Electric Fence Advice

[clarkmorefarm]

If your cows are leaning that hard on your fence, you are not grazing properly! You move your cows to the next pasture when the height of the grass is down to 3-4 inches, NOT into the dirt! Additionally, if it takes longer to graze the pasture down to a height of 2-4 inches than a week, your pasture needs to be smaller.

If your cows are pushing that hard on your fence, I'll guarantee that they should have been moved to the next pasture before now.

I get what you're saying, but in the dead of winter when we had a drought last summer?

Not much I can do for any of that.

No stock pile and really no grass. Heifers just occasionally are reaching under the bottom wire.

 

[clarkmorefarm]

Thanks for all the tips. More things to think over. I'll admit I was thinking I would need an insulator for every t post vs every 50 ft or so.

I'm not worried as much about the perimeter fence right now. The cows have actually cleaned it up a lot and get in the hedges for shade sometimes. Maybe silly to only have electric on cross fences and more open perimeter, but where it is grown up it is almost like a hedge row, they can't see through it and it's winter now, will likely only grow up more in spring/summer.

 

[cowman82]

i always have hay in the next pen, separating hundreds of cows with 1 strand of wire. then I go out and unroll it all with tthem standing there waiting on me. sometimes they'll try to push each other into the wire but they'll jump on each other rather than touch it.

get rid of the insulators and use fiberglass posts. get rid of the interior barb wire fences. i ripped out miles of nice 5 strand barb wire and its 1000x nicer to be able to mow under the fences and not lose calves that can't get under.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

While we are on the fencing subject, anyone try Timeless fence posts that Greg Judy speaks of? They are T posts but poly (UHMW, I believe)

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I bought a place with round fiberglass line posts on it. When they were new I'm sure they were nice. Now a dozen years later i don't like walking within 2 feet of them jokers for fear of fiberglass slivers getting on every inch of my body. The outer layers of fiberglass are shedding and it's not uncommon to see strands blowing across the field.

 

[chaded]

While we are on the fencing subject, anyone try Timeless fence posts that Greg Judy speaks of? They are T posts but poly (UHMW, I believe)

I use them and they have held up well. My perimeter fencing that has road frontage is high tensile woven wire but everything else is timeless posts with electric.

I use 1.25" fiberglass rods driven 3.5-4' into the ground for ends/corners, one driven straight and another driven at a 45 degree angle and bolted to the straight rod. I use timeless for line posts between.

Cattle don't touch it because it is hot of course and deer can smack the fence at full speed and it does absolutely nothing to the fence.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

I use them and they have held up well. My perimeter fencing that has road frontage is high tensile woven wire but everything else is timeless posts with electric.

I use 1.25" fiberglass rods driven 3.5-4' into the ground for ends/corners, one driven straight and another driven at a 45 degree angle and bolted to the straight rod. I use timeless for line posts between.

Cattle don't touch it because it is hot of course and deer can smack the fence at full speed and it does absolutely nothing to the fence.

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at them for a while. My concern is driving them into the ground, but I figure if I do it in April when the ground is still wet, it'll help. Did you drive yours with a maul ?

 

[chaded]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at them for a while. My concern is driving them into the ground, but I figure if I do it in April when the ground is still wet, it'll help. Did you drive yours with a maul ?

I use a standard 16 pound fence pounder. You are only driving them 18" deep. As long as you aren't trying to drive them through solid rock or a big tree root they are easy to drive.

 

[GreyGus]

I am a novice myself, but this is what I learned trying to rehab old fences, and now building new ones.

When we bought our 40 acres 9 years ago. The only fence that enclosed anything was a three board horse fence around the front pasture, about 13 acres. The south side borders another farm and he had a woven wire division fence that he doesn't maintain.

There had been no livestock on our place for over a decade. My first improvement was going over the three board fence and replacing any broken boards or posts, my herd at the time was two bred angus heifers and 1 yearling heifer.

I was soon noticing broken boards, usually the middle one. The older boards I had left had weakened with age, and the heifers would rub on them to help shed their winter coats. I got tried of constantly replacing boards individually, so I went back over the entire fence, replaced anything that seemed questionable and then ran Gallagher poly wire on 5 inch standoffs around the field. Last summer I had as many as 6 cows, 6 calves and a bull out there, no problems at all. Having the poly wire around the perimeter of the field makes it real ready to do mob grazing, just a few minutes with a cross wire and step in plastic posts.

