Goats Tethering ??

Hello Permies,
On my property I have a very steep slope to the river.
Acres of this land is all weeds - privet mostly.

I would like to buy two or three goats to help me with this as well as the grass on the higher ground & become part of our family.
My problem how do I keep them from escaping. I hear there is temp solar fencing how’re the Bush is thick & I doubt I could erect without shorting it out.
Someone suggest tethering yet I have no idea how this works ?
Any advice appreciated.
dAZ

Hi Darren, is it just short stubby brush like growth that you want goats to take care of? If so, a tether on a sort of run like a cable/rope between two points and a short tether attached to the long run, so the goat can walk the distance of the run. A challenge with tethering goats is that if there is any object taller than the goat and within reach of the tether, they can accidentally hang themselves as goats love to climb things.

I found that tethering goats needs to start when they are young. If you tether a goat that has never been tethered you might be asking for problems.  I used those big screw hooks for dogs to attach them to.  Screwed deeply into the ground, I thought they would last forever. When the kids were kids they couldn’t get them out. An adult no problem.  Then as James said you might lose them to hanging themselves in something, or choking getting wrapped around something.
Just remember they are like having 3 year olds. Constantly a step ahead of you. Can’t take your eyes off them for a minute. Safer to use solar fencing.  Scythe a path for the fence.

Another problem with tethering goats is they are not protected from dogs or any other predator that comes along. A fence may not stop all dogs either, but it would at least slow one down and the goat could try to run away. If it's tethered it really doesn't have any chance of escape.

Solar electric fence will definitely discourage dogs.

Goats tethered in brush are likely to tangle themselves up in the rope in the first five minutes and (even if they don't hang themselves) you'll spend all your time untangling them.

I agree with other folks, the fence is a better option. Safer for the goats, a bit of up-front work in setting it up but far less hassle in the long run for you.

I dont tether my goats.

My understanding is that privet is highly toxic to goats.

Hester Winterbourne wrote:My understanding is that privet is highly toxic to goats.

Privet is toxic to all animals, but my goats always ate it with no apparent harmful effects.  I think it is in the quantity they eat.  They had plenty of other forage, so never ate much of it.  

I lost a goat once I had tethered on a hill.  The phone rang inside the house and I ran in to get it.  Saw her out the window fall down the hill and being on a leash, could not catch herself.  She choked to death and I cried for days.  Unless I can be there with them and the ground is level, I won’t do it.  

I rent giant goat herds to clear weeds and brush. Never tether a goat unless you are right next to it the entire time. They will also wrap themselves up in the rope, flip over, be unable to burp, bloat and die. I use electric net fences. Energizers are run from a deep cycle battery with or without a solar panel. Keeps goats in. Keeps most predators out. You will need to cut fence trails a foot or two wide to set the fence up. Keep the paddocks smaller and use a powerful fence energizer to burn through any weeds that touch it.

Still after reading this, I'm considering tethering a couple of young goats.  I am looking for dog harnesses to use which I figure will be safer.  I will try to get them used to it around Zone 1 so I can keep an eye on them, but at some point we'll have to put them in the edge of the tree'd area further away, where there's plenty of blackberry for them to eat.  Predators shouldn't be any problem where I am...

Hester Winterbourne wrote:My understanding is that privet is highly toxic to goats.

My goats horses pet deer and chickens  eat my private hedges on my fence lines all winter long. It and bamboo are the only green winter forage in usda hardiness zone 7b. All my animals love it and have never been sick in 26 years. My honeybees make their honey from its heavy bloom in the summer. Not even mildly toxic to MY animals. I've eaten some leaves a few times and it tasted like a tea leaf to me. No ill effects felt here.

I tether one, but there’s no brush or trees for her to get tangled in. She’s always visible from the house and we never leave without putting her up.  One thing I’ve done is run the end of the tether rope through a short length of old garden hose and tie it into a loop that I can slip over a t-post.  It makes it easy to move her and keeps the rope from abrading.