fencing question/jackleg fence

[boundarybunnyco]

Hi, I'm planning to fence in our ten acre property. I love the jackleg fences you sometimes see. However I have two problems.
1) I don't have any forest on my property, and can't afford to buy all the posts and poles I would need. So can you build some type of jack leg fence out of boards?
2) I would like to keep stray dogs off our property, as well as coyotes and wolves. I have mini horses that I would like to protect. Can anyone suggest how to make jackleg fencing that is critter proof?
thanks for any ideas.

[Whisperwindkat]

I suppose it could be done, but don't know how sturdy it would be just being made out of boards. If you could use posts and then boards for the rails that might be a better option. Putting the boards/rails closer together and using more of them, say 4 instead of 3 will help with critter control, but it will not be coyote or dog proof. Jacklegs are typically for larger livestock like cows and horses and not meant to contain small animals. However, if the rails are close enough together and go all the way to the ground with the slope on the outside it will make it very difficult for those things to get in. Blessings, Kat

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Adding a couple of hot wires on the outside, starting 4-6 inches off the ground, will help with dogs and coyotes. Just make sure to keep the weeds and grass off of them.

[Tom in TN]

Boundry,

I can't think of any way to build a fence, especially one that might keep dogs or coyotes out, without spending a sizable amount of money on it. The electric fence idea might help, but you still have to have some kind of posts and insulators to install the wires on. Plus, the cost of the charging unit.

You might be able to get some free pallets, but it would take forever to get enough of them to build a perimeter fence around 10 acres, plus they still need posts to support them so they don't fall over.

Rails split from existing trees would be good, but they wouldn't keep any small animals out.

So, in short, no. You can't build something that extensive without incurring a significant cost.

Good luck,

Tom in TN

[Bearfootfarm]

Using boards will be far more expensive, and less effective than doing it right to begin with

[fantasymaker]

The jackleg fence might be attractive to you but I dont think its going to DO what you want. You need to make a choice. For what you have said You need a woven wire fence. It should be about 8 feet tall with wires 4 inches apart in each direction. You will need 2 hotwires on top and on a seperate charger a wire a foot up from the ground on the outside .
You MIGHT get by with this . But with such tasty treats tempting them you might have to ad a buried componet 3 feet deep a trench filled with big rock. more woven wire or a poured concrete footing.

[pancho]

Do some shecking into how much it would cost to enclose 10 acres with this type of fence if you have to buy everything.

[boundarybunnyco]

ok, I guess it won't work. The reason I was considering boards, was because we get them very cheaply from work. Like 50 dollars for a huge bundle of them. Not all are perfect, but most are decent and usable.

[meanwhile]

Perhaps you can make a good sturdy fence in a smaller area? And then make the "jack leg" type fence in another area just for short term?

Pallets make good fences but they will rot eventually. Not sure how just boards can be used? Try a Google search "cheap fencing" / "pallet fence" / board fence" etc. and look at the images to get ideas.

Good luck.

[Plowpoint]

A four foot high, Page Wire fence is considered coyote proof and really does work. My sheep have been protected for years from it despite coyote kills of deer only a few hundred yards away.

That being said, it is expensive. It cost me around $27,000 dollars for 15 acres of High Tensile Page Wire fence, with 4 inch holes, pressure treated posts placed every 16 feet and uses galvanized 3 wire.

It sounds expensive, but it really is not. With a life span of 30-40 years, it is actually pretty cheap over the other types of fencing out there that has a shorter life span, and requires a lot more maintenance and repair.

I wish there was something cheaper, but there really isn't for protecting sheep and goats.

[texican]

Jackleg log fences are for rich people... or poor people with lots and lots of free labor. Regardless, I don't think any pure jackleg is going to keep out any type of predator.

You live in Idaho... there are lots of national forests... if you check, you might be able to get a permit in a beetle kill area for "firewood"... just cut the logs to the length you need, and cut them into 'firewood' once at home...