5 strand barbed or 3 strand electric high tensil.

Lightning doesn't knock out a barbed wire fence. I have a lot of electric fence and have had trouble with stolen batterys and storms and seems like every time it storms the power goes off around here that kills the 110 fence charger.

Im not a hig tensil fan just because you need electicity, If the power goes out so can your cows, I can see where it can be nice for somethings like for dividing lots for rotational grazing, But as far as bondery fence goes its hard to beat wooven wire but where theirs no cattle pressure i really like 5 strand barbwire. I know that doesnt answer your question but just giving you my opinion.
THOMAS

Woven wire is cost prohibitive to use on large pastures, that is why I am comparing the two types of fence.

if by woven wire you are referring to wire rope or aircraft cable then I'm with hayray, it is too expensive.
I use a combination of methods.

Outer boundaries are 4 wire barbed wire fence spaced @ mid calf, knee, hip & nipple (pretty scientific!)
If I am running along thick bush then I just use 3 wire barbed (mid calf, hip nipple).
Inner pasture or cross fences might be 2 or 3 wire barbed or 2 strands of high tensile. All high tensile is electrified and some of the barbed might be electrified as well. Just depends upon the situation.

To train the young stock we put tin foil on the electric fences. When they check it out they get a jolt. The dumb ones more than once, but they all get the message sooner or later.

All barbed is on treated wood posts, tensile is on rebar posts with plastic standoffs

Take care

Here's a doc from Iowa Extension comparing the costs of some fencing setups. I really like how they break the costs of the different parts of the whole set up and how they compare the permenant fence options.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pub...ons/FM1855.pdf

Originally Posted by UpNorth

Here's a doc from Iowa Extension comparing the costs of some fencing setups. I really like how they break the costs of the different parts of the whole set up and how they compare the permenant fence options.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Pub...ons/FM1855.pdf

Thanks, I looked at all the costs and they are pretty far off just on the one i looked at, I just looked at the wooven wire but it does give you somewhere to start, By way off i mean they are way to cheap, Fence can not be put up that cheap, by material prices and by labor if your paying a fencing crew to do the work, Just my 2 cents, Thanks agian.
THOMAS

On high tensile wire their cost are too high. Way too many brace post and post spaced too close and too many wires.

I did some fence line weaning this week and my calves blew through 6 strand barb wire gateway and went around the 3 strand electric high tensile. Made the gateway electric high tensile and then they went through 6 strands high tensile electric. So then I added ground wires and yesterday only had one steer go over the top. The frozen ground is making the electric not work well because the animals are not getting grounded. I added some neutral wires but of that only works if the calf is touching the hot and neutral at the same time.

Hayray

That is a problem we face all winter. The electric fence is totally ineffective, for like you say they do not get to ground to complete the circuit. I have never had a calf go through a 3 strand barbed wire fence so they must have been some irritated to even challenge a 6 strand monster.

As soon as you can get ground put some strips of tin foil on your electric fence. Those curious little buggers will check it out and get a good poke. They will remember that forever and will not even challenge the fence with the electric off.

Take care

Thanks for the input on the differences.

I like to use 4 pt. 15 1/2 guage hi tensile barbed wire (3 strands) mounted on galvanized T posts. I make the two lower ones hot, and clip the top one. Deer running thru them won't break them; and if I do lose power, three strands will usually keep them in. I space my posts about 30' apart, and deadman my brace posts. Galvanized T posts are about 1/2 again as much as painted T's, but after 15 years, you can pull them, and they are still pretty much like new. Worth the cost in the long run.
In timber areas, I like to use 4 or 5 strands of the same wire, but don't mess with electric.
My cowherd is electric trained well enough, that I can use orange plastic twine mounted on posts for running along bean stubble and corn stalks in the winter, and they never test it. I wouldn't try it doing this with grass though !!

We use the electric fencing on our ranch. I agree that there are problems with it but when it's working it does keep the cows in a lot better. They don't seem to mind it and have grown to stay away from the fence. I guess you would have to look at your cost and needs and compare the two types of fences.

Just fenced line weaned another group a few days back and no one is getting out now. Making some ground wires mixed in with the hots really made a difference on this frozen ground. Because of the good moisture conditions around here we usually don't set that up as standard. I know out West people have told me that it is a standard practice where electric is going to be used.

I just put up 3-wire electric this weekend for the new pasture. Still have a bit of work. Went that route because of money. Got the T-posts for free, just had to get them out...took a good part of a day...I am a one man show.l All the springs, insulators, and ratchets were there for me as well. Just drove a lot of posts, but the ground is soft. Rural King had the post insulators on sale so all told it was a cheap deal. Hope it works, would suck if the cattle got in the beans I am going to plant next door.

The cheap cost is why I use electric high tensile. The 3 strands will keep them in just fine as long as you teach them right from the start that it is hot, then they should really not test it except by accident, I notice they don't continuously test the fence like horses do. The biggest problem I see is not hooking up a good quality energizer and also not testing the fence often enough.

There is a trick to keep your fence working in frozen ground and very dry ground. I seen mentioned that ground wires were ran with the fence. Ground rods also need to be installed in various places in the pasture to help complete the circuit. On the main ground by the charger we used three ten foot rods ten foot apart. Ours are in the shade so the ground doesn't dry out near as bad in a dry year. Use real grounding rods as well, 1/2 or 5/8" zinc coated rods.

Our cows are in the woods over the winter and if the fence is grounded properly they'll still get a good a shock as if they were right by the barn and the main ground rods. Training is a big part of it, if the fence always gives them a good strong shock thru the summer, they'll stay away from it in the winter as well. We just run a single 17 gauge wire around the row crop fields we winter pasture on and I've had deer tear it down and the cows would just stand there but not cross it even though it was flat on the ground. We get em on these fields before winter sets in so they know where it's at while it still works very well. Another thing, we cull out any crazy or stupid ones as well.