[kev]

Over the past couple of years I have been wanting to fence in a few acres for goats, sheep and maybe a couple of cattle. The fence is just going to be barbed wire. Sections of telephone poles for corner post.

I decided to start the project. I picked one corner where the fence is going and am starting there.

As the project progresses I will post updates.

 

[gotjunk]

Kev,
If you move your new fence off the property line you are seceding the property to your neighbor. Eventually it will become the property line.

 

[kev]

Kev,
If you move your new fence off the property line you are seceding the property to your neighbor. Eventually it will become the property line.

Thank you I did not know that

 

[MOguy]

I have a neighbor with land that borders mine who raises goats. From experience I know barbed wire alone will not be enough to keep them in. It took him about a year to get it tight enough.

For months his goats would be on my land almost as much as his. He ended up with 5 strands of barbed wire and 4"square wire panels four feet high around his property to keep them in. He also had to place many large rocks in gaps were the fence didn't meet the ground.

Goats will squeeze through smaller holes than you would think and they can climb.

I would follow the old fence line that is the property line. I would leave as much of the old fence as possible as markers (even if only an old post here and there) to show where the property line is.

 

[gotjunk]

Thank you I did not know that

After a few years the new fence line will be will assumed to be the line. Technically it would still be at the old location but you would need a survey to prove it. Under some state laws it could be determined that you abandoned the use of the property and your neighbor could claim it.

 

[3cyl]

Get a survey before you do anything

 

[ppine]

Each class of livestock has specific fence requirements as mentioned above.
Start with the largest animals like cattle and build a barbed wire fence to keep them out.
Then you can add a woven wire fence to keep out goats.

If the cattle are in a low density and low numbers. you may be able to get by with a tall welded or woven wire fence.

 

[MOguy]

Each class of livestock has specific fence requirements as mentioned above.
Start with the largest animals like cattle and build a barbed wire fence to keep them out.
Then you can add a woven wire fence to keep out goats.

If the cattle are in a low density and low numbers. you may be able to get by with a tall welded or woven wire fence.

Cows and steers aren't very ambitious when it comes to making an escape. As long as you have at least two of them to keep each other company food and water.

I think goats top priority is to escape. I really didn't mind when my neighbors goats would escape, they are pretty fun to watch. They would come right up to my front door. I have an aprox 1500 gallon fish pond by my front door and they would always end up there.

 

[3cyl]

Different States can have very different laws
Here is our fence law in Mn.
http://www.mntownships.org/vertical...42-B7053B4AE74F}/uploads/Fence_Law_TD5000.pdf
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/fencelaw.pdf

 

[InOmaha]

If you're worried about espcapes, electrify one of the barbed wires with snap on fence insulators a solar powered electric fencer. These work better if you put the insulator on the wire before hooking it to the stake if you've already stretched the wire close to tight. That allows you to hook them between the barbs.

I helped build a wood fence 25 years ago out of old utility line poles that is holding up fine. The local utility pulled hundreds of poles to replace them and we ended up with a good sized pile of them. We cut the oil/tar sections off the bottom and buried those most of the way underground to form the bottom of the fence and keep animals from sliding/digging under.

Then arranged the poles sort of like this but in a straight line and boot thickness spacing,

The joints were connected with 2 upright poles with the protective coating in place underground using some left over electrical line wire like this but using the much larger utility poles,

It was a ton of work, but they've held in goats, cattle, horses and even hogs through all sorts of weather over the last couple of decades.

 

[kbar-04]

I have had goats before. There is an old saying about fences and goats.."If it wont hold water, it wont hold a goat"....

I used field fence, smallest squares and tallest I could get and then put 2 strands of barbed wire on top of that. The wire on top was to try to help keep dogs out..

 

[XJCountry]

The way I heard it was "if it won't hold smoke it won't hold goats" ��

 

[Bob1584]

Kev,
If you move your new fence off the property line you are seceding the property to your neighbor. Eventually it will become the property line.

The laws on this vary from state to state, but generally speaking, you do not "cede" your property by not building your fence on the actual property line. What the poster is referring to is a doctrine known as "adverse possession" whereby a person may obtain title to land that they did not own under certain circumstances.

They must occupy/maintain the property OPENLY, ADVERSELY and NOTORIOUSLY for the statutorily mandated period of time (in my state it is 15 years). An adverse possession case will fail if it can be shown that they have not met any one of the statutory requirements. For instance, even if your neighbor mows the other side of the fence (ie., he maintains it) he has not done so "adversely" if you permitted him to do so.

