Semi OT: Electric fences - Page 3

 

Trish Brown wrote:

Not with their snouts.


I've used one with sheep, worked fine.


They dont have any choice if they are trying to get past it.

And are too stupid to try slithering under it.


Cops dont have a clue about the most basic law.

I had one fool chuck a wobbly about me catching a crim with a surveillance
camera.

The fool asked me where the signs were. They arent required in a domestic
situation in NSW.

 

pmcbrown@internode.on.net said...
:
:Jeßus wrote:
:> Just wondering what your experiences have been with electric fences?
<snip>

:I've used electric fences to keep horses and cattle in (and out) with no
:problems! In my Pony Club days, we used a portable, battery-operated
:fence when we went to jamborees and gymkhanas overnight. The only vital
:thing was that you had a good ground (we used a big shifting spanner or,
:in a pinch, an old screwdriver thrust into the earth). We never had an
:escape or bad experience. One Zone jamboree, a herd of cattle managed to
:get into the Pony Club camp and went stampeding among the tents,
:knocking them over left and right. We had pitched our tent in the centre
:of our electric fenced area with the ponies and slept like logs while
:everyone else had to rebuild their camps.

Come to think of it, the only electric fences I see around here (which
are few and far between) are for horses. I think that says something...
:)

:I know our dogs (Rough Collies and Border Collies) paid utterly no
:attention to the fence. Once they worked out that it bit, they'd just
:avoid it by slinking down on the ground and slithering under the wire. I
:can't imagine sheep or goats would pay much attention either, since
:goats are canny and would learn to avoid it, same as the dogs. Sheep are
:thickly insulated with wool, so I s'pose that would dull the sensation a
:bit for them. I've never kept sheep or goats, but everyone I know who
:does uses cyclone wire fencing or barbed wire. I don't imagine sheep and
:goats are as inquisitive as cattle or horses are, and can't see them
:using their noses or lips to investigate things and hence get shocked.

I watched one of the goats yesterday checking out the fence - she was
actually chewing on the insulators AND the wire. From time to time she
was making contact with both live and neutral wires with no noticeable
effect. Sigh.

I would describe my goats as being both inquisitive, also alternating
between having severe ADD and yet paradoxically being very focused on
whatever has their attention at any given moment. Sheep otoh are...
well, sheep.


:The one down side of electric fences IME, is that you have to be
:*incredibly* careful where you set one up and make sure it's LOUDLY
:labelled if it's likely to be contacted by the public. If anyone with a
:pacemaker or heart condition managed to take hold of your fence, you
:might have charges to answer!

Yup. Not much chance of that happening where I am, fortunately.

:Some years ago, we experienced a few occasions of having the petrol
:milked out of our car overnight. I suggested putting up the electric
:fence to deter the evildoers, but the attending copper nearly fainted.
:He told me that would equate to 'setting a man-trap' and would leave me
:open to all sorts of criminal charges.

I was told the same thing (man trap) when I proposed somebody hook up
either a large capacitor or coil to their car body when they were having
some sort of similar problem to you. Mind you, your electric fence idea
would be a lot less harmful and safer :)

 

Jeßus wrote:


We tried an electric fence many years ago with goats - well-earthed, etc. etc. -
the wretched animals laughed
at it.   Worked well on the dog (Border Collie Cross) though, until he worked
out how to flatten himself under
it.  Worked extremely well with me when I forgot it was turned on.

Mind you, ordinary fences didn't work too well with the goats, either - if they
found a hole they could get
their heads through, the rest of the goat - and then the whole flock - followed.

--
Anne Chambers
South Australia

anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

 

:
:Jeßus wrote:
:> So, back to my question: I'd like to hear of your experiences with
:> electric fences - both pro and con.
:
:We tried an electric fence many years ago with goats - well-earthed, etc. etc.
- the wretched animals laughed
:at it.   Worked well on the dog (Border Collie Cross) though, until he worked
out how to flatten himself under
:it.  Worked extremely well with me when I forgot it was turned on.
:
:Mind you, ordinary fences didn't work too well with the goats, either - if they
found a hole they could get
:their heads through, the rest of the goat - and then the whole flock - followed.

You certainly need strong fences with goats. Even miniatures. I have a
chook pen in the same paddock, using your normal chicken wire.
The goats have discovered that not only do many yummy things exist
beyond that fence (eggs included!) - but that leaning hard/walking along
the chicken wire is a great way to get burrs out of their coats.

Suffice to say, the fence is in not so great shape anymore, and as you
mentioned - once there is a small hole - in they go :) So I'm also going
to have to re-do the chook pen with stronger wire as well.

 

On Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:00:41 +1100, Jeßus wrote:


<snip>


Only experience we have had is with horse
Wired tape rolled through loops on fibreglass "posts"
No problems
Horses got the message quickly - ie after 2 or three sniffs
And or the odd forgetful moment swinging around too close to the tape.

Friends tell me they are not absolutely reliable for cattle
Particularly bulls
If there is a cow in season on the other side
The bulls forget where they are and concentrate on the end "game"
ie they go straight through the fence!

Best "human" story I have heard
Is from a friend whose family had a round yard set up for horses
An "old timer" visited the man of the operation mid winter
And in no uncertain terms suggested that electric fences were useless
To prove his point he grabbed the wire
And stated there was no effect

Friend's hubby suggested the the "old timer"
Dispense with his insulating rubber / wellington boots
And then grasp the wire

The "old timer" took off his boots
Wriggled his feet into the damp earth
And grabbed the wire

The end result was described to me as
The loudest explosion of flatulence ever heard
Followed by a stagger
And an apology ;-P

The other "human" / "feline story
Involves my then teenage son
We had to carry him into the house on a stretcher
He had split his sides laughing

Apparently one of our cats had been under the electric fence
And there was a broken wire in the tape
Which caused a short circuit "crackle"
The cat listened and watched for a while
And then leapt up to grab the wire

The weight of the cat of course
Caused the wire to sag
To the degree that its hind legs made contact with Mother Earth

The ruts in the earth under the wire
As the cat tried to get traction
Were quite deep
And of course, it was sometime before
Said feline was again seen
And never again under that wire ;-P

As others have stated / insinuated, goats are, apparently, another story

Keep smiling
anm