The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Paul and Caroline on May 09, 2016, 08:13:53 am
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Hi
Looking for advice on how to electric fence train wearers please? I will have a large pen with strong stock fencing fronted with 4 strands of electrified wire however I want to divide the pen into 3 sections so that I can rotate the weaners and will divide each section off with just the 4 strands of wire supported by the normal 'pins' - I am acutely aware that if they hit the strands running they won't even notice the 'buzz' hence my wish to train them.........
Many thanks
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Only had 3 lots of weaners so I'm by no means an expert. I've always started mine in a small pen (about 8m x 8m) - nothing fancy just roughly made with stabs and some left over stock fencing. Inside the pen I normally wedge some old scrap wooden planks (4-6 inches high) between the stock fence and the electric fence posts. If they take a run at the electric tape they run into the plank. After a few weeks in the pen I've never really had any issues when they go out into the bigger areas with just the electric tape.
Cuddles
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We do similarly.... the first three days we place some hurdles around the ark and a small area around it... and put an electric tape just inside the perimeter (tape so that the pigs 'see' it)... The principle is that when they touch the tape they have no option but to run back (as opposed to running forward and escaping when in larger pen).
After a few days they get the benefit of the full larger area, which is boundaried by one or two electric tapes and/or wire... For the last two years it's worked really well....they touch the tape/wire and instinctively run back (generally into their ark when they're young).... Good luck!
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I only had one lot of Tamworth weaners so far so not an expert but electric fencing worked well for us.
I was moving them to a new piece of ground every couple of weeks (part of bracken clearing plan) so electric fence respect was crucial. We did it like this:
On arrival our 2 weaners were put in a 12x12 hurdle pen. After a week I set up 2 electric strands on the inside of one side of the hurdle pen (2x 6feet hurdles long). After another week I took that side of hurdles away (ie. 3 sides of hurdles, 1 side of electric, otherwise open). Another week later I replaced the rest of the hurdles with electric, eventually extending to a pen 25m x 30m which I moved every few weeks. I never had an escape except the 2nd week, digging under the hurdles (ha!) - they always respected the electric.