Electric fencing is really easy and SO useful!
If you have a small area that you need to fence permanently or temporarily, electric fencing is the cheapest, most flexible and quickest method.
For a simple temporary fence, all you need is electric fence wire or tape, fence posts or clips to attach to an existing fence, an energiser and a battery (unless you get a mains powered energiser).
Electric fence "earth" is the key
There are two ways of setting up the fence, either using an earth return wire or all live wires and an earth stake. With the earth return wire you alternate live and earth wires.
With the earth stake, its just a metal rod in ground connected to the earth on the energiser. If you don't have an earth wire, you are relying on the ground to complete the circuit, which works ok if your soil is currently moist.
Either way, when an animal touches the fence and contacts both the earth (wire or literally the change going into the ground) and a live wire, they complete the electric circuit and receive a shock. The energiser itself is connected to the live wires, and to the earth wire or earth stake.
What size energiser do you need for your electric fence?
Energisers come in different sizes designed to cover different nominal distances. When you first introduce cattle to an electric fence its a good idea to use an oversized energiser for the distance you're fencing. If the first shock they ever get is a strong one, they are unlikely to touch the fence again. Cattle are very set in their ways, goats however, can hear when the fence is on or off and are very opportunistic if they do notice that its off. If you have a lot of vegetation touching the fence, it will drain some of the charge, so its best to oversize the energiser in this case as well.
Temporary electric fencing opens up a world of opportunities
Here is a few examples of how we use electric fences:
- You can fence off an eroded area of our property that needed a rest from hooves, it is making an impressive recovery
- You can fence inside the house yard so that the house cows can come in and trim the grass (lawn moo-ers), this saves you mowing and lets them eat some nice green grass
Where can you find out more about electric fencing?
The best way to learn more about electric fencing is to drop into Mandalong Stockfeeds, staff are always happy to share knowledge.