We are just finishing up getting new perimeter fence around the rest of the property. Treated round posts, woven wire with one strand of barbed wire on top. I will be adding a poly wire using 5 inch standoffs on every other post, connected to a solar charger. This may seem like overkill, but it will keep the cows from leaning on the fence, and will hopefully keep the two goats my wife wants on the property.

I use the heavy weight Gallagher poly wire for all cross fencing and temporary fence for rotational grazing purposes. The wire is expensive, but easy to use and reuse when kept on reels. Also recommend their fence tester that points you to grounding faults.

I still have a lot to learn, and will make mistakes, but I want to make sure I keep my animals confined to my property.

 

[chaded]

Thanks for the feedback. I've been looking at them for a while. My concern is driving them into the ground, but I figure if I do it in April when the ground is still wet, it'll help. Did you drive yours with a maul ?

I just finished another section and thought I would share what I do. The first post in the picture is a 1.25" rod driven 3.5 feet and angled opposite the way it will want to pull. Unless you hit rock, these are easy to drive too even with the blunt end.

The line posts are timeless posts. The wire spacing from bottom is 12", 24", and 36" and all are very hot. This setup is really nice where there are a lot of deer, trees, hills, etc.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

I just finished another section and thought I would share what I do. The first post in the picture is a 1.25" rod driven 3.5 feet and angled opposite the way it will want to pull. Unless you hit rock, these are easy to drive too even with the blunt end.

The line posts are timeless posts. The wire spacing from bottom is 12", 24", and 36" and all are very hot. This setup is really nice where there are a lot of deer, trees, hills, etc.

View attachment 55258

Awesome. Thanks for sharing. I ordered 20 of the 2.125, 5.5 footers a week ago. They look pretty stout Got some more snow to melt, etc. but I'm hoping to try them out this April.

 

[WAnabee]

While we are on the fencing subject, anyone try Timeless fence posts that Greg Judy speaks of? They are T posts but poly (UHMW, I believe)

I really like them so far, had them in for 3-4 years. No broken insulators, no shorts. They drive easier than you might expect, though not quite as well as steel t post. Had a cedar fall along (not across) a section of fence. Cut the cedar off, tension the wire, good to go.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

I really like them so far, had them in for 3-4 years. No broken insulators, no shorts. They drive easier than you might expect, though not quite as well as steel t post. Had a cedar fall along (not across) a section of fence. Cut the cedar off, tension the wire, good to go.
View attachment 55260
View attachment 55261

Ole super Greg says he spaces them 20 feet on flat ground. You finding that too little, too much or just right?

 

[WAnabee]

Ole super Greg says he spaces them 20 feet on flat ground. You finding that too little, too much or just right?

I think 20 feet would be just fine. Mine are at 12 and seems like overkill.

 

[cowman82]

i space mine as far as the ground will let me. easier to mow under.


as far as splinters from the fiberglass. you have to paint them and keep them painted. I prepainted mine with a paint/primer in one with a paint mitt. put 2 coats on and they've been in for a few years now and the paint is holding up well.

 

[chaded]

20 feet is perfectly fine on flat ground. Most of mine range from 10-15 feet due to terrain.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

as far as splinters from the fiberglass. you have to paint them and keep them painted. I prepainted mine with a paint/primer in one with a paint mitt. put 2 coats on and they've been in for a few years now and the paint is holding up well.

I've got thousands of Tposts in the ground. I can't imagine having to go thru and paint them all.

 

[chaded]

If i had to paint every post I wouldn't be going that route. Thankfully I only have a few for corners and bends and some are mostly shaded so there isn't many to paint. The timeless line posts don't need to be painted. I have had some for around 10 years with no sign of the coating needing anything.

 

[Ridgefarmer63]

If i had to paint every post I wouldn't be going that route. Thankfully I only have a few for corners and bends and some are mostly shaded so there isn't many to paint. The timeless line posts don't need to be painted. I have had some for around 10 years with no sign of the coating needing anything.

I agree. The Timeless posts that just arrived the other day look to have an outter coating, almost similar to gel coat on a boat. I'd think that'd stand up but that sun can be a sum bitch. Time will tell.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

The timeless ones are PVC not fiberglass. Curious how they hold up overtime. PVC pipe tends to gets brittle in the UV light and extreme cold.