Electric sheep fencing

5live

I am getting geared up to do a bit of sheep fencing. I want to divide a silage field in 3 to control grazing better after a silage cut. It is sheep wired around the bounds so is stock proof there and now i want to put in electric fencing to divide up the rest. The cows sometimes get access here as well when grazing gets tight or when it gets too strong for the sheep and i am thinking of moving the heifer calves to this area next year to try out mixed grazing (rather than the current mixed-up grazing:rolleyes:). 4 quick questions.

1. 4 or 5 row fence?

2. How far apart should the posts be?

3. What size fence posts should i use?

4. Would electrified sheep netting be best to strip graze each section?

Thanks in advance:)

Username John

5live wrote: »

I am getting geared up to do a bit of sheep fencing. I want to divide a silage field in 3 to control grazing better after a silage cut. It is sheep wired around the bounds so is stock proof there and now i want to put in electric fencing to divide up the rest. The cows sometimes get access here as well when grazing gets tight or when it gets too strong for the sheep and i am thinking of moving the heifer calves to this area next year to try out mixed grazing (rather than the current mixed-up grazing:rolleyes:). 4 quick questions.

1. 4 or 5 row fence?

2. How far apart should the posts be?

3. What size fence posts should i use?

4. Would electrified sheep netting be best to strip graze each section?

Thanks in advance:)

Hi 5Live,

Not sure if you mean putting in temp. electric fene, or permanent fence?

I was in a similar boat as you a few weeks ago, but I wanted to put down a fence, that I could take up again come Springtime, when silage would be cut off the field. See thread below
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73934530

I'll tell you what I did - but I only have sheep, so I wouldnt know what you'd need to do for cattle. But you'd hope the one fence should contain em all?

After getting the advice in the thread above, I got some light wire, and put up two strands of this, then 2 strands of polywire above it.

I put up light timber posts (I think they 3-4 inch posts) about every 10 metres. Put in me insulators, at heights of 6', 13', 25' and 36' or thereabouts. Put up the wire & polywire.
Then I got a few of these plastic stakes and put them up in between the timber stakes to tighten the wire a bit more (I found it hard to tighten the light wire properly, but this was prob me as much as anything)

That was it. The sheep are in there 10 days now, and no trouble yet anyways...

I have more to do - and am tempted to do the following
- Use ploywire, as messing with the light wire is annoying.
- Put up only 3 strands (3 strands were recommended on the thread listed above)

On the electric netting - I havent used it, considered it, but at about 100euro for 50 metres, its expensive...

5live

Thanks john. Yeah saw that thread. Thats me asking the same questions at the end of that thread:o.

I can afford to put down permanent fencing here as i had to move the sheep to where i can see them (bloody dogs:mad:) and hope to keep a good few acres for silage here but hope to strip graze maybe about 3 to 4 acre sections with calves followed by sheep and have the cows or dry cattle take out any excess if it comes. Still trying to decide about the polynetting though but it would save walking (have a bit of a problem with that at times)

Username John

5live wrote: »

Thanks john. Yeah saw that thread. Thats me asking the same questions at the end of that thread:o.

I can afford to put down permanent fencing here as i had to move the sheep to where i can see them (bloody dogs:mad:) and hope to keep a good few acres for silage here but hope to strip graze maybe about 3 to 4 acre sections with calves followed by sheep and have the cows or dry cattle take out any excess if it comes. Still trying to decide about the polynetting though but it would save walking (have a bit of a problem with that at times)

Doh! I didnt see the second page. Sorry 5live!