Beginners Guide to Fencing

There is one constant in the livestock industry, if you have animals then you will have to build fencing. Fencing is a barrier to both keep your animals where you want them and to keep predators out.

It has been said that good fences make good neighbors and that is certainly true. As a responsible animal caretaker it is your responsibility to keep them out of your neighbor’s place as well as getting out on the road and cause an accident.

When it comes to fencing there are many options that you can go with and that can be confusing to someone who doesn’t have much experience with it. Now which is the best to go with? Well that is up to the individual but here are some things for you to consider the next time you are shopping for a new fence.

Planning your fencing project

There first step in any project is to plan out exactly how you will go about doing it, and fencing is no different. You should plan out where the fence will be going and how much of it is needed.

It is during this stage where you will determine all of the materials that you will be needing. An important thing to remember is that if it is a rather large job it may be a good idea to purchase a little more than the bare necessity to finish the job, It never fails that you may be off on your calculations or simply that something will get damaged along the way.

Also here at this stage you will be selecting the type of fencing that you will be putting. The type of animals that you will be keeping as well as your total budget will play a factor on your decision.

Some of the common types of fencing that you will find are:

Barbed wire

Woven field fence

Rail

Electric

Once you have to area selected you will want to prepare the site before you put any fence in. This will mean taking a dozer or skid steer and clearing out all of the trees and brush from the area. You will want to make the area as level as you can to make instillation easier.

Select the right corners

A fence is only as strong as it’s corner posts. A common problem that many people make is selecting the wrong size of post to use for the corners.

The size of the post that you will be using really depends on the number of wires that you will be installing.r

A 6″-7″ post is recommended for a 5 or 6 high tensile wire fence where as a 4″-5″ post is what you will use for a 1 or 2 wire fence.

The depth that you bury the post will also play a role in how strong the fence will be. The hole that you dig should be as deep as the height of the top wire. This means that for a fence shorter than 42″ you should be using a post that is 8 ft in total length.

When in comes to bracing the corner posts there are generally 2 types to use: Floating diagonal or an H-Brace. Both of

these types have their pros and cons as well as requirements to consider.

A floating diagonal is good for up to 5 wires and the H-brace is good for up to 8 wires. Now the H-brace will be more sturdy but the floating diagonal will only require 2 posts instead of 3 for the other one.

Types of fencing

The type of fencing you will want to use will depend on the type of livestock you will be wanting to keep in.

Barbed wire

This is the most common type that you will see across most of cow country simply because it can be cheaper

It can require anywhere from just 3 wires to as much as 8 depending on the landowners preference

This type typically works good for cattle because of their tougher hides

Not really a good option for horses or any smaller animals that you may have

A standard barbed wire fencing typically has posts that are 10ft to 12ft apart

Depending on the amount of strands being used they can be spaced between 8″ to 10″

Woven field fence

This type can work for any species but usually is preferred for both horse and smaller animals like goats and sheep

Woven wire fences consist of a number of horizontal lines of smooth wire held apart by vertical wires called stays

Spacing between the wires can vary depending on the type and use

The height of the wire can vary from 26″ for smaller animals to over 48″ for more taller animals

There are many different combinations of wire size, spacing and heights that you can choose from

Rail fences

Rail fences are typically used for border fences around farm buildings or the home

They are also more typically found at different types of horse farms where more expensive animals are kept

There are many different options now that you can choose from for a rail fence wood PVC vinyl coated pipe

There are many different heights that you can go with but usually people go with 4 to 5 feet for livestock

Electric

This type of fence is gaining in popularity because it is fairly cheap to install and easy to move if you need

Adding an electric wire to an already existing fence can help improve the fence’s effectiveness

Corners and end posts with electric fencing require less bracing than a more “permanent” type of fence

If you are using for temporary 1 or 2 strands of either a smooth wire or tape or rope is good

The more permanent types can have from 2 to 8 smooth wires placed on stronger posts

If you are looking for more information then your local county extension office could be a good place to start. Also the NRCS department of the USDA has a fence technical guide that will provide some valuable information.

If you would like to improve the overall efficiency and productivity of your operation then check out my e-book “Nuts and Bolts of Successful Ranching”