Author Topic: Help... My Pigs Keep Escaping... (Read 20786 times)

Greg · « **on:** October 30, 2011, 06:47:34 am »

I've got four Oxford, sandy and blacks.

Until recently they've been content munching away in a paddock which has been fenced in using a new solar powered electric fence which pulses every 5 or 6 seconds.

One pig in particular has seemed to have worked this out and has been getting out of the paddock and into the garden, they cant get any further than that due to secure stock fencing surrounding my holding.

I came home yesterday afternoon and they're all out!!! The fence is still pulsing away but they've all seemed to have worked it out.

Is it a case of the fence not having enough power or have I done something wrong. The electric fence covered about 200 meters and I've used two strands of wire, one down quite low and the other about snout height. I keep the bottom wire clear of anything the pigs churn over it.

The idea of the fence was to allow the pigs to strip graze this paddock which has been rough for many years, they are doing a fantastic job rotorvating the ground but I would like to keep them separate from my garden and also my kune's kune's.

Are the battery fences better?? It's too far to run from the mains

Any help or advice appreciated.

Thanks

Greg.

supplies for smallholders · « **Reply #1 on:** October 30, 2011, 07:40:07 am »

Hi Greg,

When you say its Solar Powered - It does have a battery as well, right?

Greg · « **Reply #2 on:** October 30, 2011, 07:50:03 am »

Yes it does...

supplies for smallholders · « **Reply #3 on:** October 30, 2011, 08:02:49 am »

Ok,

A few more questions:

How many joules output is the energiser?
Have you got a good earth?
Have the pigs been "Trained" on the electric? - they soon learn not to approach after a few good shocks

We use a mains energiser to power the whole farm, this is close to the house but then we use a single line suspended on stakes to get the power to where its needed. Plus a single earth return to assist the earth return path.

HappyHippy · « **Reply #4 on:** October 30, 2011, 08:21:37 am »

Is it OSB gilts you have ? I found with mine when they started to come into season (around 4 months) that they were almost impossible to keep in - doing all they could to get out and get to my Kune Kune boar

hormones and nature taking over I suppose. I've not had the same issue with any of the other breeds I keep.
It could also be that they've not got enough in their pen to keep them occupied - grass/enrichment etc so maybe a bigger area, a bag full of straw for them to play with - a case of 'the grass is always greener' $:-\$

Electric fences are a 'psycological barrier' so once they figure out they can get out it (bearing in mind how intelligent pigs are) they usually do

Depending on how big they are I'd go for a strand at 6 inches from the ground and another around 16 inches from the ground - they could just be stepping over it

Failing that, connect a fully charged battery for a couple of days (or if you can get a mains hook up all the better) and the stronger current might help keep them in

HTH
Karen

Greg · « **Reply #5 on:** October 30, 2011, 09:41:11 am »

Thankful for the replies and the help...

The battery inside the unit is 12v .5 ah so only a wee one...

The pigs were fine when I had them first and had a zap or two off the fence which kept them in, then one of the boars started almost biting it to test it which suggests its not strong enough now.

At the moment they all walk in and out of the area wily nilly, with the fence on.

The area that they were in has been stripped bare so they could be bored and looking for pastures new.

The entire area that they're in is enclosed with chain link fence and we went around yesterday and checked to make sure it was secure. We put some barbed wire along the bottom of some of the recent fencing.

They are 4 months and I have two gilts and two boars and a gilt and boar kune kune. All the boars have been castrated.

This is the fence kit.

http://www.molevalleyfarmers.com/mvf/store/products/gallagher-s20-solar-energiser-02j

Thanks for all you help and replies.. I'm really grateful.

Greg

darkbrowneggs · « **Reply #6 on:** October 30, 2011, 09:55:58 am »

I know this is no real help, but one lot of "Iron Age" weaners I kept had worked out that if the biggest got hold of the electric netting by the bottom un-electrified wire, and held it up the others could run under (no shocks to the backs as too hairy), then before the had all run though he dropped it and got under while it was still supported by the others backs

I had to hide and watch what they were doing as I just couldn't work it out. I managed to get round it by large "tent pegs" angled in to hold the bottom wire in place. After that I constructed a single stock wire fenced pen in a new area for each batch with two single strands of electric fence wire just inside - they were turning over what is now the vegetable garden.

