T-posts are highly useful for goat fences, as they are quite sturdy, easy to install & strong enough to keep goats. Goats are known for being curious and agile. They try to rub & push against the fence. So, the important step is to choose a fence that prevents them from injuring themselves. Rest the installation is quite simple: sturdily drive the T-posts & attach the wire fence to the posts.
In this guide, we’ll share all the steps & tips to install a T-post fence for goats.
How to install a goat fence with T-posts?
First of all, mark the fence boundary. Drive rebar or stakes at the corners & mark spots in a straight line at regular intervals of 8-12 feet to install T-posts. Use wood posts at the corners if covering a large area, or just go with T-posts for a shorter area. Drive T-posts using a manual or automatic post driver. For installing the gate, measure the gate’s length & install T-posts accordingly. Then, unroll the fence roll from a corner post to the central posts. We can use T-post clips or metal wires to attach wire fences to T-posts at regular intervals of 1 foot from the top toward the bottom. Keep the fence hooked to the ground. If you’ve installed wood posts, use fence staples for attachment. Slightly stretch the fence with your hands or use a fence stretcher. Similarly, cover the whole fence & trim the excess wire or any sharp wire to keep goats safe.
Materials Needed:
- T-posts: The number of T-posts you need will depend on the length of your fence and how far apart you place them (usually 8-12 feet apart).
- A T-post driver.
- Fencing Wire: High-tensile wire or welded wire mesh is commonly used for goat fencing. Ensure the mesh size is small enough to prevent goats from sticking their heads through. A 4-inch by 4-inch mesh size is suitable for most goats.
- Tool to attach fence to T-posts: T-post clips or pieces of metal wire are used to attach wire fences or high tensile wire to T-posts.
- Gate (Optional): If you plan to have a gate in your fence, you’ll need a gate, hinges, and a latch.
Here is a step-by-step guide to installing goat fence with T-posts.
Decide the area for the goat fence:
Measure the area where you want to build the fence. It’ll also help you decide the right amount of fence & posts needed. You can use a measuring tape to measure the length of the area to be fenced. According to the research by the University of Florida, a minimum of 20-25 sq ft of area should be allocated to each goat in the outdoors. For example, if you are installing a T-post fence for 10 goats, you should allocate at least 250 sq ft(25×10).
For example, if the area is square, it’ll measure 16*16 feet, and the fence perimeter will be 16+16+16+16 = 64 feet. After deciding the fence parameter, drive stakes at the corners to know the boundary. Tie a thread between the stakes to have a straight fence line.
Goat fence height & size of T-posts needed:
As far as I’ve experienced, goats can jump up to 4-5 feet. Also, as per Chlesa Green Publishing & many other experts, the recommended height for a goat fence is 4-5 feet. As a general rule, for sturdy fencing, 1/3rd of the post should be set underground. Hence for a 5-foot fence, you’ll need 7-8 feet T-posts.
Number of T-posts needed for goat fence:
How many T-posts you’ll need to cover the goat fence depends on the spacing between the posts. Generally, it’s recommended to set T-posts a maximum of 8-12 feet apart from each other. By driving more part of the T-posts, you can increase post spacing. Spacing depends on the pressure exerted by the goats & the weight of the fence. Smaller breads will put less weight on the fence.
However, for large area coverage, you can increase post spacing by incorporating wood posts in between the T-posts & especially at the corners. However, you should not increase spacing a lot as it’ll put a lot of pressure on the fence & result in sagging.
Fence post spacing helps you get the required number of T-posts. To calculate the total number of required T-posts, measure the perimeter of the area to be covered & divide it with the fence post spacing. For example, if the fenced area measures 16×16, the perimeter would be 16+16+16+16= 64ft. If the post spacing is 10ft, you’ll need 6-7 T-posts.
The fence should be installed in a straight row. If you place the posts irregularly, it’ll deform the fence shape & exert an unequal amount of tension on the fence.
Install Fence Posts:
To make your fence robust & bear more weight of the fence & the tension exerted by the goats, it’s better to use wood posts at the corners & set them in concrete. However, it’s not a must to install wood posts; you can drive more parts of the T-posts to make the fence more robust.
