Full electric fencing for sheep

[blacksheepcontracting]

Today I was looking over the fence at the neighbours single wire and 12 ft gap between stakes and thought about how much effort sheep netting is to put up and maintain and how I hate seeing the dead matt of grass that grows over the wire.

Anyone successfully on a full electric system? Any pics and advice for weaning/gathering would be much appreciated

 

[Al R]

@neilo @unlacedgecko were I think?

 

[unlacedgecko]

@neilo @unlacedgecko were I think?

Thanks for the tag. I run all tack sheep behind Rappa electric fencing. I don't lamb anything so I can't comment on weaning etc.

Gathering is not a problem generally. Just be careful not to push them too hard, or they will go through the fences. Keep the power up and the batteries fresh. Welsh sheep are very quick to learn they can charge fences and push through them. Once they learn to charge a fence you can't contain them.

 

[neilo]

@neilo @unlacedgecko were I think?

Not me. I run everything behind electric (RAPPA) in the winter, but rarely use much electric over the summer. Years back, I found electric to be particularly unreliable for containing young lambs and, once they've learnt how to put their heads down and run, they never forget until you hang them up.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Not me. I run everything behind electric (RAPPA) in the winter, but rarely use much electric over the summer. Years back, I found electric to be particularly unreliable for containing young lambs and, once they've learnt how to put their heads down and run, they never forget until you hang them up.

Will the netting you're selling contain fence walkers?

 

[neilo]

Will the netting you're selling contain fence walkers?

That's just why we started using it in the first place. Still needs a good fencer on it obviously, but netting has always been far more reliable than 2/3 strands IME.

 

[unlacedgecko]

That's just why we started using it in the first place. Still needs a good fencer on it obviously, but netting has always been far more reliable than 2/3 strands IME.

I may well have to invest in some for a "sin bin" paddock or two.

 

[Al R]

That's just why we started using it in the first place. Still needs a good fencer on it obviously, but netting has always been far more reliable than 2/3 strands IME.

We've always used nets on turnips/rape too as the lambs probably have never seen electric with us apart from 1 field which is fenced off for a caravan site in the summer - the likelyhood of those lambs still being with us in the autumn is low.
80% of our ewes had never seen electric until this year when we had 40% on fences on roots.

Never had to rely on electric for gathering/weaning either sorry.
I've got a broker Glamorgan that continuously went through 3 strand steel wire on mains fencer. Moved to polywire on battery for the next 3 months in other fields and she never tried jumping or going through. Back on steel wire for a few days in the original field and she was back out again?

 

[unlacedgecko]

We've always used nets on turnips/rape too as the lambs probably have never seen electric with us apart from 1 field which is fenced off for a caravan site in the summer - the likelyhood of those lambs still being with us in the autumn is low.
80% of our ewes had never seen electric until this year when we had 40% on fences on roots.

Never had to rely on electric for gathering/weaning either sorry.
I've got a broker Glamorgan that continuously went through 3 strand steel wire on mains fencer. Moved to polywire on battery for the next 3 months in other fields and she never tried jumping or going through. Back on steel wire for a few days in the original field and she was back out again?

Poly wire will stretch as a sheep pushes into it. So if she's charging through the fence she will get a shock for longer.

Steel will snap of caught on the sheep, or roll over them easier.

 

[james ds]

Ive used 5 strands of high tensile for sheep with the bottom strand dead . Works very well and a lot cheaper than sheep wire

 

[cowboysupper]

We use 3 strands of wire with our ewes and lambs. Bottom 2 are live and the top one is dead. Once the lambs get their first kick of the fence they know not to go back. As said above though, the batteries need to be kept fresh. We probably use more fence posts than necessary at 1 every 8 paces but feel it gives the fence more stability.

 

[Chasingmytail]

our easycare have taken some training and 4 wires for us. Didnt have any issues with lambs last year. Mob grazing system

 

[Tim W]

I lamb and raise sheep all year round with 3 strands of electric
Only once have I had to put up a 4th dead wire when I let the battery go flat and some lambs learnt to walk through ---the dead wire put a stop to that

Gathering I just use a stretch of flexinet or similar to create a funnel to the pen if needs be

Weaning I move the ewes a field or two away and don't get any problems

Simple and cheap system with great flexibility
You must however keep on top of it
1) Good battery and earth
2) Keep growth clear of wire (strim)
3) Get on top of any escapees immediately

 

[blacksheepcontracting]

Thanks for the replies. I guess a powerful fencer on mains should do it for a permanent system. I imagine this is how it's done in New Zealand.

Since I've got 68 acres to fence I was hoping there might be a better way. Time to experiment

 

[Tim W]

Thanks for the replies. I guess a powerful fencer on mains should do it for a permanent system. I imagine this is how it's done in New Zealand.

Since I've got 68 acres to fence I was hoping there might be a better way. Time to experiment

We have 80+ acre blocks with battery fencers --- no worries

 

[Al R]

Thanks for the replies. I guess a powerful fencer on mains should do it for a permanent system. I imagine this is how it's done in New Zealand.

Since I've got 68 acres to fence I was hoping there might be a better way. Time to experiment

Had a mains on stranded steel wire and it was crap at holding them in, I managed to put a break back together without switching it off.. moved them onto polywire with a battery fencer and I definetly wouldn't want a kick off that and neither did the ewes!

 

[Coximus]

Train the sheep for a fortnight in a small paddock, fence about 10m in from the normal stock fencing.

Make sure they get hungry and can see the good grass,

They soon learn. Poly wire works better as people have said it stretches, and any escapees, either send to market, or put in a pen with mains electric and on the otherside a bowl of rolls. They will test and learn.

I find setting the pulse rate as high as possible helps more than total power as it ensures even a currious nudge gets a shock, so no time to even start learning it hurts.

 

[Farmer1001]

Just come across this thread after another session of getting ewes and lambs back. We have no choice but to electric fence and it works most of the time, but it appears today they are going through one type of poly wire and not another, so my question is this - what's the best poly wire for the job? It's been a long time since we bought any new rolls of polywire, and as there is a huge variation of strengths, strands etc that I have never really taken any notice of. Thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[unlacedgecko]

Just come across this thread after another session of getting ewes and lambs back. We have no choice but to electric fence and it works most of the time, but it appears today they are going through one type of poly wire and not another, so my question is this - what's the best poly wire for the job? It's been a long time since we bought any new rolls of polywire, and as there is a huge variation of strengths, strands etc that I have never really taken any notice of. Thoughts would be appreciated.

Look for the number of steel threads running through the poly wire. Generally, the higher the number the better.

 

[vantage]

As a dairy farmer on electric I'm just wondering if you sheep guys are using a multi stranded steel wire or high tensile 2.5mm,as the ht will carry far more power over a longer distance. Also do you check the voltage at the end of the fence?