Fences

Okay, this is probably the most important thing you can pay attention to on any small farm. If you're going to have animals, you must have the proper fences. Many tales of woe can be told because we put the wrong animal behind the wrong fence, then had more work to do later once they broke it and escaped. So here are some pointers so that you can avoid scarring your horses, catching your pigs, or having to cut your goats out when their horns get caught!!!

Cows: Barbed wire is a good all-purpose fence for these big beasts. If you're only keeping adult cows, three strands will do fine, but if you're going to have calves, go for five or six, as they can step right through the rows and escape otherwise. Although they look really sturdy, I wouldn't go with metal pole and bar fences, as cows like to scratch their necks, and at an average of 1000 lbs, they have a lot of muscle strength, and your fence can end up looking like this!

Another kind of fence that was already here when we bought our farm was panel fencing. It is sturdy as all get out, but it's probably better suited to smaller corral fencing than something you'd want all over your pasture. You can't see through it, but not even the strongest bull would be able to bring this fence down.

The other fence shown in the picture I'm going to call plank fencing. It'll work great with cows if you have to go for that classic country look, but just be aware that horses will start to chew it, and you may have to replace a plank from time to time.

Horses: It's hard to find the right fence for horses, especially if they're sharing your pasture space with cows. Three strand barbed wire fences leads to mane loss, as they reach through the fence for greener pasture, but split rail fencing ends up looking like this.

Now if you're a master fencer and you don't mind replacing rails on a regular basis, and you must have that good old country feel, go for it! But horses chew wood. Remember that. They also stick their necks through for a good scratch, as well as press their 900 lb bottoms for another good scratch, and that's a lot of wear and tear on a wooden fence.

To cut down on horses scratching on fences, there are these things you can put up called The Equine Scratcher by Two Fair Mares. They're not harsh on the mane and tail, and as long as your horse will switch to them, they can save your fence too!

We haven't tried horses in a 5 strand barbed wire pasture yet, but we've heard that they're less likely to stick their heads through if they scratch their nose in the process. I'll let you know once we try that. We're going to re-wire the big pasture before the calving season next spring.

There is also vinyl fencing and plank fencing. With vinyl you'll have to check that they haven't dislodged any sections, and with planks, you'll need to keep an eye on wear and tear due to chewing.

Goats: Oh goodness, is it a challenge to find a goat-proof fence! Adult goats can be kept safely in a 3 strand barbed wire fence reinforced with a line of electric fencing below the bottom wire, but if you have an adventurous kid, even that may not be enough. Again, a 5 or 6 strand barbed wire fence ought to do the trick for pasture, but it is not predator proof, and if you're keeping kids outside, you're going to want to keep the coyotes and wolves away.

Page wire is an OK option, but if your goats have horns, they will probably stick their heads through the larger sections, and there have been several that couldn't get their heads back through (or wouldn't), and had to be cut loose, requiring a repair to the page wire. In the barn, we've used snow fencing to stop the kids from escaping, but it has to be in perfect condition, or they will find the weak point and break it.

In one corral this summer we put up page wire, then reinforced it with chicken wire, and that stopped them putting their heads through...for a while. We put a bale of hay a little too close to the fence, and temptation got the better of our fence!

Our fence of dreams is a strong mesh with squares no bigger than four inches, with a rail along the top (so the goats can stand up and not wreck the fence) and a band of electric tape along the ground just outside it to repel any determined critters. We don't have this fence right now, but we will keep dreaming about it. So until then we will continue to kid in the barn where it's safe.

Pigs: Because they root around quite efficiently, if you want to put your pigs in pasture, you must electrify the boundaries. Do not be afraid to put quite a lot of electricity through the wire, because a pig is curious, determined, and tough. Put the wire at least 6 inches above the ground to prevent it getting buried in mud (rendering it useless).

The fence behind the electric wire doesn't really matter, as no fence will hold a pig in for long.

If you're putting your pigs out with just electric fencing, then I suggest putting two or three strands up, one six inches above the ground, and another no more than six inches above that. And once the pigs have tested the wire once or twice, they won't bother it anymore. We once had six wild boars restrained by a single electric wire in the same pasture pictured above. We should never have taken it down.

Llamas/Alpacas: These guys are easy. You want your fence to be at least 4 feet high, but they really don't try anything with the barbed wire, and they don't chew the rails or planks. They will, however, take advantage of the weaknesses that your horses have created, so just keep on top of your fence maintenance, and you'll be fine.

Oh, if you're relying on a cattle gate to keep these guys in, you may want to reinforce that in the winter if you get a lot of snow. Since their legs fit right through the bars, once the snow packs in the hole beneath it enough, they are able to step neatly through and go exploring. Yeah. The alpacas got past 2 cattle gates last winter. This winter, we are putting up temporary gates.

Chickens/Ducks: As long as you're not housing your chickens with anything stronger than they are, chicken wire and simple posts will hold your flock in safely. For a portable option, use electrified netting. The electricity is to keep the predators, and your fluffy little kitties out. Even if your cats don't harass the chickens, they can cause havoc with a relatively flimsy fence like the electrified chicken fence.

With small chicken runs where there is no quick escape from hawks, I suggest putting a ceiling on. Chicken wire will do fine, unless you manage to find some fine netting that you can support with poles, like the pheasant breeders use. I suggest the netting, because the cats have been known to walk on the chicken wire ceilings, causing them to stretch out.

Turkeys: Did anyone know that turkeys can fly? Yeah, they can. Well it's more of an assisted hop, akin to the man jumping on the moon. You may need to extend your fence up to at least 10 feet to curb this little migratory habit. And leave the top of the fence weak to discourage roosting. We've had turkeys roost on a rail 8 feet in the air before!

Green Tip: I've suggested a lot of electric fencing, and now they are making solar powered fence chargers. No extension cords, and you can even use them in the winter! That's an innovation I can live with!

Well, that's my bit on fences. I'll get those pictures up as soon as I can.

Until then, Happy Small Farming.