Electric Fence

[Anonymous]

I need to put up an electric fence to keep my bull in. He is walking through the barbed wire. My question is - will the 17 gage (thin) wire be as effective as the 12.5 gage (thick) wire and what would be the advantages/disavantages of each. This is Tuesday and I need to do this tomorrow, so any and all quick replys are appreciated.

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[Anonymous]

My experiance is that the smaller gage wire won't last as long and will break much easier. I won't use anything but the larger gage wire from now on.

Just my 3 cents!

I need to put up an electric fence
> to keep my bull in. He is walking
> through the barbed wire. My
> question is - will the 17 gage
> (thin) wire be as effective as the
> 12.5 gage (thick) wire and what
> would be the
> advantages/disavantages of each.
> This is Tuesday and I need to do
> this tomorrow, so any and all
> quick replys are appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

> I need to put up an electric fence
> to keep my bull in. He is walking
> through the barbed wire. My
> question is - will the 17 gage
> (thin) wire be as effective as the
> 12.5 gage (thick) wire and what
> would be the
> advantages/disavantages of each.
> This is Tuesday and I need to do
> this tomorrow, so any and all
> quick replys are appreciated.

the amount of voltage will stop him and thickness of the wire will carry it better. i use the rope kind with nine wires in it and it works good, once they get a feel and they can see it so they avoid it. your dealer can also give you more info.



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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

> My experiance is that the smaller
> gage wire won't last as long and
> will break much easier. I won't
> use anything but the larger gage
> wire from now on.

> Just my 3 cents!

Use the 12.5 gauge and use a 6 wire configuration with posts at least 50 feet apart with "spacers" every 25 feet.This will give it more "elasticity" and will hold your bull.This is the configuration I have used and have had good results.(Make sure it is hot!)

> I need to put up an electric fence



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[Anonymous]

The key to the effectiveness of your electric fence lies in the strength of the charger and in your ground rods.

We use a 12 volt charger for bulls and it works well. Most chargers on the market are 6 volt.

I like to use the thicker wire when I can get it, but the thinner wire will work provided the rest of your system is set up properly.

We have used 2 hot wires on the inside of an old field fence, plus one hot wire along the top of the fence. That has always worked well for us.

You do need to ground your charger very, very well for it to work. Several ground rods are far better than one - and don't use old T posts for ground rods. Get copper rods and drive them deep. A good one here costs about $12 at our electrical supply house.

When reinforcing an old fence we use extender insulators that keep the hot wire away from the old fence - less chance of odd bits of wire shorting out the fence.

Your bull may challenge the fence once or twice, so check it carefully the first few days.

To be honest, I wouldn't even go to the work of putting up the wire with anything less than a 12 volt system.

> I need to put up an electric fence
> to keep my bull in. He is walking
> through the barbed wire. My
> question is - will the 17 gage
> (thin) wire be as effective as the
> 12.5 gage (thick) wire and what
> would be the
> advantages/disavantages of each.
> This is Tuesday and I need to do
> this tomorrow, so any and all
> quick replys are appreciated.

 

[Anonymous]

Funny how some are quick to be sensitive and humane when it comes to hotshots but can get downright technical and detailed when describing how to string up an electric fence that will knock a bull all the way into next week.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Logic, eh? Is that the name your mother gave you at birth, or is it easier to make snide remarks anonymously?

With a hot wire, the bull has a choice. He is not confined in a small space with a human, who may or may not know what he or she is doing, poking at him with a hotshot. A hotshot may occasionally have a place, but I prefer not to use one, and have never had the need to use one with our herd.

As for "knocking the bull all the way into next week" that's an exaggeration & you know it. Bumping into one of our hot wires will give a good elbow or shoulder zing, but it certainly won't knock me to the ground. The bulls outweigh me by about 1600#.

And, that's about all the effort I'm going to put into trying to educate someone who acts, and apparently wants to remain, ignorant.

> Funny how some are quick to be
> sensitive and humane when it comes
> to hotshots but can get downright
> technical and detailed when
> describing how to string up an
> electric fence that will knock a
> bull all the way into next week.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Sock it to 'em Linda...lol.

 

[Anonymous]

> Logic, eh? Is that the name your
> mother gave you at birth, or is it
> easier to make snide remarks
> anonymously?

Would you have taken it better if I put "Bob" or "Sally" or "Rafter X Ranch"? What difference does it make what name is used? It's the point that counts.

> With a hot wire, the bull has a
> choice. He is not confined in a
> small space with a human, who may
> or may not know what he or she is
> doing, poking at him with a
> hotshot. A hotshot may
> occasionally have a place, but I
> prefer not to use one, and have
> never had the need to use one with
> our herd.

The bull has a choice? He has a choice with a hotshot too. What, do you think people lock animals in a squeeze cute and stand there and work them over with a prod? He can move forward, or he can continue to be stubborn and take it. He won't stand there any longer than he would keep leaning into your electric fence. As far as the person knowing what they are doing, we're not talking quantum physics here. If you have never needed a hotshot you haven't worked cattle much. Or, as someone else said, you're running pets.

> As for "knocking the bull all
> the way into next week"
> that's an exaggeration & you
> know it. Bumping into one of our
> hot wires will give a good elbow
> or shoulder zing, but it certainly
> won't knock me to the ground. The
> bulls outweigh me by about 1600#.

It's not an exaggeration, it's a colloquialism. A hotshot won't knock you to the ground either.

> And, that's about all the effort
> I'm going to put into trying to
> educate someone who acts, and
> apparently wants to remain,
> ignorant.

I might not have much formal schooling, but ignorant I'm not. Not when it comes to working cattle. Been doing ranch work all my life. And I don't abuse livestock. But I don't try to develop personal relationships with them either.

 

[Anonymous]

> Would you have taken it better if
> I put "Bob" or "Sally" or "Rafter
> X Ranch"? What difference does it
> make what name is used? It's the
> point that counts.

> The bull has a choice? He has a
> choice with a hotshot too. What,
> do you think people lock animals
> in a squeeze cute and stand there
> and work them over with a prod? He
> can move forward, or he can
> continue to be stubborn and take
> it. He won't stand there any
> longer than he would keep leaning
> into your electric fence. As far
> as the person knowing what they
> are doing, we're not talking
> quantum physics here. If you have
> never needed a hotshot you haven't
> worked cattle much. Or, as someone
> else said, you're running pets.

> It's not an exaggeration, it's a
> colloquialism. A hotshot won't
> knock you to the ground either.

> I might not have much formal
> schooling, but ignorant I'm not.
> Not when it comes to working
> cattle. Been doing ranch work all
> my life. And I don't abuse
> livestock. But I don't try to
> develop personal relationships
> with them either.

Well since I started all this hoopfla by asking a couple of questions - let me say thanks for the advise and various ideas given. I do have a "petable" relationship with my bull, I don't need to use a hot shot on him, but I do want to Knock him into next week if he won't stay out of the next pasture! Sounds only logical to me, not that some logic seems to be missing from -----.

Anyway, thanks for the information and it is good to have a discussion that is somewhat controversial and illogical on occasion.



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[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

Check on the internet for electric fenceing. You will be surprised at the info that is there. I have learned a lot



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