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Author Topic: Fencing  (Read 10295 times)

Seth

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • France
    • Compact tractors
Fencing
« on: December 11, 2008, 09:34:29 pm »
Hi all
I am looking for some info regarding fencing for pigs. Me and SWMBO are making our plans to go full time in France. We are starting with pigs and poultry. We have never kept pigs before but we have arranged for a couple of weaners to fatten through the summer for the freezer next autumn.

Do any of you pig keepers use electric fence to contain your pigs? From what I have read some people sugest a permanent fence with electric fence inside. My idea was to use electric fence to make it easier to move to fresh ground. If I need permanent fence aswell it would be more difficult, not to mention the extra expence.

I look forward to your comments.

Seth

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Fencing
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2008, 07:43:29 am »
Hi as the keeper of Hilary Houdini I would highly recommend 3 strands of electric fencing.  We find tape better (blue) and the yellow poles, tend to be stronger.  Nothing really keeps Hil in if she wants to go, we have lots of Hilary shaped holes around.  However the other sows, the boar and the fatteners all respect the electric fence.  HM

carole

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Fencing
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2008, 04:40:31 pm »
HM

This is an interesting topic and one we are trying to investigate for our own personnal use and that as a topic on LABPIF.
You say blue tape, any reason why not the white or wire.

Only recently have had problems keeping some of the little ones in. We have used sheep netting with wire, just wire and have been advised on another forum to use a bottom strand of barbed wire. Still not sure about that, but it may help the Mangalitzas, who seem very immune of electric!!!

I need help too please
Thanks
Carole

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Fencing
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2008, 05:25:29 pm »
Hi, blue tape seems to work best.  Tried wire, (Hilary trashed it) tried nylon wire, Hilary trashed it, tried white tape, Hilary trashed it.  Blue for some reason works.  Not always as Hilary will walk through anything (and that included the barn gate) when the mood takes her.  However the blue tape seems to keep her in better than anything else.  It works with all the other pigs as well, never tried them with other alternatives.  Dont like barbed wire, seen too many accidents.  Think its a case of whatever works for you.  HM

MrRee

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Fencing
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2008, 09:52:37 am »
What works for me is 90cm sheep fencing (on the inside of the posts),a strand of barbed wire at ground level and two strands of white nylon rope electric fencing at 6inches and 15inches. Maybe I was lucky with my last two saddlebacks,but didn't have any escapees or accidents.
  The only problem I had,was trying to keep the grass and weeds short enough on the other side of the fence so it didn't short out the electric, I'm a bit wary of using sodium chlorate around the animals.......Ree
They don’t join cliques — more times than not, they stand alone — but they recognize and gravitate towards one another. Only warriors understand other warriors.

pigsatlesrues

  • Joined Oct 2008
  • Normandy, France
Re: Fencing
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2008, 10:22:13 am »
Hi all!

As Carole has said, we are writing a piece for the LABPIF website about fencing.  Would any of you mind if I extracted some of your information from this thread? 

The reason I ask is because I have been researching this subject, but to be honest our audience is made up of ordinary people like ourselves.  I would prefer to use the experiences of ordinary people who are real, and not text book information.

Thanks in advance - will wait to see replies.

Kate  :pig:
Bonjour et avoir un bon jour !

Seth

  • Joined Dec 2008
  • France
    • Compact tractors
Re: Fencing
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2008, 10:56:44 am »
This is the reason for my post in the first place. I would value more, the advice of people telling me first hand what works for them. The reams of text on this subject tend to be non commital.

When you get the advice from many "real" people you have a better chance of finding something that best suits your situation. 

Seth.

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
    • ABERDON GUNDOGS for work and show
    • Facebook
Re: Fencing
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2008, 11:52:35 am »
What always puzzles me is that farmers (as opposed to smallholders - perhaps a little less commercial in outlook ;)) like to put a top strand of razor or barbed wire - supposedly to keep cattle in.  Although one farmer told me in confidence that it doesn't work any better than all these methods you've been describing here for pigs.  It is damned dangerous stuff and whoever invented it should have been shot at birth.  I've lost count of the number of my friends who have had severe accidents with their dogs when out shooting. (one young flatcoat actually died as a wire snapped and sprung round her body) I have deliberately trained my dog not to jump a fence without my coat over it first. Am I wrong in thinking that an electric fence would do a better job of retaining cattle?
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Fencing
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2008, 04:14:46 pm »
Agree re barbed wire.  Seen some horrendous accidents, not to mention to humans out hunting, jumping fences, not seeing the wire, horrible.