Mark sports on the ground at regular intervals to know where to drive T-posts. To drive T-posts, a manual post driver is most commonly used. It’s a cylindrical pipe closed from an end with two handles to hold the driver. You just have to place the driver over the posts & push & pull the driver up & down. If you don’t have a post driver, you can also use a similar heavy metal pipe to drive T-posts. However, to drive a large number of posts, an automatic post drive can be used.
Make sure that the flat side of the T-posts faces toward the enclosure, as the fence will be attached to the inside of the T-posts.
If you are installing wood posts at the corners, use a post-hole digger or an auger drill to dig holes for these posts. Make sure they are deep enough so that one-third of the post’s length should be buried. Then, place the fence posts in & use the fast-setting concrete mixture to set the posts.
Attach the fence wire to the posts:
Starting from a corner post, unroll the fence wire along the corner posts toward the central posts. Temporarily hook the fence to the T-posts so it doesn’t fall while attaching. Keep the fence stretched from top to bottom & make sure it touches the ground. Use pieces of hard metal wire or T-post clips to attach wire fences to T-posts. Make attachments at regular intervals of 1 foot, so you’ll have to make 3-5 joints per T-post.
If you are building high-tensile wire, install fence strands at a maximum interval of a foot, so you’ll have to install 4-5 strands. For installing a high-tensile fence, you should install wood posts at the corners, as the high-tensile wire puts a lot of tension on the corner posts. Terminate the high tensile wire at the corner posts by making a termination knot or using crimp sleeves. Then move toward the other corner post, stretch the wire & terminate it at the other corner post. Hook them to the centered T-posts with metal wire pieces or T-post clips.
Use fence clips to attach the wire securely to the T-posts. Make sure the wire is taut and properly stretched to prevent goats from pushing it out of place.
If you’re using multiple rolls of wire fence, overlap the edges and connect them using pieces of hard metal wires. In another way, cut off the last vertical wire of the wire fence, overlap the horizontal wires with the vertical wire of the other part of the wire fence & twist them using a plier.
If you want to install an electric fence for goats with T-posts, you’ll need electric fence insulators. Depending on the number of strands, you’ll need an equal number of insulators for each T-post. For goats, we can install 4 electric fence strands spaced 1 foot apart. So, according to the fence strand spacing, install electric fence insulators on each T-post.
Install Gates (If Desired):
If you want to hang a gate between the fence, you’ll have to measure the length of the gate & install fence posts according to the distance. You can either use T-posts or wood posts to install a gate. As the gate posts are used to terminate the wire fence & hang the gate, it’s advisable to use wood posts for installing gates as they will bear more tension & weight. If you want to install a gate with T-posts, you’ll need T-post hinges & gate post hinges. Gate post hinges get attached to the gate & T-post hinges to the T-posts. At last we’ve to hook the gate hinge to the T-post hinges.
If you are using wood posts, you ll need wood post hinges along the gate hinges.
Install a latch on the other post to keep the gate securely closed.
Check and Secure the Fence:
After the installation is complete, walk along the fence line & check for any loose wires or posts. Trim any sharp wire sticking out of the fence to prevent goats from injuries. Tighten any loose wires and ensure that all connections are secure. For goats safety, it’s advisable to install T-post caps over the top of T-posts to keep goats safe from sharp T-post edges.
You can also add a strand of electric wire to deter goats from attempting to push against the fence.
Periodically inspect the fence for any signs of wear or damage.
Conclusion
Installing a goat fence with T-posts is quite easy. You just keep the following things in mind. Drive 1/3rd of T-posts at regular intervals of 8-12 feet in an exact straight line using a post driver. Then, starting from the corner post, tie the fence to each T-post 3-5 times at regular intervals. Keep the fence slightly stretched, either with hands or using a fence stretcher if the fence area is large. Keep the fence stretched from top to bottom & make sure it’s touching the ground. When one side of the fence is covered, cut off the fence using a wire cutter. Trim any sharp wires for the safety of goats. For installing a gate, install gate posts according to the length of the gate, and use post hinges & gate hinges to hook the gate to the posts.
If you still need guidance, ask us in the comments.