FODDER FOR THOUGHT
Mother Nature seems to have it in for my fences and gates
A few months ago I wrote about my favorite climbing tree when I was a kid fall- ing and destroying a gate. Well, since then I’ve had four more trees fall — three of them on fences and one barely missing the fence but blocking the road. It’s not like I have a lot of woodlands and trees to worry about. But it seems like these trees just happen to fall in the wrong place. So far this year I have lost two gates, a section of electric fencing and a catch pen behind the barn. Fortunately, no goats were injured and
none escaped. Another fortunate thing is that all but one of these trees fell close to the road so they could easily be spotted.
One of the things I learned early about maintaining fences is to always check them after a wind storm. I always prefer to find a hole in the fence before the goats do.
BY TERRY HANKINS Goat Rancher editor
It’s a good habit to get into. The fence might not be completely down or destroyed, but there will always be limbs hanging on the wire that need to be removed.
While we’re on the topic of fences, this year I broke down and bought a 60-gallon, 3- point-hitch sprayer for my tractor. For 20 years I’ve used a little 12-gallon sprayer that
sits on the back of the 4-wheeler. The tank required numerous refills and the 12-volt electric motor needed replacing every year or two. Let me tell you, this rig I have now is worth every penny — I should have bought it years ago. It’s just as important to keep the weeds off the fence as it is the trees. Fencing is a job that never ends. n
4 Goat Rancher | July 2020
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