electric fencing for rotational grazing suppliers

[cowmomma]

We are expanding our herd and are on an old ranch with poor fences. We want to do a better job with rotational grazing.
The design we laid out has permanently fenced lanes for driving on and moving the herd. We have no experience with electric fences. But, we think they are what we need for the interior fences. Should we also use them to ring the perimeter- instead of replacing the existing 5 strand barb wire or keep patching like we have been. Who is a good supplier, what is a good brand, What are we talking price per 1/4 mile? The total acreage of land we are talking about fencing is 170 acres. It is 3/4 or better pasture. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Anonymous]

If you own the land I would slowly replace the 5 strand barb wire. You could then use electric for cross fence. Gallagher makes some of the best equipment out there. Prices vary from place to place. I have tried electric free standing but have never liked it. I do like electric along with barb wire to keep animals seperated or stock panels with electric. I used electric for cross fences untill I could change them out to barb wire. JMO

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

I use Speedrite fencers after trying pretty much everything in the book. PEL builds a good fencer too.

Don't let a salesman blow smoke either. You need moderate voltage (9000 volts maximum is plenty. In normal use, that'll drop down to 4000 or 5000). The important number is your energy, usually quoted in Joules. Also be careful, as some fencers rate in output joules (this is the important number as its what actually makes it out on the fence) and others rate in stored energy, which isn't much use. Often, a poor fencer will throw half its stored energy out on the fence and lose the other half due to use of lower quality capacitor. A higher quality capacitor can deliver more of its stored energy. Speedrite and PEL both use high quality capacitors that will deliver about 2/3s of their stored energy. I wouldn't recommend less than 3 Joules of output energy. I use a 5800 with 5.3J output. The only time I've had animals out was when a couple trees fell across the fence, effectively killing 1/2 mile of fence.

Not sure about the PELs, but the Speedrites are totally modular. If the unit dies, it can likely be fixed easily, and often, cheaply. I think the most expensive part in my neighbors 9800 was $80 Cdn, although that was a few years ago, so prices could have changed.

Rod

 

[Texas PaPaw]

On leased places with less than desirable fences, I use an electric offset wire on the perimeter fences. IMO-Is cheaper & more effective than repairing leased fences. Offset electric also keeps cattle from pushing and rubbing on the barbwire, greatly lengthening the life and reducing the ongoing maintenance on the barbed wire. I use one wire electric for all interior fences, including lanes. For the first 2-3 years, until I'm sure I have the correct layout, I use polywire for crossfencing. Polywire & 1/2in fiberglass rod corners are very easy to install or reconfigure during the learning process. When I'm sure I have the correct layout, as the time and need allows, will replace the polywire with soft 14 ga wire. Have tried hi-tensile, IMO too difficult to work with & unnecessary for interior fences. Hi-tensile makes extremely durable perimeter fences.

Purchase most of my fence supplies from Kencove. They have top quality, competitvely priced products and are great to do business with. Ship most products UPS and get them in 3-4 days.Their catalog has many good fencing tips. I have attached a link to their website.

http://www.kencove.com/

You should be able to construct 1/4 mi 1-wire 14ga for less than $100, depending on terrain, corners, etc. I use 3/8 fiberglass rods for line posts, 1/2 in fg for polywire corners & larger fg for 14ga corners. Fiberglass is self-insulating & acts as a spring to keep the wire tight. The less metal (posts, etc) you have near your electric fence the less problems you will have with shorts. FWIW do not skimp on your energizer! When the grass is grown up into the fence, you will need a powerful energizer to maintain the needed voltage. For 170 acres the Kencove 6 is the smallest energizer I would consider. Even the Kencove 12 would not be overkill.

Best wishes & regards

Brock

 

[Dusty Britches]

Let's say I put up an e-fence and I use T-Posts. I put the insulators for T-Posts on. Can I wire my ground wire to the T-Posts and use them as a ground, or should I put in 3-6 grounding rods?

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Let's say I put up an e-fence and I use T-Posts. I put the insulators for T-Posts on. Can I wire my ground wire to the T-Posts and use them as a ground, or should I put in 3-6 grounding rods?

Dusty

Adequate grounding is a key component to electric fencing. Grounding to a t-post would only be adequate for a short distance of portable fence. IMO-For the fence to have maximum effectiveness, especially in dry soil, a minimum of 3 ground rods 6ft in length driven into the ground along the roof line on the north side of a building would be best. Roof line runoff provides more moisture and the north side is in the pm shade. Another good ground is to attach the ground wire to a galvanized culvert with a metal screw. In shallow soil, you can bury a piece of galvanized sheet metal and attach with a metal screw.

Thanks for bringing up the grounding issue, as it is critical for electric fencing.

Regards

Brock

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

To add to Brock's post: We're pretty wet up north here, but we still need 1 ground for every 2 joules of fencer output for proper operation. This gives you enough grounding to be fault tolerant against grass on the fenceline, and will help the fence burn off any grass buildup. I also like to run 4 wire electric, with the bottom wire being a continuous circuit and hooked up to the fencers ground. If the soil is froze or really dry, then the cow will always ground out as she sticks her head through the fence.

Rod