[Fowllife]

What type of fencing do you guys prefer?

I'm going to be installing some more fence in the spring away froim the home farm and I want something I don't have to worry about, but is still cost effective. I have a 6 wire hi tensile at the home farm that it seems like shorts out somewhere every other week. It will be used mainly for cow/calf pairs, but i may put a buck goat in it on occation. I would like to make sure a small calf can't crawl out if the charger doesn't work for some reason. I was thinking of the following options

Option 1 - 6 wire hi tensile electric with 1 or 2 strands of barbwire. Wood post at 50' o.c. with steel tee post at 17' o.c. Top of fence would be at 48". Would you just use the barb wire in place of hi tensile, or use 8 wires total?

Option 2 - 39" high woven wire cattle fence with i run of barb wire at 48" high. Would the post spacing above work with this? Would I still want 1 or 2 hot wires on the inside?

Option 3 - Better idea ????

My cattle are not fence pushers and do well with electric. When the pasture got short this fall though I did have 1 calf get out twice through a small section of fence that isn't hot.

 

[urednecku]

I'm not sure about Ohio, but here in central Florida most everybody uses barbwire, 5 or 6 strands. (I like Gaucho brand) I don't exactly remember the spacings, I have a pole with 5 staples on 1 side and 6 on another that my Great Uncle made up so he didn't have to measure each strand on each post. There is some around my place that has been here long as I can remember, but any will have to be checked occasionally.

 

[ForemanTX]

I like field fence(48/49") with 2top(0ne that runs with top of field fence and the other close to top of t-post) and bottum run of barbed wirer(runs right at ground level with the field fence)keeps cows from sticking heads under or over and bending over the field fence between post,and use 6 1/2ft t-post. Thats what im going to now days and getting away from the 5strand barbed wirer,so I dont have to worry about the dang calves getting out. Maybe you can see some behind shredder when i was putting it up.

 

[Fowllife]

Thanks for the input guys. I would like to do field fencing, but running the numbers it just doesn't seem to be very cost effective. I'm leaning towards a electric/barb combo.

What do you space your post at?

 

[ForemanTX]

Most the time going to be around 12ft,usually just step it out may have to adjust alittle one way or the other so it comes out even.

 

[gradyjohn]

Just remember a fence is only as strong as its corner post.

 

[wheatridgefarmMD]

Your 6 wire hi-tensile is a good choice, I would move your spacing in to at least 25 if not 20 foot. Even if the wire shorts out for some reason its more difficult for the cows to split the wires and walk out if your posts are closer. I have built some at 50 40 and 20 and i really like the overall look of the 20 and peace of mind that its more stable.

Ben

 

[swmnhay]

6' high cement wall.

 

[mlappin]

Your 6 wire hi-tensile is a good choice, I would move your spacing in to at least 25 if not 20 foot. Even if the wire shorts out for some reason its more difficult for the cows to split the wires and walk out if your posts are closer. I have built some at 50 40 and 20 and i really like the overall look of the 20 and peace of mind that its more stable.

Ben

Have three wires around the perimeter of the pasture, hot-ground-hot, posts where needed to keep the wires from sagging. Get a GOOD fence charger, keep the fence working, if its a good enough charger you can't drive a cow across where it used to be.

 

[vhaby]

Preferred fencing, as most everyone knows, is determined by need. I like field fence, as shown by FOREMANTX, for special situations even though it initially is more expensive. One special situation where it is good for here is that it should keep feral hogs out of a special meadow. So far, there has been extensive hog rooting damage in the hay meadow just outside the field fence with some rooting up to the fence, but none inside the field fenced 8 acres. Used 6.5 ft T-posts spaced 10-ft apart between 4-in diameter treated wood posts spaced 60-ft apart. Have run a single strand of barb-wire at the top of the 48-in field fence, and will wait and see if a strand of barb wire is needed at ground level on the tightly stretched field fence.

