I work for a fence manufacturer that specializes in fence for livestock/ag/wildlife. I spend every day talking with folks about these same type questions and scenarios from our dealers/distributors, fence contractors, and landowners/producers. I'd be happy to talk with you if you want to shoot me an : kyle at staytuff.com
Basically the cost of installation is going to vary pretty greatly depending on where you're located, the topography of the property, the soil type, and the different contractors you talk to. Some will give you a straight up price per foot that will include everything, and others will give you a price per foot and then separately list a price per brace assembly, per gate, per creek crossing or water gap, etc. etc. etc. It's best to get a quote in writing with as much detail as possible. And always ask a fence contractor where you can see some fences that they've previously built. Any half-way decent fence contractor should gladly show off his work. If they don't want to, I'd steer clear of them.
As far as wire I would definitely recommend high tensile, Fixed Knot fence with either a Class 3 galvanized coating or a Class 40 Zinc Aluminum coating. -12 is what I recommend most by far for perimeter fencing for goats. You can get it in either 330' or 660' long rolls. You don't want anything with a 6" spacing on the verticals because the goats will get their head stuck. I would stay away from low tensile wire with Class 1 galvanized coating (much thinner galvanized coating thickness) similar to what others have posted here. It is cheaper for the wire itself, but you'll need to install more posts to keep it standing up and it will not last near as long as high tensile fixed knot.
There are a few different manufacturers of quality high tensile fixed knot. I would contact them directly or find some dealers that they sell through to get specific recommendations on the wire, posts, installation, etc. and to get recommended contractors from them. Our company has a list of recommended contractors that we've worked with in the past and we know to do quality work. Other fence manufacturers will almost certainly have similar lists.
There's tons of other recommendations I can make if you're interested. It would be way too much to post here, but I'd be happy to talk with you if you're interested.
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