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Goats cows and bees ?

13K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  dirt road 
#1 ·
What can be expected if one turns farm animals loose in the same area as the apiary? Am I going to have to fence the apiary in and the animals out? Sure would like to hear "no". It's a lot of work to build a new fence through a wooded area !

Ed
 
#2 ·
Cows like to scratch/rub their bodies against objects. So if you don't fence them out from the hives, you may have problems with the hives getting tipped over. :eek:

I have seen cows contained by just 2 strands of electrified fence wire on T posts. Solar chargers are readily available. However, goats have a reputation for being escape artists, so you may need a better fence. :scratch:
 
#4 ·
I had a problem with cows, mostly curious calves that would nudge the boxes. I caught them one day and watched as a calf would nudge the hive then turn and high tail it after taking some warning shots across the bow from the bees. I have rolled up to find hives knocked off their SBB and the top deep separated from the bottom deep.

As for goats, they could pose a problem by using your hives as a jungle gym and jumping across the tops and pooping and peeing on them in the process.

Like Radar said, a couple wires strung around your beehives should be enough, and if they are in the woods you won't even have to drive posts! I have two strands of barbed wire around my little bee yard and have not had a problem with cows anymore.

Would you rather build a simple fence or have to put together hives that got knocked over and deal with some ticked off bees and perhaps a dead queen which would be bad this time of year!
 
#5 ·
I know someone who had their hives in the same yard with a goat. The goat would as mentioned above climb all over them. The problem came when the goat started butting one of the hives. The bees killed it. This guy said he saw it happen and the bees were pouring out of the hive and the goat kept head butting it. He did his best to seperate them but the goat didn't make it. Most likely it is a rare case but something to consider.

Mike
 
#6 ·
Thanks everyone. You know, I "kind of" knew that I should fence the apiary in, but I was just hopeing that someone had a magic solution. My goats will walk under an elecctric fence when the ground is wet (but they are dry) and it does not shock them. It's the thick hair. I guess they are bored because they tear up everything ! So, wire and posts are in my future.

Thanks,

Ed
 
#7 ·
Buy four cattle panels. Use a T post on each end and one in the middle. At one corner do not tie wire each panel to the post. Use a couple of snap latches to hold the panel closed. Unsnap the latches and it is the gate. It's fast and easy. Cattle panels can be had from 16 feet up to 20 feet or larger.
 
#10 ·
I will go by the supply house today and take a look at those. Thanks.

Yes, my goats end up at the highest point and would certainly get on top of the hives. I was just hopeful they would do it only once :). Too much risk of a disaster either to the bees or the goats. I'll just do it the right (hard) way.

Ed
 
#8 ·
I was along cows herd for two years and they didn't Disturbed at all.

The main problem was that they reduce the amount of flowers
and i had significant less honey relative to next area with the same vegetation
but with no hungry cows !!

Randi, Israel
 
#11 ·
I also kept a yard of bees in my brothers yard, where he had kept a pasture of cattle and goats. Never had a problem with either the goats or cows.

If you ask me, you would just be wasting your money building a fence around your yard to keep livestock out. If you were talking about bears, thats a different story.
 
#12 ·
Ian, nothing wrong with taking preventitive measures!! Especially when one only has a handful of hives. If I had a few hundred hives it wouldnt bother me as much to lose even half my hives because I could split the heck out of them and get the numbers back up.

A sideliner guy in the town where I keep my bees has a couple hundred hives now and he has fenced the yard with a hot wire to keep out the cattle.

I guess each circumstance is different. But i would think that with goats jumping on hives everyday the bees wouldnt be to fun to work and in a constant pissy mood!
 
#16 ·
Goats are incredibly smart, but like most people, they lack in the common sense department. They can do the dumbest things sometimes.........how ever, sheep..........now there is the dumbest animal not only in the barnyard, but in the animal world.

I can bet the farm that your goats will end up on top of your hives somehow and they will some how knock your lids off, knock over hives and all. I agree on using four foot high field fence around your hives, or two strands of electric fence to make sure they get zapped.

If you really want to save money though, just put the hives on a good sturdy stand and ratchet strap them down really good. Then the goats can tap dance on top all they want, until they get stung enough times that they might consider staying away, but that probably won't happen! LOL
 
#24 ·
I know someone that had to put their potbelly pig down because it bit someone. There was a 16 year old boy that was trespassing on their property to fish their pond. The pig wanted the kid's bait worms. The kid did not give the pig his worms. The pig bit him on the leg. Not much more than skin deep.

Anyway, if the neighbor let the pig loose, they are still liable for what it does. Ask them if they had a dog that they let lose and it bit someone or killed someone's goat/cow/chicken, who do you think they would come after for damages?
 
#20 ·
I was running 30 boer goats and two horses with my 30 hives last year in the same field, they never bothered the hives. I have seen the goats get stung on occasion if they get too close. Sold most of the goats this year but the five I have left had much rather get out of the field and get on the porch and see what I'm doing than bother the bees.

Tim
 
#22 ·
Cows do like a good rub. We parked our caravan overnight in a grazing paddock and woke up when the cows used the van as a scratching post! My sister-in-law has had to build solid post fences around most of her young trees because the cows deliberately rub against them. Probably a good idea to protect your hives is some way.
 
#23 ·
I finally did it !! It wasn't as big a deal as I expected since I have an auger for my tractor. It took about $65 in posts, $45 in wire and $60 for a gate, plus a half days work. I consider it like insurance. I won't have to be concerned about a problem either way.

Ed
 
#25 ·
We have feral (nice word for wild) pigs on our ranch. I trap a hundred or so each year, and I am sure their keen sense of smell would lead them to the hives, as they love all kinds of fruit. Their hair is long and stiff, and I have my doubts about bees being able to sting them. For that reason, I fence off my hives with cattle panels and "T" posts. I also, keep 38 to 45 head of cattle. I just love them, but they are subject to rub their heads on anything at any time. A 1,400 pound cow rubbing her head on a bee hive would be a disaster.
 
#26 ·
Speaking from personal experience, goats will not bother hives. We used to have 8 goats wandering around the yard and they never tried climbing onto my hives. We still have one goat wandering around the yard and she does not bother my hives. I have no experience with cows, but my mentor says they learn quickly not to bother them. However, your goats and cows might have different personalities.


Nathan
 
#27 ·
I let a fellow run a pretty good sized herd of goats on my pasture one summer, and they learned real quick to stay away from the hives, without doing any damage. My own cows left them alone as well, though young calves are terribly curious and full of energy, again, no actual damage. Horses on the other hand, proved to be a real PITA with the bees. Knocked hives over, and didn't seem to learn about getting stung.
 
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