[Cjnewton82]

I'm going to turn my pig area 30m by 30m into I permanents area using stock fence. The question is how tall should I do the stock fence and what hight and diameter should the end and intermediate posts be???

[devonlad]

I can only tell you what we use- which is usually 4-5 inch round stakes everywhere. the corners get concreted in and braced in both directions. height wise- not sure but I guess its about 3' 6". To be honest the key seems to be the strand of electric we run all the way round just about snout height. not too low or they pretty soon bury it and not too high or they will just slip under it. we always use the screw in insulators which hold the wire a few inches off the fence and prevent any chance of it shorting.  The pigs we've had would pretty much knock anything over given long enough but not to keen on a zap on the snout.

[hughesy]

Putting up stock fencing properly is an art. If it's not strained properly it won't keep anything in. We use 6" minimum strainers at the ends/corners, bigger if it's a long run of fence. The intermediate posts can be anything 3" plus and if you can it's a good idea to have the posts on the other side of the netting from the pigs as they sometimes like to chew them. The strand of electric fence wire can stop this but not always. We always put a strained run of barbed wire at ground level to discourage digging under and if your pigs are the climbing sort another one at the top, though if you use the electric wire that shouldn't be a problem. The main thing is to get your strainers dug in and braced properly as they are the most important part of the fence and if they move when you've put the netting up it's difficult to get it all strained again.

[bloomer]

to get a proper tension you need 6inch plus strainers on the corners and for any gate posts, stabs can be 3 inch as they are to keep it tidy more than anything.


The ground wire is very important for pigs as it needs to be very tight to stop them lifting it and pushing underneath.


The only pigs i have seen behind stock fence its never been more than 3'6" usually bottom wire, standard sheep netting and 1 or 2 top wires.


I have seen argument that the ground wire should be barbed for pigs to stop them digging under it, but don't know enough to advise on that one.


Remember it all needs to be properly tight...

[shygirl]

keep the bottom wire low and tight. if you dont use electric they will wiggle under any tiny gap.

height wise - think about whats on the other side of the fence. my ponies used to jump into the pig field at feeding times. gusty or what!

[MAK]

I would imagine that this will be an expensive and difficult job to achieve the spec that is needed ( as indicated above). I would not be keen on barbed wire having had to sort out a cut snout on a pig that dug up some old pottery. Since  an electric fence is recommended then why bother with a stock fence? Another point to consider may be the impact on the ground. It will get "pig sick" and the pigs will probabley reserve an area for their toilet which future pigs may avoid - thus reducing the land available for the pigs to root about.

[hughesy]

Since  an electric fence is recommended then why bother with a stock fence?

We use electric fencing for our adult breeding pigs with no problems. However we've had a few growers who seem to get wise to it and once they've sussed out that it's not going to do them any real harm they will just walk through it ignoring the shocks. Sometimes you just need a pig proof barrier. I believe the barbed wire works in a similar way to the electric in that once the pigs know it's there they know where not to put their snouts. Having been all electric for a few years we're now in the process of installing stock fenced pens for our growers there's just too much opportunity for damage when they escape.

[benkt]

My experience says stock mesh and electric. With just stock mesh, they will inevitably dig under it or break/uproot/push over one of the supporting posts and sneak underneath. With just electirc, eventually either they throw mud over the bottom strand to short it out or just charge thorugh it. With both, they can't get lose enough, for long enough to  break the mesh fence and can't just push through the electric.
Best solution is well strained stock mesh and a couple  of strands of electric about six inches inside it.

[HappyHippy]

We've got 6" strainer posts (they recommend 1 every 25m in a long run of fencing I think) and use 4" rounds or square posts spaced at 6feet.
We've got standard fencing with a strand of barb - works well when it's tight  Having had 2 incredibly wet summers it did loosen the posts slightly (especially around gates and where the feeding areas are) and once slack they push under it no problem 
We're planning on re-fencing next year and will definitely run an interior electric wire (belt and braces  ) to save on damage to the fence from them rubbing on it too 
HTH

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

When I was reading up on stock fencing a while back I came across this PDF document from the Forestry Commission website


Although not specifically talking about stock fencing there is lots of useful information in here about post sizes, strainers and fence cladding which I found very helpful (sections 3 and 4)


In the end we were lucky that the existing fences were generally pretty sound but after reading this I decided to only tackle minor repairs myself. It's probably best to leave any major lengths of new stock fencing to the professionals as they'll definitely do a better job of it! 

[hughesy]

Also, pigs that are new to electric fencing need to be trained to it. This means having a set up with leccie fence and a solid barrier behind it so they learn to go backwards when they get a shock. Having a stock fenced pen with electric inside will achieve this and then pigs can be contained using electric alone after a few weeks. Electric fencing is a great way to control pigs but if they've never seen it before they will very likely bolt through it the first time they get a shock.

[Bodger]

I followed Hughseys advice on this a few months ago and touch wood and all that, we've haven't had any escapees. The netting behind the electric fencing is expensive but it certainly gives you peace of mind.

[Ollies Farm]

As Hughesy and Bloomer have said the knack is to get the stock fencing tight, I have tried several methods and have found the Drivall Fencing Clamps and associated fence strainers work best for me. They are a bit pricey but well worth the money.

[hughesy]

As I'm a tight arse I refuse to spend money on specialist tools when I can knock something up out of stuff I've already got. To strain stock netting I use two pieces of 2"x2" timber cut to the same length as the netting is tall, plus a couple of inches top and bottom. Bolt these together to form a clamp for the netting. To strain it all I use an old boat trailer winch which is bolted to a bit of metal I can hook on to the towbar of my pickup or tractor. Staple the netting to the strainer at one end, then use the winch and an old towing strop to pull the whole thing tight and staple it to the strainer at the loose end. Only then is the netting loosely stapled to the intermediate posts and finally the top wire fitted.

[The Woodsiders]

That's a fantastic idea Hughesy, gonna pinch that one, cheers