Teenage Bulls- dealing with fencing?

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etmountianman71

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Question for the expert minds:
This is my first full venture is raising bulls to sell. All has been straight forward since weaning until full blown puberty. Have sold a few but still have two 17 month old teeanagers that will not quit fighting and breaking fences. I know if I had the money to put up guard-rail fencing for a bull paddock then my small problem would be fixed, but not there yet.
I am sure that some of this will stop when I put the 2 1/2 yr old bull in with them after breeding. These hormone driven muscles are a venture, calm one minute then excited the next.

I want to leave them in the 2 acre paddock so they have space and can graze, do not want to dry lot them in small paddocks. Any thoughts on heavy fencing?
NO hope for barbwire, cattle panels are pretty good, and the high tensile hot fence bounces right back in place after they push through it. Not sure if a wooden fence with the cattle panels and a hot wire would be best?
Thanks for suggestions.
 
I've always been told bulls need 4-5 acres per head to "stretch out". I kept 4 on 8 acres for a few months over the winter and they got out several times. Before that I had 2 on the same 8 acres for 4 months with no problems. My experience has always been they fight for a bit then quit and learn to get along if they have enough room. Do you have cows on the other side of the fence?
 
I like Caustic B's comments about his Hotwire being hotter than the hinges on the gates from hell. I would get CB's fence charger before doing anything else. If you do, be sure you ground it very well.
 
Let me clarify my statement first.
I have two lots I run them in, the two acre lot is cattle panel and barbwire, no hot on it and occasionally cows around. Try to keep them moved with at least a paddock in between.
The Hot fence is HOT (Herdsman 30 mile), 13k on electric meter, up to 6 joules and grounded well- have found out by accident a time or two LOL. So it does bite them good and they stay away from it, except when fighting, then they do not care what is in the way, just like any other bull, but this fence right now is around a smaller second lot.
I can and have been running one in each lot but that seems to just make them more anxious to fight. At least this way they are getting along better, being able to release some tension.
I was looking to run it around the 2 acre lot with more cattle panels and possible some boards.
Yes it would be awesome to have an 8 acre lot to run just bulls in but not that fortunate here.
 
Fighting is the only time they have gotten out, other than that they have not caused any fence issues, yes they are introduced as calves to the electric fence, and will obey an occasional poly wire fence for moving them when needed.

Piping would be nice, would the used oil pipe be a good solution or water pipe? I will check on that as well.
 
All the pipe corrals around here are made of used oil/gas well pipe. Most of the water pipe is galvanized. I prefer not to use it.
 
If they start fighting there's not much that will hold them (other steel). I saw a bull go through a 5' high fence of 2 x 6 lumber one time like it wasn't there when he was trying to get away from another bull. Turned it into kindling.
 
A steel fence won't come away unscathed when 2 fighting bulls hit it. You might find that next year your calves may not give any problem, maybe you just have one trouble maker there, find him a change of address pretty soon.

Ken
 
If their Angus and I bet they are..best thing to do is put that 2 year old attitude adjuster in with them..cause one thing I've learned with Angus bulls is, no matter what they love to fight..to the point even if their losing they just keep going till the other has had enough of it and says ok enough..
 
We run all our bulls together to develop them from weaning until they find their new home. Currently we have 7 19 month old in one field and 30 9 month old in another. They are behind a 5 wire high tensile fence with 2 wires hot, but the hot ones will make your hair stand straight up and rattle your teeth if you get into it. They fight but stay away from the fence. If we have them get out it's usually that they get to fighting near a gate and break through at that point. We develop them on the home place which consist of 36 acres divided into five fields, the 7 are running on two fields that total about five acres the 30 on maybe 15 the other fields are to rotate them to as needed. This summer with the amount of rain and grass we are having to bushog they can't keep up with the grass. I think the most important thing you can do to keep them in is a powerful electric wire, that being said we had two this year that we're going to fight and nothing stopped them once they started, but that isn't the norm. Hopefully your two will stop eventually.

Gizmom
 
some people think 3k volts is hot, ive got a parmark 100 mile charger that will hit 16k volts when the fence is clean. it will literally burn you, a bull wont go through something that hot at least if youve got tight high tensile wire
 
Yes, hopefully they will continue to calm down. Never had this issue before so I guess I look at it as a learning experience.
I raise Red and Black Herefords so will continue enjoy more years to come of fun. Walked up today and the just set there looking so innocent.
I looked at some pipe today but might have found an insight to some railing as well. Grass is staying good for them in the lot, sewed Bermuda this summer so they are eating it up for now. I will be able to run some hot wire pretty soon so that will help out.
Thanks for the advice.
 

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