Fence Large and economical

Hassena
Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭
edited October 2020 in Building Projects

Hey there, just curious if anyone has fenced a large pasture or two and what's your material of choice?

In the very near future we shall be adding more goats and a horse to our farm.

Our hens in our encased in electric poultry netting. That's awfully expensive for a few acres.

What kind of fencing? Picket? Sticks? Metal?

Comments

  • merlin44
    merlin44 Posts: 426 ✭✭✭✭

    Wire, 5 strand, electric, keeps the goats in and possible predators out. The only occasional problem is wild pigs running into it, no damage, just have to restring a couple of strands of wire.

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    Awesome thanks for your input.

  • EarlKelly
    EarlKelly Posts: 230 ✭✭✭

    @Hassena absolutely 5 strands electric. Cut locust off the home farm for posts. They last forever. The 5 strands being electrified keep out unwanted predators. Has worked the best for us. You can find deals on craigslist for some supplies. Good luck.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    Yep, definitely need electric fencing. Goats can just about climb anything and you want to stay friends with the neighbours! Horse a tad easier, just don't need them leaning on the fence, thinking the other side is greener!

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    As for your chickens, just make sure your netting is moveable.

  • velokigate
    velokigate Posts: 6 ✭✭✭

    I, too, love mobile fencing...electric too, powered by solar. Fixed fencing tends to make your critters stay put. Mobile/movable fencing can allow you to begin to do rotational grazing...which is a win-win all the way around. Flexible, lightweight, pretty much indestructible posts are my favorite. Made from recycled PVC shavings, which comes from the extras and rejects from mobile home manufacturers, these posts are the berries. And the ones I use are made in the USA. Fencing is expensive so I want mine to WORK for it!

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    We've used portable electric poultry netting for a few years now. We love it, so do the birds. They know when we are moving them. The patiently wait to forage. As patient as a chicken can be.

    We did run a lot of electric wire. For the goats. We even ran some dummy wires. I think it's about 7 wires of electric. We didn't want the baby goats to get under the fence or tangled. Most of the wires are hot. We ran a few dummy strands to fill in gaps.

    We have now felled many trees. If edible the leaves went to the goats, then we chip the branches for mulch. The trunks are used as fence posts. Each with a bird house on top. My what a time it's been.

    Just over 2 acres are fenced in, then we'll seperate into smaller areas for rotational grazing.

    Thanks for your input

  • marcy_northlightsfarm
    marcy_northlightsfarm Posts: 103 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2020

    For those looking for low cost fencing for cattle and horses: We use the white electric tape, 1.5" wide for the horses.

    One paddock has two strands and the other has one. I want them to be able to see it if they decide to run around. It works well, I test the voltage frequently and it's always at least 5000 (5k) volts.

    My 10 heifers have 6 paddocks on 2.5 acres. They are aged 1 year to 1.5 years and also have the white tape with two strands on the perimeter next to the road and along a neighbors yard, I spaced steel posts about 35'.

    The back half next to trees and another pasture always had just a single strand poly wire, and posts are alternated between steel and fiberglass.

    The poly wire was getting old and several times every summer they got out. So I decided to try the poly rope for a couple reasons. One was visibility, I can see that the entire back half is up. Poly wire is thin. I have to hang strips of marking tape or I have no idea if it's up or not unless I walk fairly close to it.

    I'm very happy with the amount of visibility the rope has. That visibility helps as my heifers are experiencing pasture for the first time too. They tend to run around more than cows.

    The other reason I wanted the rope was for strength. If a heifer runs through poly wire it may break. Then a big section of my fence might lose power.

    I usually test voltage daily and since it's a small area with its own fence charger the voltage is normally between 5K and 7K volts. For cattle you never want it under 3.5K.

    The rest of our farm is fenced with a single strand of high tensile wire. Steel posts are spaced about 40' apart to form the paddocks. The paddocks are from three to thirteen acres. Within the paddocks a single strand poly wire is moved daily to give the cows about an acre and a half each day more or less depending on the growth of the grass. I usually string the poly wire on fiberglass posts about 12 to 14 paces apart.

    We divide the paddocks between two fence chargers because of the amount of wire and all the weeds that touch the wire. We try to keep the voltage around 5k, and never less than 3.5K.

    EDIT: Added paragraphs for better readability. 😉

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    hi @marcy_northlightsfarm

    I've heard cows and horses don't see the strands of electric wire fence. Our neighbor mentioned using the electric rope fencing. We'll probably run a few strands of it...when we are ready to add a horse to the farm.

    I think we'll have to add another charger too. Miles and miles of fencing. :)

    Thanks for adding the paragraphs. Lots of good info.