uses
that 4-foot-wide area around the outside of the garden as a secondary chicken run.
For the goat pen and side yard run (used as extra grazing area or in case we need to shut the dogs
up in a smaller space), we use cattle panels or hog panels. These large welded wire panels are much
more substantial than what's used around the garden, and they come in 15-foot lengths. They are
easy to tie onto metal stakes driven into the ground at regular intervals, and they stand 5 feet tall.
The stiffer wire holds up against abuse from the goats standing against them, trying to reach their
heads through, etc.
In a pinch, we can lash a panel into a circle for a makeshift hay rack, or move a panel and tie it
across a corner to separate a goat that is in quarantine or if we think she might be sick. This year
we're even using the fence panels as tomato trellises in the garden, so we've found these to be
extremely flexible.
We call these panels “cattle panels.” Here you can see they are made of sturdy wire that holds up to extra
weight. When my in-laws switched to electric fence we used these panels for our goat pens.