Anyway - here (Brittany) have never seen cattle fenced in by anything except 1 single strand of electric fencing at my waist height. 

I think Hilary is probably the exception that proves the rule to fencing, she has always been a contrary pig.

HM

MrRee

  • Joined Jan 2008
Re: Fencing
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2008, 05:14:24 pm »
Agreed,cattle enclosures here are merely a waist high electrified smooth wire. They even electrify barbed wire down by the stream (which I found out to my detriment whilst sat under it,leaning back too far,touched it with the top of my head and woke up sometime later) tis ok though,the twitching has stopped nooowoww!!
.... barbed wire was invented in the States in 1868 and now has 570 different patents on it. I've seen it used in some really imaginative ways,none of which are pleasant,and yes I agree,it should be banned in most situations. That said,my pigs stayed away from it and didn't try to tunnel under the fence.Whether that's because the electric line was 5 inches above it or they just weren't inclined to tunnel.Who knows,what I have here works,so I won't be trying to fix it....... Ree
They don’t join cliques — more times than not, they stand alone — but they recognize and gravitate towards one another. Only warriors understand other warriors.

garden cottage

  • Joined Sep 2008
  • forest of dean
Re: Fencing
« Reply #10 on: December 14, 2008, 07:42:05 am »
we have post and rail fence with sheep wire on it. one single strand of electric tape about 1/2 inch wide, approx 9" off the ground on sturdy screw in insulators, main problem weve had is because chas and dave are on a bank slope their always throwing soil over the tape and burying it ie endless digging out of tape had no escapees as yet, no prob with weeds on tape as all greenery has dissapeared into mud!........................their going off to you know where in january so paddock can have good rest....neil

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Fencing
« Reply #11 on: December 14, 2008, 08:37:00 pm »
I hate barbed wire too. When I was quite young I saw a horse that hat run nto a barbed wire fence - what a mess. It was lucky to have survived. It's OK for cows probably, that are less panicky than horses, and it does stop them leaning on a fence and breaking it.

Malc

  • Joined Oct 2007
    • The Edge of Nowhere
Re: Fencing
« Reply #12 on: December 15, 2008, 05:31:39 pm »
I fenced off an acre-and-a-half and use electric fence to section it off into four paddocks, using a two or three paddocks at a time - the pigs quickly learn after a couple of zaps. We use two strands of wire as the wind here on Orkney blows tape away. One strand of barbed wire at the foot of the permanent fencing will discourage rooting.

Barbed wire is nasty stuff, but almost every fence on the island we live on is made of it - cattle farming is Orkney's biggest industry. I check my fences on a regular basis to make sure they are in good repair and most of my neighbours do the same. I'd like, in the long run, to replace it all with standard wire, but it's all about time and money. Best advice is not to try to climb a wire fence of any kind - it's a guaranteed way to upset a farmer.

gavo

  • Joined Aug 2008
  • Belcoo, Enniskillen, N.Ireland
  • Crazy Pig Lover
Re: Fencing
« Reply #13 on: December 31, 2008, 07:36:35 pm »
Hello,

We use permanent fencing on the boundaries (sheep wire with a bottom strand of barbed wire). To subdivide we then use a permanent electric fence - this is stranded steel wire (like oversized bicycle brake cable) kept under tension by insulated tensioners. The wire is in three strands roughly 11" apart and this all goes back to a Horizont mains electric fencer with a feature that detects vegetation and sends pulses to burn it off. The tensioners are attached to wooden fence posts at the end of each run (up to 100m) with plastic insulated posts to keep the wires at height in the length of the fence run. As the tension required is a fraction of that of a permanent fence you don't need tensioning posts - simply the gauge you require in the run of a permanent fence.
We've given up on trying to keep in the weaners as we have to have the first wire so close to the ground that this is often shorted out by a big clump of soil rooted up by the mum.

The weaners don't tend to go too far and always run back to their mum when we go out into the fields.

I must stress the need for a permanent boundary fence as this ensures that if your electricity fails then you're not left with the possibility of chasing after pigs down a public road.

Cheers

Gavin

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Fencing
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2009, 09:08:15 am »
I think this is a really important point - to distinguish between your outer boundary fence and internal dividing fences. It's a risk assessment really - jeez, I sound like our health and safety officer at work.

 

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