Why is
cattle fencing important? The thing is, you wouldn't want your
cattle to graze on some other person's property. That's alright if you
are in a place where there is a shared-grazing rights policy implemented
by the government. Otherwise, it simply isn't acceptable. When your
cattle graze on other rancher's private property, that means those other
ranchers would have less grass, therefore, less food, for their cattle.
Now that the importance of
cattle
handling and fencing is established, surely, you
will want to install fencing on your property. However, it isn't easy as
most people think it is.
Planning
Since most cattle thrive on grazing, you need to set up your ranch in a
rather wide area. That makes cattle fencing more costly, than, say,
fencing for your country house. You need to consider the material you
would use, and the layout of your ranch. You need to consider the points
where your fencing would go through - waterways, driveways and buildings
such as barns or silos. You also need to know where the corner posts
would be as you need to make those posts stronger.
Choosing the Fencing Type
There are a lot of fencing materials out in the market. You can use
barbed wire, electric fence, chain links and steel fences. Most farmers
use barbed wire and high tensile electric fences as they are both
relatively cheaper than the other fencing types. Barbed wire is great
for establishing property boundaries and is especially recommended for
very large areas; however, it can damage cattle hide. Electric fences
are also a good deterrent for human trespassers, and it can train
animals not to step outside the fence. These fences can be solar-powered
and releases non-lethal voltage. Chain link fencing can be used but it
is more expensive compared to barbed wire. Steel Fences, on the other
hand are sturdy; however, they are more expensive and are only
recommended for smaller enclosures, such as those for horses.
Installation
After choosing the cattle fencing type that you want for your barn, you
also need to get other materials for installing it. You would need fence
posts, digging equipment (such as shovels; better yet, and a tractor and
auger), a hammer, pliers, nails or large wire staples, cement and water.
When digging for the fence posts, the amount of digging needed depends
on the location of your post - is it a corner post or a regular one? For
corner posts, you have to make them sturdier, so you have to dig more -
1/3 or even 1/4 of your post height would do. It can be less, depending
on the type of soil. Fortifying corner posts with cement is a good idea.
There are step-by-step guides at online resources that you can take a
look at.
Cattle don't jump as much as a deer or other animals do. Your fence can
hold them in, as soon as you did a decent job setting them up. However,
no matter how awesome your fencing is, you still need to check them
regularly. While life is not all about boundaries, checking and mending
your cattle fencing is an important aspect of ranch life.
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