Fencing Question

[Countrygrl3]

We're looking to put up some more pasture and are wondering what kind of fencing would work best for cows.
Right now i use a braided nylon/electric for my horses and i was curious if cows would respect that as well. i really like this stuff b/c it doesnt stretch out and there is no risk of animals getting ripped up on it. there is about 6,000 volts running thru a 4 strand fence for my horses...would that be enough for a cow? or would i have to decrease the strands and increase the voltage?
what works best for you?

Sue

[allenslabs]

Before we moved where we are we had a single strand electric barbed wire and that kept in our 3 cows, draft horse and ponies and donkey. It just depends on your animals I think. We always had plenty for them to eat but in the winter if their hay bale ran out and they saw one at the neighbors or thought they did they'd go check it out. That just happened once but it was still a pain. Now where we are we have woven and a strand of barbed on top and our cows have never gotten out but our neighbors WHOLE HERD!! got in our field and we still don't know what happened there. We think they might have left the gate between our places open or something but who knows.
Like I said I think(my opinion) it really just depends on the nature of your animals and of course how well your charger is working. My parents have about 50 acres or so fenced off (and not so well) for their cows and they stay in but there is always plenty of food and water. Again though their neighbors cows will come visit! I guess we just have inviting places! HAHA!

[Valmai]

As allanslabs said it depends a lot on the nature of your cows. If they are calm friendly cows one strand of wire on standards is usually enough. I hardly ever have it turned on, the visual barrier is enough. BUT if a cattle beast is hungrey frightened or looking for some 'nookie' no fence will stop them.

[JeffNY]

Valmai hit the nail on the head, if the animal wants to go, it will go. The most extreme measure would be cable, it is strong and will carry a current better than small wire. I know of someone who used power line cable for an electic fence, it never breaks. If a tree falls on it, it pulls it down, but never breaks. I guess it carries a current very well. Now this type of fence is only if a cow wants to get out regardless, however! Your nylon fence will work just fine, we use it for cows, and used 1 stran. Actually ours was off for a time, untill they lost their fear when I closed a gate. So I had to turn it on to get them to realise, it's on! I too like that nylon, because you can tie it. Also you can roll it back up, unlike the wire which fights with you.

So yes, nylon will work, and from what I find, it seems to be as potent as the other stuff. Like I said, if need be cable. Might sound extreme, but im using it this summer to make sure my animal don't get with the neighbors (to much metal in their pastures, and they have bulls).


Jeff

[lilsassafrass]

I am a strong supporter of high tensile , after years of fencing in all kinds of animals with all kinds of fencing , it is truely what I like best and actually in teh long run has been the least expensive and the lowest maintenance Add a good charger and you are set....and unless some one leaves a gate open have next to no escapees

[Countrygrl3]

Thanks so much everyone! this is really helpful

Sue

[Valmai]

Power line cable, barbed wire???? Like I said if the animal wants to get out it will. You also have to consider what damage the fence will do to your cow if she decamps. I hate barbed wire, I saw a cow go over the top of a netting and barbed wire fence and slice up her udder terribly. I've heard of a bull getting over an 8ft block fence. If it does go throught the fence do you want to retrieve a healthy uninjured cow or minced beef on the hoof????

[Snuffy Smith]

What about just plain old rolls of field fencing and T-post? Would that work ok?

[myersfarm]

i think it is not the fence but the fence charger i use one that puts out 11 joules.......most put out less then 2...if mine rub up on the fence i want them to pay......but bulls will get out even with that but they do think about it .....i have barber wire around outside of fence and use high tensial just one strand to fence off fields.....but look at the charger to me thats the most important thing..with a good ground

[shorty'smom]

Calm cows will repect that fence, I'm sure. We use a single strand electric wire at the height of the cow's brisket and they don't want to touch it again, once they touch it. Sometimes wild range cattle will run through it, if something spooks them. A neighbor's roaming bull broke through out 8 wire, 4 barbed, high tensile barbed wire fence with 2 electrified strands in it 2 summers ago because we had 12 nice young heifers in the pasture. Another neighbor had a longhorn bull that could break out of a 6 foot high welded pipe corral and a temporary stock panel fence which he built to back up the corral. This bull is now hamburger. He would have killed somebody, he was as crazy as they come. However, if a bull wants to go, he will. Not much can stop 2000 pounds of brute strength.

[Mike in Ohio]

I'm no expert but I have spoken with a lot of people and looked at a lot of setups before deciding what I'm doing. I'm going with locusts posts spaced 12 foot apart and plan on going with 5 strands of high tensile with insulators on strands 1,3 and 5. The intent is to fence for cattle but I want the option of which strands to charge.

Ask me later in the fall or next spring and I'll give my opinion based on personal experience.

Mike

[shorty'smom]

Where we are just fencing for cattle and not to contain goats we build a 5 strand barbed wire fence. We do not use high tensile, just for cattle. We use Red brand (it's heavy wire and stronger...a bale of it weighs about 100 pounds) We get the 2 barbed kind, though they make a 4 barbed kind. We don't have any trouble with cattle getting ut, unless the fencine is too old and rusted (were talking 20 years or more). This type of fence is the norm for cattle in Ok. Most folks just use electric wire for temporary fencing for cattle on wheat pasture or other temporary grazing areas. We use either wood posts and steeples or steel posts and clips. The steel posts don't burn if there is a pasture fire and are easier to get in the ground (no digging) You don't have to have electrified fence for cattle. It would help if you are going to keep a bull though. The bulls that are pastured on our place do get to fighting across the fence with one another and tear up the fence some. They could use some electric fence.

[pygmywombat]

We have five lines of high tensile. Its as much to keep the animals in as it is to keep other animals out- like people's roaming dogs.