Author Topic: Electric fence training-lambs (Read 5489 times)

Hillview Farm · « **on:** November 26, 2013, 09:05:22 am »

Ok So this was my first lambing with using electric fences. Lambed in the barn as it was so wet and turned out after a week of the last lamb being born. Now the lambs thought it was great to climb through the gate and play in the yard. Turned out and they just climbed through the electric fence and no matter what wire or battery and strimmed weekly I couldn't keep them in as they just shut their eyes, head down and ran quickly through. The ewes who respect the fence but it's only now that the lambs are mature that they say in.

This year I want to teach them from day one that fences hurt!! Any tips? If I lamb inside again I will run a fence behind the gate and zap them! Is it just my lambs that are naughty?

SallyintNorth · « **Reply #1 on:** November 26, 2013, 09:44:00 am »

I've heard it said that electric fences generally won't contain lambs; they have such teeny points of contact with the ground that there isn't sufficient current to give them a jolt. Whether that's true or not I couldn't say.

Foobar · « **Reply #2 on:** November 26, 2013, 09:59:49 am »

Yeah, you've little hope I think with lambs. I tried it myself and got each of them to zap themselves on the nose when they were young - that kept them in for about a week, then they just started charging the fence. To them it's just a gap that they can see that they can get through, so they go for it. You could try more lines at a low level - say 6? I've tried 4 (up to thigh height) which wasn't enough. And maybe use tape as that has more of a physical presence? (but produces less zap)

Bionic · « **Reply #3 on:** November 26, 2013, 10:18:52 am »

It didn't work with my lambs either but they seem to respect it now, 8 months down the line

Cactus Jack · « **Reply #4 on:** November 26, 2013, 10:20:10 am »

Quote from: Hillview Farm on November 26, 2013, 09:05:22 am

This year I want to teach them from day one that fences hurt!! Any tips? If I lamb inside again I will run a fence behind the gate and zap them! Is it just my lambs that are naughty?

Try just using 230volt mains, three phase preferably

Hillview Farm · « **Reply #5 on:** November 26, 2013, 10:28:21 am »

Mine respect it now thankfully but I found the lambs go through the fence, shout for mum then mums goes through

Sadly I cant get the mains down that far across the farm

Foobar · « **Reply #6 on:** November 26, 2013, 10:37:53 am »

The only electric fence that my lambs won't cross is the one around the pig pen as they aren't sure about the pigs on the other side! Obviously that's not a lot of use unless you happen to have some "guardian pigs" handy hahaha

Pedwardine · « **Reply #7 on:** November 26, 2013, 08:19:17 pm »

You say now the lambs are mature they stay in? I don't think there is a surefire way to keep them in as little lambs. The dam/lamb relationship will always bring them back though so is it really a worry as they're unlikely to be out for very long? Personally I find a three strand wire system a better option. They can get out and explore if they really want to (and let's face it they ALWAYS want to) without the danger of getting tangled and electrocuted in netting. When the milk bar is declared open they will alwys come back and when they're too big for the milk bar they respect the fence more anyway.

Hillview Farm · « **Reply #8 on:** November 26, 2013, 08:23:39 pm »

I find the lambs shout for mum then the ewes go running!

Tim W · « **Reply #9 on:** November 27, 2013, 11:20:00 am »

I find that the best way is to have the best fence with the best zap you can to start with---sometimes I have split a fence into 2 and used 2 fencers at the beginning of a season. Once they get the idea I can relax the regime

Out on the plain I kept 320 ewes + lambs behind an electric fence (3 strands around 80 acre blocks---1 fencer) and only ever had problems with the occasional persistent animal---these are identified and culled asap
It's behaviour that is learnt by lambs from their from dams IME

Hillview Farm · « **Reply #10 on:** November 27, 2013, 12:03:12 pm »

That isvery interesting Tim, I will try using more than one fencer. The weird thing is the ewes have never cause me any problems until the lambs started to escape then they followed. I will this time from day one have a fence up this year so lambs know the score!