The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Oly on July 21, 2015, 11:54:00 am

Title: Which Electric Fencing Kit?
Post by: Oly on July 21, 2015, 11:54:00 am

Hi,

I'm thinking about having some lambs next season to bottle rear and then help keep the grass down over the summer before being slaughtered/sold.  My prime motivation at this stage (my first venture into livestock) is to keep the grass down as simply as possible (~1acre of high quality, fast growing South Cheshire grass) - hopefully avoiding the need to buy lots of gear...unless the bug bites me later down the line!

As such I'm thinking the only kit I need is likely to be bottles and electric fencing.  Is electric netting the best way to go?  If so are there kits available and can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks,
Oly

Title: Re: Which Electric Fencing Kit?
Post by: Kimbo on July 21, 2015, 01:32:54 pm

good luck Oly! Our similar lambs are making very little impression on our sea of Lancashire grass!

Title: Re: Which Electric Fencing Kit?
Post by: Oly on July 21, 2015, 01:45:54 pm

According to this you'd need 25 to the acre!  http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/smallholding/grassland-management/livestock-units/ (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/smallholding/grassland-management/livestock-units/)

Title: Re: Which Electric Fencing Kit?
Post by: twizzel on July 21, 2015, 05:17:08 pm

No don't get netting- it blows over easily, lambs get caught in the small holes, ripped ears, hang themselves, etc etc you get the picture. Our tame lambs are behind 5 strands of taught polywire and this keeps them where I want them to be although if the battery goes flat they know and within 5 minutes are out.

Aside from bottles and electric fence you'll need somewhere to house them for the first couple months of life, heat lamps for at least the first couple of weeks (longer if they are January/february born lambs), plus creep feed for post weaning, not quite as easy as bottle feeding then turning out to grass  ;)

Here's a pic of ours, they are in a paddock at the moment as the field they were in has been cut for hay, I just move the fence in or out every couple of days, as such strip grazing.

Title: Re: Which Electric Fencing Kit?
Post by: Kimbo on July 21, 2015, 07:36:10 pm

Quote from: Oly on July 21, 2015, 01:45:54 pm

According to this you'd need 25 to the acre!  http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/smallholding/grassland-management/livestock-units/ (http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/smallholding/grassland-management/livestock-units/)

OMG!! That'll be our mistake then!!