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Author Topic: Electric fencing and sheep?  (Read 14434 times)

DartmoorLiz

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Devon
Electric fencing and sheep?
« on: January 22, 2012, 10:17:18 am »
Hi,

I joined the forum yesterday but have been lurking for a while and have learned loads. 

I am becoming more involved in managing the family smallholding and I was wondering what people's experiences were with electric fencing sheep. I have a mains electric fence unit. 

Liz

Never ever give up.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2012, 11:07:37 am »
If you are thinking of using a line of electric tape (as for horses or cows) it is very likely that a full fleeced sheep on a dry day just marches straight through. And lambs have no repsetct for it either. Having said that I have used it successfully for adult ewes, but you have to make sure that the grass on the other side is not much greener.... Won't keep a tup in with ewes in the right wind direction though...
 

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2012, 11:37:59 am »
If you are using the mesh type of temporary fencing, you must be very careful with horned or woolly sheep.   They can get their heads stuck in the mesh, caught by wool or horns, then they struggle to get out, become entangled in the fence and either get electrocuted or strangled.  This type of fence may even be banned for horned sheep, as they can catch a horn just by grazing too closely to the fence.    Stranded wire would be better.
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Mel Rice

  • Joined Sep 2011
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2012, 12:06:02 pm »
Over her(in Germany) sheep in netting fences is the norm. Many people have a small/tiny flock in a single span of netting. My het is about 100 metres long. I make a box with it that slowly travels over the field. My few sheep test the fence regularly so I need to make sure I keep the battery charged. My friend has a very old tatty netting fence around a whole field and doesnt get too many escapes(I think its because hers stay in one place and mine are used to moving, so try to move themselves instead of waiting for me to move the fence.....Horned sheep here are not common, but people use nets for goats too.

lachlanandmarcus

  • Joined Aug 2010
  • Aberdeenshire
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2012, 01:20:59 pm »
Electric fencing is banned under the Defra welfare code for horned sheep, tho it can be used for unhorned (polled) sheep.

I also have problems with it with older lambs (dont try it with young ones) as they dont seem to have much common sense and get stuck in it. So I have lots of rolls of it but try not to use it much, tho it may work better in places with very good grass so less temptation  and also I do have Shetlands who are (i) clever and (ii) escapees if they sense better pickings elsewhere.


kanisha

  • Joined Dec 2007
    • Spered Breizh Ouessants
    • Facebook
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2012, 04:09:34 pm »
I currently use three strand tape and a bottom hotwire for my rams. they have a electric fenced paddock which they have access to during the day and I bring them in at night. so no escapees and no problems with horns. My sheep are "educated" on electric tape as lambs using an internal division on an otherwise fully fenced area; Lambs and some juveniles will break the fence several times  until they get the message but the only difficulty afterwards is getting them to move across the imaginary line where the tape once was . do not try keeping them in if you are lacking in grasss there is always one willing to test it out and wool is a good insulator.
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Small Farmer

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Bedfordshire
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #6 on: January 22, 2012, 06:43:20 pm »
We use stock fence where it really matters around the edges of our land and reels of tape to manage strip grazing within that (Rappa reels and three lines). 

Ours aren't big jumpers but I still reckon to use five lines between paddocks and keeping everything taut.  There's a case for having the bottom wire earthed so they get a really good spap when they experiment.  But if they really want to get out they will - hence the stock fence where it matters.
Being certain just means you haven't got all the facts

bazzais

  • Joined Jan 2010
    • Allt Y Coed Farm and Campsite
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #7 on: January 22, 2012, 09:51:53 pm »
Hello liz :)

I've only been farming for 3 years and so am a novice really too.

I bought loads of electric fence cos thought it would work instead of putting up fencing, but it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare especially if there is juicy feed on the other side of the fence.

I'd only ever use electric fence now if I knew :-
a. it would never loose charge (which with a mains fence is all good)
b. they had experienced the charge while i was watching or they 'know' what it does.

