I raise sheep and have a few guard llamas. But I wanted to build a boundary fence that would be suitable for all livestock (except fowl). So I constructed a combination fence; HT barbed, HT woven, HT smooth - mounted on 8'x6" treated SYP posts, 25' on center. One strand of coated barbed goes right at ground level to prevent predators from digging under. One inch above that goes 8/32/9 woven wire. As previously mentioned, the 9" vertical stays prevent death by hanging. So far we're at ~33" of height. Above the woven wire go three strands of smooth at the 39", 45", and 51" levels. I use the appropriate wire stretchers and my tractor to stretch the barbed and woven to the posts with Class III staples. The smooth is mounted with electrical insulators. I don't use springs, Jake's tighteners are used to fine tune the HT tension. The insulator mounts permit electrification of the smooth if/when required.

I strongly recommend horizontal braces. Goats can learn to walk up diagonal braces. When that happens, no amount of fence can keep them in. Obviously, if you mount your wire inside the braces, it doesn't matter. I also strongly recommend an inside scare wire mounted at about the 8" level. Once insulated and electrified, it will keep the goats from poking their heads through the woven wire. If you mount the woven wire inside the posts, you'll need arm-type extender insulators. When properly installed, their shins will hit the electric wire before their heads make it through the woven wire. They'll quickly learn that - even if the grass is greener on the other side - they'd best leave it alone.

Oh, crimp splices will save a lot of wear and tear on your fingers when it comes to joining wires and sections. Enables you to pull tighter, and makes for a neater looking fenceline when you're done.

//greg//

Reply

Quote Reply

Digg It

Del.icio.us