The page wire fence has been torn down in the ewe lamb pen and the goat pen, by the animals over the winter. They stick their heads through the wire and eventually the wire breaks from repeated motion and stress and then they continue until the fence is down. The goat pen has several livestock panels keeping the goats in, but soon will have wooden fencing and fence line feeders built in.
This fence line feeder is basic. I used garden stakes to create the dividers. On the other side is a livestock panel into which the hay goes. The goats stick their heads through the dividers and eat hay, but because the sticks are angled, it is harder for them to just pull the hay out. They must turn their heads. The idea is that it does not waste as much hay. They have only been using this for a few days, and there is still a tremendous amount of hay wasted. Anything that falls on the ground is never eaten because goats are browsers and eat from above first given a chance. The sheep will have a similar fence line feeder and in between the feeders, the regular fence will be wood with a board instead of the slats. The beauty of the design is that I can unhook the panel on the other side and easily clean the straw out that they do not eat. Then that can be used for their bedding.
The Nubian goats will require a warmer shelter than the hoop one they have, so the old granary brought here two years ago is finally going to have a door and possibly a window so they can be warmer in the winter. That also means they will relocate to the ewe lamb pen. During breeding, different groups have to separated into pens, the Jacobs, the Babydolls, The Cotswolds and the Blue Faced Leicesters. This year, I did not keep an Icelandic ram, so the Icelandics will be bred Cotswold. I hope Walter is up to the task. Anyhow, with these fence line feeders, it should be a little easier to fork hay over in the winter, as there are many pens for which to do so.
It will take about a week to finish the fence and fence line feeders if all goes well. I am working alone, so some of the work takes a bit longer, but I have improvised ways to hold the boards up while I screw them into place. The fence is a great improvement in the yard as well, contributing to a nicer look for the pens. The wood is just slabs of raw spruce, 8 feet by 1 inch by 4 inches. It weathers to a nice grey colour and is rough cut. I do not think I will paint or stain it, just let it go barn wood grey over time. The sheep and goats seem to like it. Do you?
This fence line feeder is basic. I used garden stakes to create the dividers. On the other side is a livestock panel into which the hay goes. The goats stick their heads through the dividers and eat hay, but because the sticks are angled, it is harder for them to just pull the hay out. They must turn their heads. The idea is that it does not waste as much hay. They have only been using this for a few days, and there is still a tremendous amount of hay wasted. Anything that falls on the ground is never eaten because goats are browsers and eat from above first given a chance. The sheep will have a similar fence line feeder and in between the feeders, the regular fence will be wood with a board instead of the slats. The beauty of the design is that I can unhook the panel on the other side and easily clean the straw out that they do not eat. Then that can be used for their bedding.
The Nubian goats will require a warmer shelter than the hoop one they have, so the old granary brought here two years ago is finally going to have a door and possibly a window so they can be warmer in the winter. That also means they will relocate to the ewe lamb pen. During breeding, different groups have to separated into pens, the Jacobs, the Babydolls, The Cotswolds and the Blue Faced Leicesters. This year, I did not keep an Icelandic ram, so the Icelandics will be bred Cotswold. I hope Walter is up to the task. Anyhow, with these fence line feeders, it should be a little easier to fork hay over in the winter, as there are many pens for which to do so.
It will take about a week to finish the fence and fence line feeders if all goes well. I am working alone, so some of the work takes a bit longer, but I have improvised ways to hold the boards up while I screw them into place. The fence is a great improvement in the yard as well, contributing to a nicer look for the pens. The wood is just slabs of raw spruce, 8 feet by 1 inch by 4 inches. It weathers to a nice grey colour and is rough cut. I do not think I will paint or stain it, just let it go barn wood grey over time. The sheep and goats seem to like it. Do you?
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