You may remember the West field was the first paddock I fenced in this year. I used regular woven wire along part of it, then I had a section that bordered the garden area that I used hog panels on. The plan being that come September or so I would then move this section to the other side of the garden and allow the sheep to forage in there after the garden was finished.
The back stretch I decided to give the old electric fence one last try. My reasoning there was if the sheep got out that direction they were still trapped in the hay field with no way to get out into the road.
Well the sheep were trapped all right. That part worked but after another few months of messing with electric fence I am now completely done with the stuff except for on a temporary basis. Perhaps if I ran a little more juice through it the sheep might get the idea but in order to do that would cost me just as much time in supplies and running wire as just putting in a real damned fence.
Now don't get me wrong the stuff works well for horses. The old nags won't go anywhere near it. It also works well after the sheep have been sheared for a while but eventually they get enough wool back on their fuzzy heads and they start eating away paying no attention and the next thing they know they are through the fence. Once one get's through then the entire flock MUST get through to (It's some kind of sheep law I think) and that's where the real problems start.
So I am done with it. I started taking the thing down today. I had to stop for a few fairly frequent cooling off breaks and at one point as you can see from the sky in the pics below it threatened to rain so I had to go collect up my hay bales I still had out in the Alfalfa field.
Here's the hog panel moveable part of the fence. That weed choked area behind it was the Buckwheat plot/Garden area that is now filled with weeds and Sunflowers.
Here is the Cedar tree portion that I trimmed all the limbs from to give the sheep some shade to lounge in when I have them locked in here. This entire side is permanent fence.
It takes much longer to get all the electric fence stuff taken down and carried out than I thought. Luckily I should have everything I need to get the permanent woven wire section up tomorrow. Then it will be back to dealing with the hay. I gotta keep the damned sheep out of the hayfield while I mow so this fencing section takes priority now.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!!
dear me...you just don't ever stop, do you? ya nutter! looks good tho...and good luck getting the woven wire section up tomorrow! sending you lots of love (you need it from all of this work!). your friend,
ReplyDeletekymber
I found electric to be next to worthless for goats and it had to be set up just right for steers but practically one wire will hold a one ton horse, the smarter the animal the better it works. Seems kind of backwards when you thing about it but I suppose the smarter animals try to figure a way not to get pain while the others just go with it. It is that way with political correctness, it is king of like an electric wire with the shock being offending some unknown or non existing person. The smarter the people, the better the shock works while further down the food chain, they don't care about a shock. It is really more of being conditioned than actually offending someone.
ReplyDeleteYou have a fine farm. I hate fence work. My father would pile all the equipment, wire and tools on the back of a trailer and then have us boys climb up as he drove the rig out into the river swamp. We'd jump off and dig and hammer until dark. Bugs ate us alive. Anyway, good luck on the critters and wire...
ReplyDelete