Cattle got through 4 rung barbed wire fence. Advice?

[M.Magis]

In my experience with some pretty old dodgy fences an individual cow might push through a weak spot but rarely will a group go through. If a group gets out I go looking for another spot where the fence might be down completely. Is it possible that a gate got opened and maybe a neighbour closed it so no more could get out.

Ken

Agree, one out could be a loose wire. All of them is usually a bigger problem.
I'll also add, this is the reason I no longer build or trust 4 wire fences. The gaps are large enough to let them reach through if they see something the like, and over time that just loosens everything. Deer also go right through 4 wire and loosen it up. Since I went to 6 tight wires, that ended all reachers and deer go over instead of through.

 

[Dave]

I live in a county which is open range. I get nervous if there aren't cows on the road because I know they are lurking somewhere waiting to pounce out. Fences here are more of a suggestion than a barrier. If I were worried about critters escaping I would have electricity 12 inches inside the fence. Maybe 2 strands of hot wire.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Agree, one out could be a loose wire. All of them is usually a bigger problem.
I'll also add, this is the reason I no longer build or trust 4 wire fences. The gaps are large enough to let them reach through if they see something the like, and over time that just loosens everything. Deer also go right through 4 wire and loosen it up. Since I went to 6 tight wires, that ended all reachers and deer go over instead of through.

Five strands and three hot work real well.
I hate fixing fence and don't because of a bovine.

 

[Timmer]

Can you take a pic of the hole and maybe the H brace set up?

That will really help people give good, specific suggestions.

Hot wire is definitely a good option short term while you get things situated.

I am of the same belief that fence in just a mental barrier. In sand you will never be able to keep the wires super tight. An extra wire or two may help, hot wire, or even a net wire of sorts. Most all that will require fairly solid corners.

Is there is 7' of post buried in the dirt plus 5' or so above ground (12'-ish total) or are the posts 7' long in total?

I appreciate everyone's input!

We are not a big operation. Our pasture is 4 acres. The cattle that escaped were yearlings that arrived 2 weeks ago, so they are new to the environment and still relatively small. I'm sort of an "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" kind of guy when it comes to building stuff. The first time I met a neighboring farmer he said "I don't even want to talk to you.... your fence makes the rest of us look bad." My corner posts are 12' 6x6 with 7' under ground. My other posts are 10' apart. The top wire is at 52". Rungs are 12" apart. I have high tensile barbed wire and it's is stretched tight. I can't take a picture of the hole as it's been fixed. Here are some pics

 

[BFE]

We've had a couple of the oil well pumpers leave the south gate wide open. And can clearly see the tracks where my herd wandered across the road to the neighbors wheat field. And yet, as soon as I discover an open gate and take a complete inventory, they're all back where they belong. I get trying out "the grass is always greener", but darn lucky my herd realizes they have a good thing going on and come home.

Wow, that's crazy. Pumpers around here are pretty good about respecting the farm. Most pumpers have the oil patch bug, that's all they've ever done and all they ever will do, so they don't want to screw it up. Beats working on a pulling unit.

 

[TCRanch]

Wow, that's crazy. Pumpers around here are pretty good about respecting the farm. Most pumpers have the oil patch bug, that's all they've ever done and all they ever will do, so they don't want to screw it up. Beats working on a pulling unit.

One of the pumpers is not only from around here but also has cattle, so he's pretty good about closing the gates. The other one? Sometimes he'll leave the gate open if he doesn't see any cattle but clearly doesn't realize how fast they can travel.

 

[Brute 23]

I appreciate everyone's input!

We are not a big operation. Our pasture is 4 acres. The cattle that escaped were yearlings that arrived 2 weeks ago, so they are new to the environment and still relatively small. I'm sort of an "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" kind of guy when it comes to building stuff. The first time I met a neighboring farmer he said "I don't even want to talk to you.... your fence makes the rest of us look bad." My corner posts are 12' 6x6 with 7' under ground. My other posts are 10' apart. The top wire is at 52". Rungs are 12" apart. I have high tensile barbed wire and it's is stretched tight. I can't take a picture of the hole as it's been fixed. Here are some pics

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Nice place.

I would be tempted to put a steal tpost between the wood posts. 10' is a conservative spacing by most standards but with yearlings they are going to find any little point of weakness.

You could always run a hot wire or two inside of that also, as suggested.

 

[Stickney94]

I appreciate everyone's input!

We are not a big operation. Our pasture is 4 acres. The cattle that escaped were yearlings that arrived 2 weeks ago, so they are new to the environment and still relatively small. I'm sort of an "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" kind of guy when it comes to building stuff. The first time I met a neighboring farmer he said "I don't even want to talk to you.... your fence makes the rest of us look bad." My corner posts are 12' 6x6 with 7' under ground. My other posts are 10' apart. The top wire is at 52". Rungs are 12" apart. I have high tensile barbed wire and it's is stretched tight. I can't take a picture of the hole as it's been fixed. Here are some pics

You are in MN -- which I'm guessing means you maybe got a fair amount of snow, ice and drifting this winter? If you did it's possible your "tight" wires were damaged and/or broken by winter wear. When you tighten things up to let out the cattle the new tension causes the fracture. I have some winter damage I need to fix. And I've learned that after tightening I should go inspect later that day or the next to see if the new tension had caused any new fails.

 

[coachg]

One strand of hot wire and a solar charger is your answer . Fence was probably slack enough they went through it . Barbed wire fences are an obstacle not a wall they can't go through.

 

[Warren Allison]

I appreciate everyone's input!

