OK

I am getting ready to build a Goat barn for when I move my self out of Commyfornia and end up in Arizona
I plan on using 16ga. Verco B decking for the lower section of the walls for the barn.

The decking is 3 ft. tall.

My question is due to the fact that Goats head butt everything in sight and challenge everything as well.
Is 3 ft tall high enough when they challenge the walls of the barn not to take out the thinner 26 to 28 ga. siding that I will have above the 16Ga.

Or do I need to go higher with the 16 ga.
I already have the B Deck and plan on making the Barn 15 ft wide and 20 ft deep I was told I could go 300 sq. ft with no building permits.

Anyone out there that can answer my question before I screw sompin up.

I have a hole in my barn door at close to 4'. It was an adult Alpine wether that did it, though. If you're raising shorter Boers, 3' should be enough.

Kaywoodie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kaywoodie taint gonna tell ya nuttin' that taint true.

Best of luck when you move. I'm interested to see how this thread goes. Might want a goat or tree around this place.

Geno

Waiting for the muslim wisecracks. Wont be long now.........

it's hard to build a goat-proof fence that will keep the goats properly contained.

We had Nubians. Had no trouble with the barn at all, just be prepared to move a lot of poop. They don't like rain at all, and will want to spend the night in there. Fencing is another story. 4foot high s OK, they won't go over it, but they will climb on it if there is brouse on the other side. The 2x4 pattern does well against that, nad don't space the posts too far apart.

Serious question.

Why would anybody want a goat?

Goat:

https://www.southernliving.com/community/rick-bragg-southern-journal-trade-day

Five years ago, my brothers and I drove to a vast flea market in Collinsville, Alabama, to buy a bantam rooster for our mother. We left with two ducks, two chickens, a Hamilton watch, two fig trees, a sack of green onions, a bone-handled pocketknife, a bushel of sweet potatoes, a four-way lug wrench, a goat named Ramrod, and a ball-peen hammer.

The goat, the size of a Shetland pony, butted my Ford Bronco so hard it rocked on its springs. That was why I bought the hammer. I was not riding back with that thing unarmed.

"Couldn't find a pistol?" I asked my brother Sam. Sam, who has always been serious, said he could have found one, easy, in the endless stalls and milling throngs of people, if he had known I needed one--that, or a banjo, a croquet mallet, or a rhesus monkey. The goat just glared at me, kind of walleyed. "Ain't he a dandy?" said my little brother, Mark.

It's gunna be a while before I make the move unfortunately

Been doing some homework and found out the the 2 X 4 Horse fence works better for the Kids instead of the Goat fence 4" squares.

There is a lot of scrub oak and cedars on my property in AZ. so I will probably just have to supplement their diet for the first bit until they eat everything up and clean the land up for me to grow some stuff for them to eat.

I do a lot of homework and ask a lot of questions before I jump into things.

And why Goats I like the Meat.

As for the Muzzy jokes

I have a cute girlfriend at the moment and all though when I make the move up there it will look like I will be a Goat Herder but I will not be that kind Goat herder ifin ya know what I'm a Meanin.

HA HA

My wife's goats tear the chit out out of everything. Much worse than steers.

Years ago we had a nice new Honda car, went out to visit a guy who had goats running around the yard. Visited him for a while, came out to find goats all over the top of the car and paint scratched all to hell. The guy paid for a new paint job for us but was not too pleased about it.

When fencing for goats!! Make sure they can't get their head stuck in the fence, if you have middle eastern immigrates nearby. Just trying to help the goats out!!

I shoot everything taller than 4 foot

Coulda' called that.

you mentioned cedars which means to me central/northern arizona. keep in mind coyotes, mt lions, and i think there are some wolves running around.
I have had a couple of pygmy goats running in the back yard as pets the last seven years.
They for sure don't like rain, they have a shelter.
they poop/pee/eat just about all the time. the good thing is the poop isn't smelly, urine is.
dogs think the poop is goat candy.
highly intelligent breakout artists. One of mine has got down with his horns to lift the fence, while the other crawls on his side out.
he then returns the favor. Love to butt thinks, use the fence as a scratching device, i put put in metal fencing to avoid problems.
they have a definite preference for certain things. We have fences are our trees, otherwise in minutes they would be girded. prior to fencing
they were climbing the trees. we have to keep gates doors chained as they figure out the locks pretty quick.
Love them to death.
as to valsdad, i had a friend living in the city limits of prescott, had a dog door leading to a run with heavy fencing including on top. It had been dented several places, mt lions. One of which would sleep on his front porch.
i couldn't convince him it needed to be shot.

Yep East of Kingman

I was planing on using 6 1/2 ft. tee posts driven in 18 in. and if needed a hot wire on top with the Horse fence 2 X 4 laced not welded fencing.

Coyotes and lions no wolves
Where there are lions there more than likely are Bobcats to.

don't be to sure about the wolves, we were pretty sure of hearing them howling on bill williams mt a couple of years ago.
and i do believe one was killed up around the canyon.
for sure on the bobcats.

[quote=Bristoe]Serious question.

Why would anybody want a goat?[/quote

For the barbecue...

We borrowed one on Halloween once (big billy) and kicked him into the front door of the bar. highly entertaining... Actually we did not have to kick him in the door we did drag him up there but when we got the door open he walked in like he owned the place. Nobody really cared for the lady who ran the place (bossy bitch) and she came out from behind the bar mad as hell grabbed him by the horns (nearly a full curl) but he had had enough of that and laid her out flat wrecked the juke box terrorized and stunk up the place... Good times

If you've never been, "Trade Day" in Collinsville, AL is an experience. I've sold a couple of goats there before and bought more odds/ends junk that you can imagine. You can't get more entertainment for the money ($1 parking fee) than Trade Day.....ANYWHERE.... I took my "Yankee" in-laws years ago when they came to visit and they still talk about it like they got to visit the Land of Oz.

We've been running goats for a lot of years now. There is a big demand for goat meat. So to answer Bristoe's question....we want goats so we can sell goats. We sell some to folks starting or adding to herds, but most that we sell are directly to meat buyers (or folks who sell to them).

I can't give the OP any input on barns for goats. We run ours on pasture/wooded lots. If starting from scratch the 2x4" no climb woven fence would be the best fencing option with an electric stand off wire. I'd already fenced much of ours for cattle with barb wire so I had to make due......electric wire under the bottom strand and between the first/second strand of barb wire has worked well for us. Recently did a small pasture in high-tensile electric and really like it. Liked it so much I spent Saturday replacing some of the previously mentioned in between barb wire low tensile strands with high tensile.

Predators are a big deal. For us coyotes are a concern but roaming dogs are a bigger issue. Recently lost 8 to a pack of dogs. Electric generally keeps them out but if the fence is shorted it's open season.... I can't imagine dealing with lions.

Why do you want goats??