I've sat and watched lambies stick their head through and shake and get caught with shock - I'm never using it for lambies again.  If the fence goes off its the worst as mine just seem to clammer over it, through it, get messed up in it and need rescuing :)

If I have fencing out thats electric, I like to check it a few times a day.

Its almost as cheap these days to stick some temp posts in and a roll of wire?

Baz

bazzais

  • Joined Jan 2010
    • Allt Y Coed Farm and Campsite
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #8 on: January 22, 2012, 09:54:29 pm »
They will still get stuck in a wire fence - but it wont kill them in 10 minutes like an electric one :)

katie

  • Joined Feb 2008
  • worcs
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2012, 09:59:39 pm »
I find electric fencing doesn't really work with lambs but the ewes respect it. In fact, I don't leave the energiser on over night - too many thieves about - but the sheep don't notice (Sssh, don't tell them it's not live1)

Small Farmer

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Bedfordshire
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2012, 10:54:16 pm »
It's worth mentioning that a well installed mains energiser will put a lot more energy into each pulse than any battery unit, perhaps ten times as much.  That's enough to burn off vegetation that  touches the wire/rope/tape, and enough to give you a hell of a belt when you accidentally lean on it.  Wet grass touching the fence can leak away most of the power - if you're getting only 2-3,000 volts then a lot of sheep won't notice it.  They do tend to notice 8-9,000 volts quite a bit faster...

We had trouble with our fence a couple of years after it went in. That came down to poor earthing which we temporarily fixed by pouring water onto the earth spike.  I fixed it for good by buying three long earth stakes and driving them into good shaded soil some metres apart.
Being certain just means you haven't got all the facts

DartmoorLiz

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Devon
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2012, 09:30:27 pm »
Thanks everyone,

Lots of information and help.  As I'm starting out I don't think its worth the investment when I'll probably put up post and wire in the end so I'll do it from the start.

I'll start a new thread in "land management" regarding getting mains electric fencing over or under a quiet country road as I'm sure others have solved this difficulty.

Meanwhile ... am I the only person to be deeply disappointed with the quality of preservation of wooden stakes.  They are tannilised but I have one fence which has lasted only 5 years before the posts are breaking where the post meets the ground.  Its heart breaking, putting your best effort into making a really good post and wire fence with box struts and tight wires which then needs repair/replacement so soon!

What solutions has anyone found?

Liz
Never ever give up.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2012, 10:01:32 pm »
box struts what are they :farmer:

Pasture Farm

  • Joined Aug 2011
  • East Lincolnshire
  • Trusty Traca
    • Pasture Poultry
    • Facebook
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2012, 06:42:25 pm »
Thanks everyone,

Lots of information and help.  As I'm starting out I don't think its worth the investment when I'll probably put up post and wire in the end so I'll do it from the start.

I'll start a new thread in "land management" regarding getting mains electric fencing over or under a quiet country road as I'm sure others have solved this difficulty.

Meanwhile ... am I the only person to be deeply disappointed with the quality of preservation of wooden stakes.  They are tannilised but I have one fence which has lasted only 5 years before the posts are breaking where the post meets the ground.  Its heart breaking, putting your best effort into making a really good post and wire fence with box struts and tight wires which then needs repair/replacement so soon!

What solutions has anyone found?

Liz

I to am very dissapointed with the quality of posts one 3 acre paddock o fence off 5 yrs ago icould walk round and would find 25% of them have broken at ground level, unfortunately its something ive come to live with and just replace as and when  :(

Small Farmer

  • Joined Jan 2012
  • Bedfordshire
Re: Electric fencing and sheep?
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2012, 06:52:35 pm »
A farmer friend with a post puncher helped us with out fences 7 years ago.  He bought cheap posts and quite a lot started hanging in the breeze from about 5 years old.  The ones we put in 5 years ago are mostly good as new, but a few have rotted. 

As you say, you just get used to fixing them
Being certain just means you haven't got all the facts

 

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