fencing- hot wire???

1sttimemom · #1 07/09/12, 11:24 AM

We need to re-do the pature fence really bad. It's about 10 acre, a long narrow rectangle basically. It needs to hold horses, ponies, and GOATS!!! The horses are pretty easy. Ponies a bit harder. The goats I am worried about! For the exterior fence I was considering the electric rope or maybe electric rope alternating strads with elec wire. It seems very affordable, safer for horses, and easy to deal with. Wire mesh will be expensive and really more difficult to install. At this point I can't afford to do a wire mesh so I really need other options. We live in the country and no real neighbors as we are surrounded by hay/corn fields and such. But I do want to contain the animals. So far we have 3 togg does (2 are babies) and 1 very large but gentle lamancha buck. I also have 2 smaller wild goats (pygmy/dawrf/fainter mutts) who currently live in the pasture with horses and never try to go anywhere but certainly could walk right out if they wanted.

Alice In TX/MO · #2 07/09/12, 11:37 AM

ESPECIALLY with the smaller goats, hot strands are *not* likely to work. They are just not appreciative of zaps.

trnubian · #3 07/09/12, 11:41 AM

We use only 2 strands of electric fence here. I know we are fortunate that ours stay in only 2 wires but it works well here. I also know several different people who use hot wire sucessfully.
I would think you could get by with just wire instead of rope if you have enough markers so the horses see it. (I use old white rags that are cut up and I tie them to the wire every 30 feet or so until they know where the fence is.) You could probably get by with 4 or 5 strands of alternating hot wires. as long as the top and the 2 bottom wires are hot. Topp will keep the horses off it and the bottom two will keep the goats in.
Get a high voltage charger that will charge an area larger than one you intend to use it for. Get a low impedence charger. It will shock through weeds.
I love electric fencing because if you use the right charger on it, it keeps everything in and almost everything out so you don't need to worry about predators so much.