sheep and electric fencing

[Anonymous]

Hey everyone, Im hoping you can provide some insight into this. I have 2 ewes, both bred and due to drop any day. Right now they are in a small enclosure. I would like to turn them out to a larger field. When I say larger, its about 1/4 acre. It already has 5 strand BW and 1 line of electric. I was considering running field fence around it, but was wondering if I ran say 4 or 5 strands of hot wire on it if that would keep them in. If it matters they are Barbados, so hairy half the year, and not hairy the rest.
Has anyone tried it on a field this size?How'd it work out? I know the field fence would be better, but Id like to utilize the existing fence if possible.
Thanks

 

[HerefordSire]

See if they get out of the 1/4 acre enclosure first with the hot wire on.

 

[Anonymous]

where Im at, if they get out they aint coming back. woods, swamp, and neighbors that like to claim loose animals as their own. I got a trespass warning over that one.
I could drop t post and insulators inside the field fence they are on now and put 5 hots up to see what they do

Anyone else ever try holding sheep with hots?

 

[Bez+]

Quarter acre?

For the time and cost I think I would put some page wire on those T posts

Bez+

 

[Anonymous]

page wire....you mean 4x4 wire right??? or something similar.

 

[Carlos D.]

about 7 years ago-my wife brought home 2 ewes --I cursed and yelled and said we didn't need them creatures BUT we have a terrible weed here (leafy spurge) loves light land . Anyway the sheep are the only animal that will eat it. and they have cleaned this farm up fantasically--I now have 50 ewes ---I sold 98 lambs for about 125.00 each--(I run a canadian breed Argot ridaeu; they are heavy milkers and have been known to have 4 lambs ----with a suffolk ram) . anyway acre for acre and I make a lot more on sheep than cattle and with a lot less work--With a super good elaectric fencer I can keep them in with 5 high tensil wires --fence posts are 60 feet apart -But put them in the pasture right after they have been sheared They also can be run with cattle and help clean up your weeds

 

[hayray]

I went and set up some 3 strand high tensile electric on a 3 board corral fence for a neighbor of mine to hold sheep in and it is working fine. Before that the sheep were slipping through the boards. I know the boards are a partial barrier but like the previous post, without the boards I think having 5 or 6 strands would be fine along with a good charger. One point, with cheap light gauge wire not streatched real tight you may run into a lot of ground faults, especially along an existing fence no matter how hard to try and this could lead to a real weak fence.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. I think Ill try the hot fence after they drop the lambs and they get a little bigger. 5 strand barbwire with 4 stands hot. The charger I have is a 10 mile charger for cattle, but there is only about 1/4 mile of hot on it now.

 

[Howdyjabo]

Sheep tend to be home bodies- as long as there is something there they WANT to eat- they will stay
I turn them out in single strand hot wires