 

[mlappin]

Preferred fencing, as most everyone knows, is determined by need. I like field fence, as shown by FOREMANTX, for special situations even though it initially is more expensive. One special situation where it is good for here is that it should keep feral hogs out of a special meadow. So far, there has been extensive hog rooting damage in the hay meadow just outside the field fence with some rooting up to the fence, but none inside the field fenced 8 acres. Used 6.5 ft T-posts spaced 10-ft apart between 4-in diameter treated wood posts spaced 60-ft apart. Have run a single strand of barb-wire at the top of the 48-in field fence, and will wait and see if a strand of barb wire is needed at ground level on the tightly stretched field fence.

I've thought about woven wire along our east property line that butts up to a dirt road that nobody lives on, might keep people from backing in and dumping their junk. Also have thought I'd be mighty upset after spending all the time and money on it if they just backed up and threw the trash over the fence, then I'd have to pick it up instead of shoving it in the road for the county to get.

 

[Vol]

I've thought about woven wire along our east property line that butts up to a dirt road that nobody lives on, might keep people from backing in and dumping their junk. Also have thought I'd be mighty upset after spending all the time and money on it if they just backed up and threw the trash over the fence, then I'd have to pick it up instead of shoving it in the road for the county to get.

I see you also have a "trash" problem too.....thought that might be a Southern thing. Trash dumping trash....like the old ditty goes......."There ain't no lower class than Tennessee Trash." All-time great anti-littering song put out by the Tennessee Dept. of Trans.

Regards, Mike

 

[mlappin]

I see you also have a "trash" problem too.....thought that might be a Southern thing. Trash dumping trash....like the old ditty goes......."There ain't no lower class than Tennessee Trash." All-time great anti-littering song put out by the Tennessee Dept. of Trans.

Regards, Mike

Ain't no trash like white trash.

 

[Fowllife]

I sharpened the pencil last night just to see where everything fell price wise. I was a little supprised what I came up with. In terms of price per foot it actually came out cheaper for a 4' woven wire fence with 1 strand of barb then for the hi-tensile. Here is a rough breakdown. I excluded gates in the LF price.

Option #1
6 strand hi-tensile with 1 strand of barb (all 12 1/2 ga), RR ties for corner & brace post, 4" wood post @ 50-60', t-post @ 17-20', $300 allowance for solar charger = $0.72/LF

Option #2
48" woven wire (12 1/2 ga with 9 ga top & bottom) with 1 strand of barb on top, RR ties for corner & brace post, 4" wood post @ 50-60', t-post @ 10-13' = $0.75/LF

Granted tho the economy of scale would help the hi-tensile since I would size the charger to power more fence in the future. For the slight difference in price I feel better about the woven, especially after how many coyote tracks I've seen there lately.

 

[Fowllife]

Yeah, and option #3
6' high concrete wall, 2'x4' footer, 8" thich wall with #4's @ 12" each way. $30/LF + forming labor = ain't gonna happen.....

 

[vhaby]

Sorry this is so late, but how about this no wood posts, no T posts, no wire, and no concrete fence...

 

[Fowllife]

Sorry this is so late, but how about this no wood posts, no T posts, no wire, and no concrete fence...

I have always loved the look of the old stone fences, there are some in the area. There is a 100 acre pasture about 10 miles from here on a limestone knob that has a stone fence like that, nice herd of herefords running in it. I'm sure it would keep the cattle in, but the goats would have a hay day playing on that.

Fortunitly though, this piece of property has no rocks. It would cost me more to truck them in & longer to build it.

 

[urednecku]

Sorry this is so late, but how about this no wood posts, no T posts, no wire, and no concrete fence...

Like it. But it'd take more than a weekend to put it up!

 

[mlappin]

Sorry this is so late, but how about this no wood posts, no T posts, no wire, and no concrete fence...

I could see some dipshit kid running off the road hitting it, getting injured then their parents would sue the owner of the land for maintaining a hazard.

 

[Tim/South]

A bordering neighbor has a fence that has to be 75 years old. It seems to have begun as a barb wire fence. Privet hedges took it over many years ago.
I imagine a hog could get through if he was dedicated.

I have field wire on all my fences. T Posts are 10 feet apart on road frontage and property lines. 12 feet on cross fences.
Any new cross fencing I do will be electric with step in posts.