After several weeks of hard work, we made once last push and finished up the new goat pasture. We ended up closing in about 9 acres of raw forest for the goats to work on.
This area is 100% overgrown and totally impenetrable from March to September. It's also pretty rough (rough as a cobb, as the realtor liked to say), with sink holes scattered throughout. We also have a small pond located inside the boundary which will be nice if we ever get enough rain to fill it up.
By the end of the day I'd end up looking like I'd been in a knife fight, from all the razor cuts from the wire ends. The ends were so sharp that I wouldn't even notice I was cut until I felt the blood dripping down my hand.
The picture below shows a typical fence stretching arrangement. It worked great when there was a tree in place that we could anchor to. Most times we'd get enough tension on the fence that it would be pulled tight as guitar string.
To make the interior easier to access, we tried to put a gates near places of interest or wherever a fence roll would end. The picture below shows that last post. It was so nice to get to this point and finish up. What a lot of work. I hope it ends up being worth it.
This will be a good reference point for a "before" shot, that shows how thickly forested the pen is. Hopefully the goats will do their job and we'll be able to walk into the forest by the end of the summer.
It's done! Time to head to Sonic for a burger and Route 44 Diet Coke!
The goats are very happy now. They love the sink holes and dance along the edges. "Climbing like a goat" isnt an empty phrase. They just love getting little outcroppings on the side of the cliff. It makes you wonder what they're thinking.
It's also interesting to see where they prefer to roam. I think they're a bit overwhelmed with all the space since they just seem to be hanging around one little area.
Sadie has already made her patrol path. Making sure things are safe.
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