The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: egglady on July 04, 2010, 09:54:26 pm

Title: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: egglady on July 04, 2010, 09:54:26 pm
we have a small flock of shetlands (8 ewes and 6 rams, all the rams are this years).  they are pretty tame and great flock to manage. 

we have one of our fields that is really overgrown due to not getting it topped and now it is full of docks and other yucky weeds.  i think i want to put the sheep on it to eat down the sward and also eat the docks (as i know from expereince that they cleared our other field beautifully).

we have stout fencing all around but there will be a bit of the field that i dont want them to get into as it has hens and ducks, plus duck pond, on it.  the only fencing around these areas is poultry netting.

i cant afford to put up stout stock fencing to keep them out of here, but i cant risk letting them get into these areas either as they might get hurt.

anyone got any ideas.  would sheep fencing do the job?  i would be worried that the boys might get tangled up in it?

i have electric tape for the horses area, but i doubt if they'd respect that either ......

 :sheep: :&> :chook:
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: mab on July 05, 2010, 02:14:36 pm
I'm no expert but my Shetlands respect electric line fencing - I started with 6 lines but now they'll be contained by two lines of thin string (though I expect they could go through if they really wanted to).

I'd have thought that the tape would work OK - it would look like a more substantial barrier than my string whilst they were learning not to touch.

Do you have a powerful energiser?  that's the thing with sheep I think.

mab
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: egglady on July 05, 2010, 03:22:51 pm
hi mab, i wondered about the white/electric tape - i use a single strand for the horses and when we got the sheep i used a triple line but they just ran right through it.  i wonder if i should try it again and save myself a few bob....hhmmmmm
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: TheCaptain on July 05, 2010, 05:05:54 pm
Egglady,

As we wanted to maximise the amound of hay we would get this year I paddocked off a couple of acres for my flock and three ponies.  I used a top line of 20 mm white tape for the ponies and three lines of white wire along the bottom.  I banged in wooden stakes at the corners and in the middle of the 'long-lays' to maximise getting the line tight (don't know if strictly neccesary but I like straight lines  ;D ).  I then stuck another post in the middle and ran another set of wires off that so I could rotate the herd.  They will go through it though, as I found out when my scattiest female ewe escaped out fo gate and into the field then crashed through it.  Enough flexibility not to break the line or the sheep!

Captain
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: egglady on July 05, 2010, 06:58:03 pm
Egglady,

As we wanted to maximise the amound of hay we would get this year I paddocked off a couple of acres for my flock and three ponies.  I used a top line of 20 mm white tape for the ponies and three lines of white wire along the bottom.  I banged in wooden stakes at the corners and in the middle of the 'long-lays' to maximise getting the line tight (don't know if strictly neccesary but I like straight lines  ;D ).  I then stuck another post in the middle and ran another set of wires off that so I could rotate the herd.  They will go through it though, as I found out when my scattiest female ewe escaped out fo gate and into the field then crashed through it.  Enough flexibility not to break the line or the sheep!

Captain

Captain, can you possibly post a wee pic so i can get the idea please?
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: Calvadnack on July 05, 2010, 08:47:20 pm
We've used a three line electric fence with our Shetlands for strip grazing.  The ewes all respect it, but the ram lambs have learnt that if they quickly dip under the bottom line it goes onto their backs and they can get to the fresh grass.  Having the lines tight would help stop this. 

They've also shared a paddock with our chickens kept behind a mesh electric fence, but we also have a single strand at fox nose height around the outside which also keeps the lambs away.

If the ewes are all happily grazing together they seem to stay put, but the ram lambs (the girls are better behaved!) are rather more adventurous.  Electric fencing isn't perfect and certainly wouldn't deter a determined Shetland but it should be a useful temporary barrier.

Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: piggy on July 05, 2010, 10:47:33 pm
We have just got so soays that our mowing our lawn at the moment,i have the plastic white fence posts that you use for horses with 4 strands of tape on so far so good they wont go near it, but it is run off the mains.
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: shetlandpaul on July 05, 2010, 10:53:44 pm
we  are using it to stop them jumping into the hay field. it works well until the shetland ponies pull the wires off the battery.
Title: Re: Fencing for shetlands
Post by: egglady on July 06, 2010, 09:32:59 am
thanks everyone, you have just saved me both the time and the expense of shelling out for some sheep netting.  We have miles of white electric tape for the horses, so i'll just rig some up for the sheep and get them moved.  Brilliant - i am well chuffed - thanks :wave: