Fun things to do with an electric fence ;)

[kelpiegirl]

Okay, so I just finished speaking with the folks at Premier. We started chatting about electric fences, and the things we did when we were kids. I said "we all touched an electric fence ONCE, right?" He replied- "or maybe two". I then said I remember touching it once, and then lamenting that the birds could sit on it- yeah, I was a little kid and the concept of grounding didn't quite gel. Then he told me that you know if you hold someone's hand and also hold the fence, THEY get zapped, not you. AND guess what? THAT happened!!!!!!! I remember someone saying, "come one, hold my hand, you won't get zapped" and I did- I was on the outside. Boy, this brings back memories!!!! Lots of memories on the farm. One of my least fond memories was one hot afternoon, we were haying, and on the way back to the field. I was sitting on the wagon. The wagon went down a hill, I slid forward and I got no less then ELEVEN GIANT splinters in my butt. Yes, I remember the number. Oh, there are so many memories. I am so glad to be getting back to what I loved so much.

Julie

[Guest pax]

I once was holding a horse's head collar when it nudged me up against an electric fence. I couldn't catch that thing again for ages.

 

My old Anatolian peed on the fence once and I thought we were going to have to get him catheterized, he wouldn't pee again for days.

 

So far this Premier fencing has been ok, but it's a real turtle trap.

[kelpiegirl]

Funny how all these topics intertwine eh? WOW, I feel bad for the horse and the Anatolian!!!

How many rolls of fence, and how big an energizer did you get? Was it difficult to set up?

Julie

 

I once was holding a horse's head collar when it nudged me up against an electric fence. I couldn't catch that thing again for ages.

 

My old Anatolian peed on the fence once and I thought we were going to have to get him catheterized, he wouldn't pee again for days.

 

So far this Premier fencing has been ok, but it's a real turtle trap.

[Guest pax]

I got 6 rolls of the 165 foot length. I want to say it's around 4 feet tall.

 

I don't know about the charger but if you want to wait a little bit I'll check when I go to throw them some hay later. (With all the turtles and all the work being done, I've confined them to close quarters at night.) I know I went up a level in terms of the strength charger I needed to be able to use a solar panel or a battery. The lower level charger (which was also less expensive) could only be used with an extension cord and household current. It would just have been a question of time till someone mowed the cord.

 

It's easy now that I've got the hang of it, in fact, now I'm just using one roll and whipping them around all over the place, weed eating. They do a great job, and it's been nice because Starr and I have a real job, moving them back and forth from the temp day pen to the paddock I have them in at night. It's been a lot of fun. The first time I opened the gate and got them out, though......whoa baby. That was some heart pounding stock work for me, right there. Nothing but one good dog between my sheeples and the big bad world.

 

I had trouble in the beginning but it was a stupid mistake with a ground wire.

[kelpiegirl]

Okay, LOTS more questions. How many sheep do you have? How large is the enclosure you put them in at night?

I am considering a smaller area than I initially thought to put the sheep in during the night, and that will leave the pasture open to the horses during the night. This would be a good arrangement with the land owner. I guess it comes down to- do sheep really do much of anything at night?

Julie

 

I got 6 rolls of the 165 foot length. I want to say it's around 4 feet tall.

 

I don't know about the charger but if you want to wait a little bit I'll check when I go to throw them some hay later. (With all the turtles and all the work being done, I've confined them to close quarters at night.) I know I went up a level in terms of the strength charger I needed to be able to use a solar panel or a battery. The lower level charger (which was also less expensive) could only be used with an extension cord and household current. It would just have been a question of time till someone mowed the cord.

 

It's easy now that I've got the hang of it, in fact, now I'm just using one roll and whipping them around all over the place, weed eating. They do a great job, and it's been nice because Starr and I have a real job, moving them back and forth from the temp day pen to the paddock I have them in at night. It's been a lot of fun. The first time I opened the gate and got them out, though......whoa baby. That was some heart pounding stock work for me, right there. Nothing but one good dog between my sheeples and the big bad world.

 

I had trouble in the beginning but it was a stupid mistake with a ground wire.

[Guest pax]

I'm sorry, I should give you the whole story.

 

My septic failed and we are in the middle of installing a PuraFlow system. To do it, they have dug a trench from one end of the place to the other. The septic field itself is going smack in the middle of my one good turn out area.

 

So I bought the temp fencing knowing I didn't want to permanently refence my perimeter until the septic was done, but the design and the county procedures have taken a very long time.

 

I misunderstood when they told me where they were going to start, so I moved them into a paddock made out of two rolls of fence in a panic one morning last week.

 

They ate it down to practically nothing in a weekend. So since then I've had them in temp paddocks where I knew there was shade and plenty to eat. If it seems like they are content and the fence is charging ok, I've left them to eat it until it's done, then move them on. If for any reason I'm worried about leaving them out in the temp paddock overnight (one roll is pretty confined) then I move them back to the two roll paddock and give them some hay.

 

The septic guys are telling me ten more days, then we have the fence guy ready to come in and put in wire and real poles.

 

 

I've only got 7 sheep. Five full grown ewes and two lambs.

 

When I go to do night check most often they are sleeping but I have come upon them grazing, too. I imagine it's the same as day time in terms of time spent eating, sleeping, etc.

 

You know I'm a sheep idiot, right? I got these 6 weeks ago for my birthday. Don't look to me for anything other than "what not to do".

 

Basically, I've been using one small paddock because it takes me a whole day to weed whack, fence, then stake, then make sure it's not grounding anywhere, then hang sky hooks or fill gaps as necessary, if I am using all 6 rolls, and I haven't had a whole day to devote to it. I can move one roll in an hour, so that's what I've done to keep them knee deep in the green stuff.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

You have green stuff knee deep?

 

My wonderful rotation plans have plunged into dissarray because of how dry it's been. First, dry ground means sheepies feel basicaly nothing when they touch the fence (this happened about this time last year). Second, dry crunchy grass means they are crazy to get where the grass is greener. Thankfully, that's pretty much nowhere this year, but when we hold them in about two acres, by the end of the day they are convinced that the sheep on the other side of the farm have got something they don't.

 

If I had my druthers I'd put about twenty acres in warm season forage, leaving about fifteen in cool season mix as it is now. My landlord, bless him, had landscaping in mind as opposed to feeding animals when he re-planted all the pastures.

 

There's about five or six acres of good native stuff in a strip on one side of the main pasture, but there's no power to it right now.

 

With that aside, I do love the electronet. I don't know how I farmed without it before. Our landlord is VERY impressed, and he basically thinks we are the most ignorant city farmer wannabes he's ever laid eyes on, though he's very nice about it.

 

We used the sheep to clear a brushy hill that normally is several weekends' weedeater work. He said, "Them sheep can EAT - ain't nothing left on that hill" - every time he saw one of us for a week. Atter that we got permission to - da-da-DA - fence in the pond and let the sheep clear around it, too, so we don't have to do that, now (and the sheep have water on that side of the farm). His experience with cattle led him to tell us initially, that the sheep weren't allowed down there.

 

Good fences make good landlords.

[kelpiegirl]

Well, it's official. I ordered the fence- lots of it, and it will be here on Monday. Besides being a fair bit POORER, I am very happy. The folks are Premier are great to work with. Yikes- lots of money these little suckers- and I haven't enve paid for the sheep yet!

Julie