Age Old Fencing Questions

[farmerjan]

Lot of people here use the netting for chickens and love it. Have seen it being used by someone who uses goats to clean up pastures and fence rows and yeah, it's great as one person can move it easily by themselves.

 

[babsbag]

I have seen goat horns wrapped with vet wrap and pvc, seemed to work well. I had a problem kid this year that could put her head through a 4x4 square and then get stuck as she had a little scur. She would stick it through the fence or feeder on a daily basis. My new puppy decided one night goat ears were great chew toys so I moved the kid to yet another pen, only to have her do it again. And nothing on the other side except gravel...no greener grass. I finally gave up and gave the kid away, I was happy to see here go.

 

[Baymule]

Fence the outer parameter with the 2"x4" horse wire. Then is you want to do temporary cross fencing, use the hot wire. I would be too nervous to solely use electric wire as an outer fence.

 

[dejavoodoo114]

@Alexz7272 I went through the same problems and questions you are having. After tons of research, questions, doubts, and headache I chose high tensile electric. It took me 2 years of grumbling about the cost of fencing before I actually fenced a part of my property in with the high tensile. I love it for us. It puts out a serious zap with the solar charger we have on it and with the lower strands closer together it is both strong and unpleasant for any of the animals to touch. However, we have 32 acres total and that is/will be our perimeter fencing. We have not decided yet on what to use for cross fencing... lol The only headache with electric is the work to keep it clear. We spray but it is not easy. As Latestarter learned, East TN and KY's "rolling" hills are quite steep with lots of fun ravines!

 

[farmerjan]

There are alot of people that have gone to high tensile fencing. As long as it is hot then it isn't bad. It will not keep a fox or coyote from going under , and once they get a jolt, they will keep going through it as opposed to backing up. We HATE it with a passion, while we have neighbors with cattle that like it. Had coyotes running some some cattle one night, out of desperation I guess one of the calves (250-300 lbs) tried to go over. Got a back foot caught and the springyness of it wound up flipping over the hoof, and he hung upside down and was dead when we were checking the next morning. It was at a rented pasture and the people who live there had gone out and put on the outside lights so the coyotes would leave after they heard them. Have taken several deer out of it dead, or legs severely mangled so had to shoot them. It does stretch when a tree falls on it but after losing another 600 lb heifer that put her head through and somehow got tangled and wound up strangled, I would NEVER use it. Here they recommend every second or third wire be hot, and most fences here are 8 wires. We took down over 10 miles of it on a farm that had registered angus, years ago, when they lost 2 animals that got tangled up in it. If you do not keep it hot, the cattle put their heads through, and with the give they will keep pushing til they just get through it. And once they learn that they can push through it, they will not respect it unless they get zapped really bad. And yes, it was put up by professionals that do fencing for a living.
Any fence we replace on any pastures we rent, we will not put up high tensile as replacement. Gave up a nice place because the owners told us that was the best, only way to go. The ASCS suggests it, but alot of them are going to the new high tensile woven wire that has 12" stays as a second choice for these programs that require the fencing out of streams and woods. As an easy way to semi-permanently cross-fence, single or 2 strands, it's fine if it is hot.
Not trying to be negative, just wanted you to know that it is not considered the best end all fence here in our neck of the woods. And we have some pretty steep and rough terrain here too in the foothills of the Alleghaneys.

 

[dejavoodoo114]

I would think it would be useless without a heck of a zap. We have the bottom 3 wires hot where our goats are. They don't like the zap but we did have them in a smaller area first with welded wire behind the high tensile electric to teach them to back up when zapped. We do not have to worry about predators in our pastures because of our LGD's, so it doesn't bother me in the least that predators could get in. We wouldn't want our boys to get bored.

 

[babsbag]

I have 2x4 no climb fence with a hot wire, I used the polywire for my hot wire. I have thought of going to the aluminum or steel hot wire on the bottom as sometimes my goats will break the wire, (don't ask me how). But I would rather they break it and cause me work than getting tangled in it and getting dead or injured.

Thanks @farmerjan for the words of warning. High tensile fencing and aluminum hot wire isn't all the different.

 

[farmerjan]

I have 2x4 no climb fence with a hot wire, I used the polywire for my hot wire. I have thought of going to the aluminum or steel hot wire on the bottom as sometimes my goats will break the wire, (don't ask me how). But I would rather they break it and cause me work than getting tangled in it and getting dead or injured.

Thanks @farmerjan for the words of warning. High tensile fencing and aluminum hot wire isn't all the different.

The aluminum wire will break, the high tensile will not. Have had both as the "hot top wire". We have often used the polywire too and I would rather deal with fixing it than losing an animal too. We often run barbed wire on the top of a woven wire fence and if put on insulators, doesn't take much to make it hot.

 

[ldawntaylor]

@ldawntaylor That is what I was hoping to hear!

I'm glad to see you are getting some good input. I am fortunate that my goats don't really try to get out and my dogs keep the potential predators out. For me the system I've got has worked well. Although it may not in other areas or other temperments in the animals.