Fencing Help

jbmaine · #1 04/18/08, 02:14 PM

Im sure this has been asked before, but here goes anyway.

Please help a rookie out!

I have an opportunity to get a couple year old Highland cows. I want to raise them for meat and to help me to clear an area of my property.

I am thinking of fencing in an area of about 100' square. This area was old pasture that was left to go for 25-30 years... I cut off the timber and it has been about 4 years now and it is all brush coming up.

I need a fence to keep the critters in at all times, as I have a adversarial (flat lander) neighbor.

Is 100' x 100' big enough? What should I do for fencing? I am in maine and the ground is very rocky. I only have about 3 acres and have of that has my house and lawn area.

I was thinking t post and 48" welded wire with one strand of electric around the inside perimeter, 24" of of the ground.

Where should i get the materials? What should it cost?

What do you all think?

Mark T · #2 04/18/08, 02:38 PM

Gene Logsdon recommends just what you are planning in his book "All Flesh is Grass." It would be mobile so you could eventually resite it. I think a 100 x 100 enclosure (about 1/4 acre) would be too small to give much grazing value to two cows. You'd have to feed hay year round. Threy would browse down the brush. If you are springing for welded wire and just want to eat down the bursh, I'd recommend adding a couple of goats.

jbmaine · #3 04/19/08, 11:16 AM

thanks for the help..

CatherineE · #4 04/20/08, 11:30 AM

I'm on clay, so I don't know much about rocky soils, but we've sure liked the portable electric fencing we've gotten from Premier Fencing (http://www.premier1supplies.com/), which we've supplemented with step in posts from TSC. The electric fencing is fast and easy to relocate, as needed, which leaves you many more options, than permanent fencing. That said, I think that you'd still need a good sturdy permanent perimeter fence, esp. if you have a prickly neighbor. We have a 5 strand barbed wire fence around the outside, because that's what was here when we got the place. Barbed wire has to try to stop animals by being tough and painful to get through. Electric works by intimidation, esp. if you "train" your animals to it by "encouraging" them all to touch it at least once in their first days with it. We've also been VERY pleased with Premier's poultry fencing...nothing gets in or out, as long as the fence is hot. You just have to watch that the fence stays hot! Grin. Good luck, and let us know how you get on?