Thread: 5 strand barbed or 3 strand electric high tensil.

What do you all think is better to use. I understand that electric is not practical in remote extensive areas and is why barbed is used most widely on range land, but all things being equal what do you think is better? I seem to be finding out on my operation that electric high tensile seems cheaper, faster to install, and better to keep cows in - my cows are all trained well to electric, seems with barbed wire I am always wondering on my remote pastures if everything is still there, one strand electric of polywire they won't even go over.

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.

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.