We have a 3 strand electric fence with a 4th strand as a ground wire that will not hold calves. These calves average 450 - 500 pounds. The fence will hold bulls and cows but the calves walk through it at will. Is there an electric fence that will hold calves? Thanks for any help.
Fencing for Calves
- Thread starter Mosho
- Start date
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We keep ours in with double strand electric. If they do go through it (and it is only once that they do), they get hit, and that is the end of that. Make sure nothing is laying on it anywhere, or that it hasn't come off of an insulator and is snapping againt a post.
codymccue
Well-known member
use electric for the horses,barbs for the cattle.
heard tell that if they get their head thru before gettin zapped they'll go forward...might haveta close the space between the wires if yer set on electric.
heard tell that if they get their head thru before gettin zapped they'll go forward...might haveta close the space between the wires if yer set on electric.
birdog
Well-known member
We use a single hot wire to hold all of our animals on a lease place we have. We use survey flagging tape to mark the wire. The bright colors get the calves attention and when they get curious and sneek up to take a sniff of the tape they get zapped and it sets them back on their heels and they never get close again. If they get their head under the wire and get hit anywhere behind the ears they will go forward. That is why we flag the wire, we want them to see it and check it out from curiosity. It's kinda funny to watch one get zapped for the first time. Good luck.
birdog":1bbhz8r2 said:
Hi birddog,
Interesting....a single wire....no barb wire after? What height is this single hot wire...and what kind of UPS back-up supply do you have to insure things for electrical outtages? thanks.
5minpins
Well-known member
you can also wire soda or beer cans at nose level on the hotwire, put the calves in and they will go stick their nose or lick the can before sticking their heads thru or under the wire. usually takes one hit then they stay away. I have had some luck with the pop cans for foals and have friends who use it to teach cattle about hotwire.
Mosho":1x0m7r81 said:
Yep! An animal that is new to electric fencing tends to jump through the fence when they get zapped. To eliminate that problem, you might want to consider fence training them in a solid pen with a good, strong fencer. That way they cannot leap through the fence when they get zapped, the zap has teeth, and they will learn to respect it. Yes, it's a little extra time and work - but it beats the hell out of having to round them up at all hours of the night and day! ;-) :nod:
grannysoo
Well-known member
All it takes is once with a good hot fence and they're trained. Looks like your fence is not hot.
grannysoo":1drqfw7u said:
I agree, up to a point. We had one calf that I think enjoyed it. He would walk under the wire with it rubbing on his back sparking, snapping and crackling and it never phased him a bit.
SRBeef
Well-known member
I moved the cows and calves from one pasture to another yesterday. Had one spot that I put up a sort "bluff wire" - looked hot but wasn't - to get the cows around a corner. I don't usually use this but there was not a convenient way to make this short wire hot without going back to the shed...
Cows just followed along where I wanted them but a couple calves came up and sniffed the bluff (dead) wire - then darted underneath into a pasture that wasn't ready yet.
This reminded me of something I guess I knew already, NEVER leave an electric fence off, especially for calves. They can tell when a wire is hot or not.
Then to complicate matters, the calves are then in the wrong pasture with a very hot live wire around it - can't get them to go back through the bluff opening but they follow along the hot wire alongside the cows who are in the correct pasture bawling for mom. They won't go near the hot wire!
Ended up letting the cows in with the calves - messed up my whole rotation for a day or so.
Reminder for myself: Don't leave a wire not energized, especially with calves.
Cows just followed along where I wanted them but a couple calves came up and sniffed the bluff (dead) wire - then darted underneath into a pasture that wasn't ready yet.
This reminded me of something I guess I knew already, NEVER leave an electric fence off, especially for calves. They can tell when a wire is hot or not.
Then to complicate matters, the calves are then in the wrong pasture with a very hot live wire around it - can't get them to go back through the bluff opening but they follow along the hot wire alongside the cows who are in the correct pasture bawling for mom. They won't go near the hot wire!
Ended up letting the cows in with the calves - messed up my whole rotation for a day or so.
Reminder for myself: Don't leave a wire not energized, especially with calves.
Some of our baby calves (1-2 days old) find our single wire fence and quickly learn that they cannot cut the corners - they might make it under one side but not the other and then we have to go un-plug the fence and run them back into the pasture - and from then on they respect it and we usually don't have any problems with them wanting to eat the grass/get out on the opposite side. I think that the voltage might just be the only problem
S&S Farms
Well-known member
Is your fencer large enough for the area you have fenced off. Guessing you have a short somwhere.
You can put egg cartons on the line as an visual also easier than wiring cans on.
Jeff
You can put egg cartons on the line as an visual also easier than wiring cans on.
Jeff
5minpins
Well-known member
S&S Farms":3ozxka6l said:
the point of wiring up cans in a smaller pen with hotwire is to attract them and get them to stick their nose or tongue on it to get shocked, they learn very fast what an electric fence is and generally tend to steer clear of touching it again. Visuals are good too, I do use some surveyors tape so they can see it. after playing tag in the dark with weanlings that didnt know any better than to go thru the fence at 1 am, I dont mind the time it takes to wire up a few cans and leave them to learn on their own in a smaller pen. I do agree tho, that a large pasture would be a pain lol.
S&S Farms
Well-known member
5minpins":3dkdmq53 said:
I saw it done on a large fence and seemed like a pain in the butt. I am sure it works well for training.
Jeff
5minpins":3nw7r6dr said:
We used to string CDs on the wire.......in another pasture we put some flagging tape on the wire.....that was the easyist and most simple out of the two....helps us see the wire when we are mowing too! lol :lol2:
Mosho":1o3c89cj said:
Electric fence won't hold a Char X calf. Get yourself some guard rail and build it 10 feet tall so's they can't jump over. :lol:
Has something to do with the diluter gene and the inability to conduct electricity properly .......... ;-)
Hey Mike C. I could believe what you said about CharX calves if we had not had the same problem with Angus calves. The only thing is that the CharXs are so much bigger at the same age than our Angus calves, I thought they would be too big to get through 3 hot lines and a ground line but I am wrong. Those calves sure are pretty but they don't look good outside the fence.
