Keeping bulls fenced

[D.R. Cattle]

Thanks for all the advice guys. This is the true plus of these boards. Experienced cattlemen with advice from past experience, not just opinions.

 

[eric]

Dun, how did you check the voltage coming out of your wires...did you just use a voltage meter set on the highest setting, and then lowered the settings until it got a reading, or is there another (or better) way to check this? I have the dummy light which only tells me that the wire is charged, but not how much charge it is putting out!

 

[dun]

Gallagher makes two models that reads in actual voltage. I'm sure other companies make the same tyes of instruments. One has to be grounded with the atached probe and the other probe is touched to the fence. The other is sompler but more money, all you have to do is touch it to the wire and it will read the voltage. The former is more accuarte, the latter won't work under 300volts. The latter type will also so you which direction you have short. The difference in the readings between the two types is only about 5-700 volts. When you're cranking out 7500volts, I really don;t care if it's 8200 or 6800, either one will light their fire.

dun

 

[Anonymous]

we use a single strand hot wire and it works great. we also leave one cow in each bull pen just to keep him a companion. It has really helped solve the problem, we usually pick one of the laster bred one's or an older cow that could use some extra attention anyway.

 

[Craig-TX]

The single most important part is the ground system. Without the correct ground system you might as well put up kite string.
The neighbor had a Braunvieh bull that was alwasy challenging our fence. He'ld see gomer messing around and wanted to get some of the action. He finally started puching through a field fence and barbed combination. When he wit the hot wire on our side it certainly got his atention. The second time, he decided that the couple of girls he had with him was just fine. He'ld stand on the other side and really carry on. But you couldn't get him within 5 feet of that fence again. And that was at only 7200 volts.

dun

Here's a boy that's obviously not from the country...

http://www.powerlineman.com/downloads/e ... _fence.mpg

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And, here's a clip of Dun disconnecting his well-grounded electric fence for routine maintenance...

http://www.powerlineman.com/downloads/B ... 20load.MPG

The last bull that touched it, they ate him on the spot.

Craig-TX

 

[jfont]

Dun, how did you check the voltage coming out of your wires...did you just use a voltage meter set on the highest setting, and then lowered the settings until it got a reading, or is there another (or better) way to check this? I have the dummy light which only tells me that the wire is charged, but not how much charge it is putting out!

Do not, I repeat do not use a regular voltage meter. I burned up a $100 fluke meter checking mine. Voltage is too high; only went up to 600 volts. I went buy a electic fence tester at the feed store for $12.00 that works great. It's like the one Dun mentioned with a probe on a wire you stick in the ground and a hand held plastic piece with indicator lights and a prong you touch the fence with. Mine goes up to 8500 volts. Expensive lesson I thought I'd pass on.

 

[Campground Cattle]

sounds like maybe the fence could use a hot wire across the top or maybe one about a foot out from the fence so he can't get as close to make his jump. (or maybe your neighbor needs a new bull)

Totally agree on neighbor needs a new bull, my bull pen is hot on both sides and on top. I have had problems from time to time. I have found that when a bull starts jumping fences or walking cattleguards they are hard to stop. Being this is your neighbors and you can't sell him, do you know anyone with a good stock dog. If you do work that big boy over, after you talk to your neighbor. Try to get the neighbor to solve your problem first, you don't want strained realtions. A good stock can make him want to go home in a hurry.

 

[fit2btied]

Craig, those were great! I laughed so hard at the first one that my wife came into the computer room to see what the heck was wrong with me! I just hit play about a dozen times and laughed till I cried, thought I was gonna pee in my britches!

 

[TR]

sounds like maybe the fence could use a hot wire across the top or maybe one about a foot out from the fence so he can't get as close to make his jump. (or maybe your neighbor needs a new bull)

Totally agree on neighbor needs a new bull, my bull pen is hot on both sides and on top. I have had problems from time to time. I have found that when a bull starts jumping fences or walking cattleguards they are hard to stop. Being this is your neighbors and you can't sell him, do you know anyone with a good stock dog. If you do work that big boy over, after you talk to your neighbor. Try to get the neighbor to solve your problem first, you don't want strained realtions. A good stock can make him want to go home in a hurry.

The neighbor let it slip once that this bull was known as a jail breaker, but he's an older gentleman who's running his daughter's cattle for her, while his son-in-law is serving in Iraq. Apparently she's staying on base while he's serving, so her father is taking care of the cows for her. He'd personally like to get rid of the bull, but I think he's scared of his daughter. Apparently she's a piece of work and has been known to be very confrontational, especially to her family members, not to mention her neighbors. In any case, the great thing is that he's been wonderful in working with me in coming and getting the bull, fixing fences, and such, and has now put him in another pasture that isnt' running right along side of ours. lol!! She was coming for a visit, and I don't think he wanted to let on that her bull had been visiting and catch h*** for it. The whole thing is really quite funny. In any event, it has all worked out with good relations maintained between he and I. Friendly neighbors sure make a difference! ;-)