- Location
- Hertfordshire
Anyone trialled this or heard of someone who has? I’m involved in a project where it could be useful and would like to see it in action first. Thanks
Virtual fencing
- Thread starter The Ruminant
- Start date
Chapelton
Member
- Location
- Castle Douglas
Cattle or sheep? The Temple Grandin book I'm reading reckoned sheep were easily able to associate an increasing sound with a subsequent electric shock and could be trained to it without too much trouble. I'll look back as I'm sure it will have referenced the study which showed this.
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
I've been following Agersens and Halter since they announced it. I am not aware of any in the UK at present. If you get to try it I'd love to come and have a look.
Crex
Member
- Location
- Innse Gall, Alba
- Location
- East Ayrshire
I think @JohnGalway had a thread about it, but no idea how far he got
- Location
- Hertfordshire
It’s for cattle grazing common land
- Location
- Glen Clova, Angus, DD8 4RD
Ideal I'd have thought! It'd be great for mustering them again.
- Location
- Romney Marsh
Might try it on some footpaths...................... that will stop the ramblers straying from it !!
ShooTa
Member
- Location
- Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!
id certainly givce it a crack - although didnt we ban the same thing for dogs not that long ago...why is our future food not the same?
- Location
- Isle of Skye
I wonder how far the costs could potentially fall for this? Unfortunately for us I can't see it ever being viable for sheep unless it gets near to 1/10th of current pricing, obviously it'd be way more cost effective for cattle.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
I haven't trialled any but...
The only two working models I was interested in (Halter steadfastly refused to reply to my many attempts to contact them) were Agersens eShepherd from Australia and NoFence from Norway.
Agersens eventually gave me a price which had a minimum collar buy of 100 collars at €300 per collar, a base station of €3-8k depending on specs and needs and a couple of other items I forget. On top of that they had a subscription cost which I'd have to go look for.
NoFence have a working commercial collar for goats. They are trialling collars on cattle and sheep, and will be available from 2020 or 2021. There is no minimum collar number. They cost €300/collar also, then they have a scale subscription model that calculates based on how many collars you operate and how many months of the year you use them. There's a FB user forum, be warned it's in Norweigan and Google does it's best Chinglish translation.
I think SRUC are up to something with virtual fencing but I don't know what. I've watched a few others fail in development. There could be something else out there that hasn't come up on my radar.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
That's precisely what I wanted it for also.
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Might depend on how one uses sheep. For commercial wool & meat, not a hope. For example, people run goats under power pylons to eat all the young trees that might cause a problem. I don't see it as cost effective for cattle anytime soon either, it does potentially solve a problem in that my commonage has a road running through it, as well as the usual drains and bogholes.
Weve got miles of 'virtual' fencing ...
. the wire is all there but all the posts have rotted off ...?
. the wire is all there but all the posts have rotted off ...?
- Location
- Isle of Skye
Virtual fencing should be virtually stock-proof?Weve got miles of 'virtual' fencing ...
- Location
- Hertfordshire
And should keep virtually all of the animals in for virtually all of the time...Virtual fencing should be virtually stock-proof?