At current prices, fencing Southern Belle's two-acre pasture will cost:
$100 for 3/4 miles of 14 gauge, galvanized steel wire for a three-strand, electric fence.
$60 for 200, 2" plastic insulators.
$350 for 68 new "T" posts on 20' centers.
$150 for a 12V fence energizer.
$150 for a deep cycle battery
$20 for an 8', galvanized ground-rod and clamp
$40 for gate hardware.
In round numbers, about $900 in materials for a perimeter fence that will probably keep cattle in. Early training of the cattle to respect electric fences goes a long way toward keeping them in the enclosure. Never letting them run out of feed, water or salt is also a big deal.
Is SB's pasture in a location far from the house & normal AC electric hookup?
ReplyDeleteConventional wisdom used to be that it was better to have a 'plug-in' energizer, even if you had to run a lead out wire a half- mile to the fence than to use a solar/battery unit...but it has been 30+ yrs since we started building electrified HT fencing here on our place.
I second that. solars never last long. you can also have 3 weeks of overcast days and no charging.
Deletealthough if cattle get a mind to, theyll get out regardless of pain.
we have both on 5 strand high tensile, 2 hot strands.
God bless ya and good luck! I've looked at it, realized I don't have the stones!
ReplyDelete"electrified HT fencing" is high tension?
ReplyDelete"High Tensile" strength wire. Really saves on the fence posts for long straight runs.
DeleteIt is a pain to work with. Lots of spring-back. Letting go of a stretched length causes it to re-coil. If you are near the attached end, the sharp, cut end approaches your face (and eyes) at a high rate of speed.
I would recommend 2 ground rods from experience
ReplyDeleteTo further stiffen up my fence, mostly to keep the deer from going through it, I went to the lumber yard and bought the new re-rod called Gator Bar which is made with fiberglass . I cut it to the length from top to bottom wire and attached it with zip ties with two between the T posts. It does not touch the ground . Cheap, quick and really stiffens up the fence. ---ken
ReplyDeleteI have used electric fencing for dairy cattle years ago. Mostly had one strand on top of old stone walls for permanent pastures and I used one strand of string on3/8 inch fiber glass stakes for moveable strip grazing on second cutting hay meadows. Never had any problem. We trained heifers by bringing them from this calf barn on a lead touching them to the hot fence and watching them for a bit. The only problem was getting then thru the gate, back to the barn in fall!
ReplyDeleteThat was electric string with conductors woven in it!
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