We are not a big operation. Our pasture is 4 acres. The cattle that escaped were yearlings that arrived 2 weeks ago, so they are new to the environment and still relatively small. I'm sort of an "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" kind of guy when it comes to building stuff. The first time I met a neighboring farmer he said "I don't even want to talk to you.... your fence makes the rest of us look bad." My corner posts are 12' 6x6 with 7' under ground. My other posts are 10' apart. The top wire is at 52". Rungs are 12" apart. I have high tensile barbed wire and it's is stretched tight. I can't take a picture of the hole as it's been fixed. Here are some pics

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Yeah, with just 4 acres, a couple of hot wires is the way to go. 10' spacing is about the minimum for a barbed wire fence. Standard spacing in fencing is usually 8'. @Brute 23 suggested putting a T -post between each set of wood posts, and that is an excellent idea. As far as that goes, wouldn't be all that expensive on 4 acres tro do both.

 

[Travlr]

I appreciate everyone's input!

We are not a big operation. Our pasture is 4 acres. The cattle that escaped were yearlings that arrived 2 weeks ago, so they are new to the environment and still relatively small. I'm sort of an "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" kind of guy when it comes to building stuff. The first time I met a neighboring farmer he said "I don't even want to talk to you.... your fence makes the rest of us look bad." My corner posts are 12' 6x6 with 7' under ground. My other posts are 10' apart. The top wire is at 52". Rungs are 12" apart. I have high tensile barbed wire and it's is stretched tight. I can't take a picture of the hole as it's been fixed. Here are some pics

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Looking at your fence and the three yearlings, and 4 acres... I'd say they are hungry if they are going through that fence. The pasture looks short and dry. In the picture the heifers are in good flesh and nice looking animals, but in my experience animals that size rarely go through a good fence unless there is a reason.

Of course there are always exceptions. I did bring a heifer home once that didn't respect fences at all. But she didn't lead any of the rest through the fence and she took a trip to the sale barn in a week after being out every day, sometimes more than once.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

When we first moved to SW Oregon the fences were a joke of leaning barb wire held together with baling twine. The ranch across the road leased the place for cattle. Almost every night we would hear people honking their horns because black cattle were loose on the state highway. And we'd go out for yet another midnight rodeo. Sometimes, locals beat us to it, got out and open the gates to run the cattle back in, thats how used to this they had become.

My husband says he's too old to dig post holes. So he fenced the entire perimeter in cattle panels with wood posts every 16' and a T post between and I helped. Now the fences are horse safe. What the cattle had been doing was sticking their noses under the barb wire and lifting to get to the grass on the otherside, then fence crawl though. Some places it's just a long solid hedgerow of blackberry thickets. The fence is in there somewhere but hasn't been seen in years.

 

[moses388]

Some of our fences are located in areas that were difficult to get to in the first place. We had to cut trails through downed trees in order to get an ATV in closer to some areas, and then climb on foot carrying materials the last several 100 feet.

That's what I do, too. However, I'm not running thousands of acres like others.

 

[anewcomer]

A 5 strand barbed wire fence will never match the holding capacity of a one wire electric fence, for cattle trained to electric fence, at 1/10 the cost.

 

[CowboyRam]

This time of year they are looking for green grass. Once the head is through the rest of the body follows. A hot wire would make they respect the fence.

 

[debbiea]

YOUR TIME AND MONEY IS BETTER SPENT PUTTING UP WOVEN WIRE FENCE. RATHER THAN CHASING COWS. IT WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF MISERY IN THE LONG RUN. IT WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND TO SEE AN ANIMAL CUT TO PIECES IN BARB WIRE.

 

[50/50Farms]

YOUR TIME AND MONEY IS BETTER SPENT PUTTING UP WOVEN WIRE FENCE. RATHER THAN CHASING COWS. IT WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF MISERY IN THE LONG RUN. IT WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND TO SEE AN ANIMAL CUT TO PIECES IN BARB WIRE.

Ma'am (I'm assuming), a net wire fence is neither inescapable nor excessively less likely to yield an injured beef.

 

[CowboyRam]

YOUR TIME AND MONEY IS BETTER SPENT PUTTING UP WOVEN WIRE FENCE. RATHER THAN CHASING COWS. IT WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF MISERY IN THE LONG RUN. IT WOULD CHANGE YOUR MIND TO SEE AN ANIMAL CUT TO PIECES IN BARB WIRE.

If you are going to use that junk, you might as well put up that heavy wire cow panels; it's expensive, but at least they won't push it down. I would rather deal with barbed wire than woven wire. A five or six wire barbed wire would probably serve him better.

 

[gman4691]

The t-posts between the wooden posts is a good idea…a hot wire or two is also a nice addition…I am currently working on "reviving" perimeter and cross fencing on 110 acres - using 5 strands instead of 4 and in some cases, 7 strands - most corners are steel posts/h-braces set in concrete…if using the t-post idea, buy the longer t-posts - you might be able to hit some stiffer soil beneath the sand

 

[wbvs58]

The OP said that the fence was in some pretty rough terrain which would make it difficult to stretch out woven wire if it runs over rocky outcrops.
The country that my cows got through the fence just recently is very rough, steep, rocky outcrops, heavily timbered. Earlier this year I started on replacing one section and will continue to do more over the next few years. The fence I am putting up is only 3 strands of barb wire with a good, not great steel strainer post each end of each run, it changes direction a lot and steel (T posts) posts in between. I tie the wire off to the posts with 2mm tie wire which is not overly thick as I want that to be a bit sacrificial when the inevitible tree or branch comes down on it. 3 strands is a lot less to sort out and repair than 4 or 5 strands when damage occurs. I am very happy with the section I replaced last summer. The 3 strands kept firm is more than enough of a deterrent for my cows in this situation. There is nothing immediately on the other side of the fence to entice them through, further down the hill there is good feed but that is well out of sight of them and basically they are linear thinkers so my daughter tells me.

Ken