rants about fencing!!!!

[Kenz]

its like we hve curse on our place about fencing. i had two steers in a field with 48 in. woven wire, wood fence posts, and two strands of really hot electric wire on top and bottom. the posts are spaced out a bit, but not so much that it should matter. the steers were tame, had plenty of grain and just as much grass on their side of the fence as on the other. anway, the steer lays his head on top of the wire, pushes the thing down and walks right over it!!! its so frustrating, ecspecially when the other day we were down in north carolina and saw some cows sitting right in this guys front yard, right in the smack center of town. there was about six of them, and all they had for fencing was a piece of rope about a foot of the ground and old wood posts about 2 ft. high! i just don't get it :???:

 

[bigbull338]

sounds like your steers love getting out.no matter that the fence is good.an that you have a good hotwire on top of the fence.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Butchershop would slow them down.

 

[rockridgecattle]

have you got a cheap volt tester? Ours cost about 12 dollars canadian. It has 5 light bulbs in it. One bulb for every 1000v. You might think it is hot, but in reality to an animal might not be. I think cows it should be about 2500v maybe even 3000 for the first while on the ones that like the tickle.
What and how deep is your ground rod?
How long is the rod?
How long is the fence that is hot?
Are you using insulators on the wood posts?
Wood posts naturally absorb some of the shock and then it looses it's charge abit. If they are treated posts, you are sending the current into the ground, again loosing current.
Hubby was a no believer in the things i am telling you. I set up a fence around the bulls, asked him to check it and now he is a believer in 5' ground rods and insulators on all wood posts. Made a world of difference between cows in or out, and bees safe or not.

RR

 

[Kenz]

Butchershop would slow them down.

thats where they are now :nod:

RR - the only thing i know about from those q's you asked is that we have insulators on the wooden posts :dunce: it's pretty hot (to me, but i'm a lot smaller than a steer) but now there's just sheep goin in there so we should be fine :banana: might have to look into those things you mentioned tho, because lately it hasn't seemed to doing its job too well, thanks!

 

[backhoeboogie]

its like we hve curse on our place about fencing. i had two steers in a field with 48 in. woven wire, wood fence posts, and two strands of really hot electric wire on top and bottom. the posts are spaced out a bit, but not so much that it should matter. the steers were tame, had plenty of grain and just as much grass on their side of the fence as on the other. anway, the steer lays his head on top of the wire, pushes the thing down and walks right over it!!! its so frustrating, ecspecially when the other day we were down in north carolina and saw some cows sitting right in this guys front yard, right in the smack center of town. there was about six of them, and all they had for fencing was a piece of rope about a foot of the ground and old wood posts about 2 ft. high! i just don't get it :???:

My north west neighbor's angus bull and most of his cows would bound right over that. Keeping mine in aren't a problem. Keeping others out is. Especially when some motorists stops, opens my gate, and dumps a whole herd of my neighbors in the hay fields that I don't graze. There's locks on all gates now. The sheriff is hauling off his cattle again.

 

[rockridgecattle]

two other things to check
1. that the fence is not grounding out somewhere
2. that a neighbor has not accidentally or purposely accidentally tapped onto your fence wire.

 

[grannysoo]

TSC is selling a digital meter for around 20$ now. Unless you check that fence, you don't know. Sounds to me like it is not hot.

 

[rockridgecattle]

unless those sheep have been sheared, good luck with keeping them in. That wool works as a good insulator. The longer the wool/hair/fur, the greater the charge needed.