If you build the fence ON the boundary line it then becomes a "boundary fence" and in most states, the fence then becomes the common property of both parties (ie., he can attach his fence to it if he wishes) and both parties are responsible for maintaining the fence. By building your fence 1 foot off of the line (on your side) it is no longer a boundary fence and is instead what is referred to as a fence of convenience and it belongs to you and your neighbor has no rights or responsibilities regarding the fence whatsoever.

I am a licensed professional land surveyor licensed in two states and have a degree in Land Surveying. This is my pro-bono contribution for the day

 

[oberlin1]

Well... if you put in Angus with only a few strands prepare to get your exercise chasing them. They are matriarchal and mama will put her big wet nose close to the strand and if there's too many timothy stems bleeding off the electric she can read it like a voltmeter with that nose. Not enough jolt left and she's through it like warm butter and all the others with her. Never could figure out what was so attractive about the neighbor's place but she'd head over there. Sigh...

 

[InOmaha]

We didn't have enough goats to build a large fenced in area for them. We kept a couple of them in the barn around the sorting/loading area because it had tall heavy fencing. We would stake them out to eat grass and weeds using heavy leather dog collars and a chain about like you would find on a swing set. They kept the grass from growing next to buildings and the yard mowed. It was either move them every day or cut the grass down with a hand sickle (no fancy gas powered weed eaters at our place). I didn't mind moving them.

But like anything, if my dad thought it was too hard to take care of, we ate it instead. I'm glad, because he didn't care for hogs out of all the animals we ever had; and I didn't either.

 

[rustynut]

hey do you need help? I good helper

 

[notnormal]

Yup, pretty much agree with the above posts. They're tough to contain, when you think you've designed the perfect fence, double the estimated material bill and electrify part of it. They are cute fun and taste good!

 

[rancher1913]

best fence and easiest to build is the welded wire combo panels. they will hold anything from pigs up to cows. they are about 5 foot tall and 16 foot long and when cought on sale can be had for 15 bucks each, a "t" post in the middle and ends and its done, no stretching or heavy digging and you can expand as you go and reuse as needed and if you decide to abandon ship they can be sold for what you paid for them.

 

[America's Patriot]

No fence will keep a goat in indefinitely. However, even a barbed wire fence, if done properly, can minimize any escapes. For the cost of the barbed wire though, I would consider buying spooled wire and making you a 5 or 6 strand electric fence. Every year or so, you move the hot wires around to help prevent them from learning (which they will). Also, you'll need to keep the grass down because grass can ground out the system (it does have an alarm for that... light, sound or both). To keep cost down I would only use a t-post every 50 feet. The posts between, you can use about anything (I used cedar saplings, branches, etc.) Since you have telephone poles, I would make H-posts at the corners with them. If this is a very long run like 500+ feet (yours looks like 300 feet from the image provided), go for a double h-post at the corners and some in-line tighteners. If you don't, you'll have wire sag eventually.

 

[gotjunk]

The laws on this vary from state to state, but generally speaking, you do not "cede" your property by not building your fence on the actual property line. What the poster is referring to is a doctrine known as "adverse possession" whereby a person may obtain title to land that they did not own under certain circumstances.

They must occupy/maintain the property OPENLY, ADVERSELY and NOTORIOUSLY for the statutorily mandated period of time (in my state it is 15 years). An adverse possession case will fail if it can be shown that they have not met any one of the statutory requirements. For instance, even if your neighbor mows the other side of the fence (ie., he maintains it) he has not done so "adversely" if you permitted him to do so.

If you build the fence ON the boundary line it then becomes a "boundary fence" and in most states, the fence then becomes the common property of both parties (ie., he can attach his fence to it if he wishes) and both parties are responsible for maintaining the fence. By building your fence 1 foot off of the line (on your side) it is no longer a boundary fence and is instead what is referred to as a fence of convenience and it belongs to you and your neighbor has no rights or responsibilities regarding the fence whatsoever.

I am a licensed professional land surveyor licensed in two states and have a degree in Land Surveying. This is my pro-bono contribution for the day

Your comments are spot on as it relates to the law. The practical application differs slightly. If for some reason a fence is installed off the line if nothing is done to maintain the otherside over the years, the new fence will be assumed to be the property line. Particularly if new owners take over the adjoining property lacking a survey.

On property like Kev's maintaining a narrow swath adjacent to a fence would be a pia unless it was wide enough for a tractor or garden tractor.