The goats were running out of food in their area. One of the final steps Jace took was to cut down the young poplar and locust trees, that the goats had stripped the bark and lower branches from, so they could eat the remaining leaves. These trees were a few inches in diameter at most. The Goat Busters told us that the goats generally won't bother a tree with a trunk about the size of your leg.
We scouted out the area they would move them to next; an adjoining section, which would make the fence- and goat-relocation more efficient. I asked Jace and Scott if they would mind if I pitched in with the work. So there we were, on a beautiful October morning, clearing a new fence line.
Jace took to the thickest area with his chainsaw. Scott and I started from the other end. I went up ahead a little bit to start clearing the big stuff, mostly using a set of clippers and an old heavy sickle and Scott followed with some heavy duty, gas-powered clippers, and made sure everything was cut low and wide.
The goats bleated with anticipation…
Once the perimeter was cleared for the fence, Scott and I started running the new fence. He would unroll several feet of it and hand me the stake, which I would push into the ground. The stakes were already attached to the fence…the tough part getting it in without being stopped by rocks. Once the fence had been run, Scott went around and tightened it up here and there. He tested the voltage to make sure there wasn't any interference and it was looking good.
Lastly, Scott opened up a shared section of the fence and herded the goats into their new area. They didn't need too much extra encouragement; they were happy to have a new, green, thick area to eat in!
This is a really thick area, mostly wooded. I snapped a couple of pictures, but mostly I shot some video. I will get those clips on the blog soon!