Now when I keep them they are in a large gated pen in a barn and are allowed out till they start making too much mess of the orchard and small paddock they have access to - then completely confined in the barn till time for the abbatior.

robert waddell · « **Reply #7 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:01:18 am »

unfortunately there is only one way to test your electric fence and that is touch it yourself is the electric wire touching any part of the wire fence it does not matter how powerfull the energiser is if your fence is earthing out it is useless

harry · « **Reply #8 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:05:44 am »

MINE GOT OUT TWICE.... all fenced off so i put in a 2 strand wire about 9" from the fence so they would get sevaral shocks if they wanted to work on the main fence, it was the gate ( wire frame and string, useuall thing)they buldozed over both times....... since doing that NO PROBLEMS.........

harry · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:12:10 am »

you can get an electric fence tester a few £ssssss you stick the probe into the ground and the other end on the fence several L E Ds light up to indiciate power had mine years, well worth it....£10 ebay...... this way i dont keep the growth clear of the fence untill power drops, my fences are always shorting out on ground growth, pampus etc but still loads of shock coming through, you need all lights on, on the tester........... someone told me the white wire for horses etc doesnt give out as much shock?

?.

Stevie G · « **Reply #10 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:36:34 am »

Quote from: harry on October 30, 2011, 10:12:10 am

you can get an electric fence tester a few £ssssss you stick the probe into the ground and the other end on the fence several L E Ds light up to indiciate power had mine years, well worth it....£10 ebay...... you need all lights on.

This is definitely the way to go, a fence tester(thought Robert would have his finger on the pulse, but obviously not

), and you actually only need it up to 2000 volts to stop a pig getting out, but as Harry says 5000 would be best!!!!
There is and never will be any way that I am grabbing no electric fence to test it as that would be darn stupid, especially at my age!

harry · « **Reply #11 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:45:08 am »

ive walked into mine sevaral times thinking it was off......... the dogs heard me shout a mile away as i could hear them barking........ i got a clip on light that go on red when power drops..... its clipped on where i climb over... if its flashing red its low power which means to me ive switched it off.

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #12 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:58:50 am »

It costs nothing and really doesn't hurt at all to test an electric fence.

Grass is a poor conductor of electricity, but does conduct it a little, so use a blade of grass to insulate your fingers as follows.

Pick a good blade of grass and hold it between finger and thumb. Stroke the tip of it on the fence wire, so that there's about 4-5" of grass between your fingers and the wire. If you can feel a tiny pulse, the energy is fine. If you can't, slowly move the end of the grass you are holding closer to the wire until you can feel a tiny pulse. If the length of grass between your fingers and the wire is less than about 2", that's not enough of a shock to deter a determined pig.

If you get the grass down to 1" or less, you can hold the wire yourself without pain.

Stevie G · « **Reply #13 on:** October 30, 2011, 10:59:06 am »

Quote from: harry on October 30, 2011, 10:45:08 am

ive walked into mine sevaral times thinking it was off......... the dogs heard me shout a mile away as i could hear them barking........ i got a clip on light that go on red when power drops..... its clipped on where i climb over... if its flashing red its low power which means to me ive switched it off.

Just stand on the bottom wire with your welly and if it cracks then its good and if there is nothing your low.
I always charge a spare and changed them daily, but you can get a battery which has a circular window in it as well that if "green" is good and "red" it low which is even easier.
Definetely better options than grabbing the wire!

Greg · « **Reply #14 on:** October 30, 2011, 11:06:46 am »

Thanks for all the replies... It's far more scientific than first thought!

Is the electric tape type of fencing better than the white wire type then??

I have a 12v 85ah diesel car battery.. Would that be better than using the solar powered system?

Help... My Pigs Keep Escaping... - The Accidental Smallholder