Fencing.... Feeling REALLY stupid right now..

[dun]

I'm confused with the term "board" in a "rail" fence. A rail and a board are 2 completely different items. Got a picture?

Sorry Dun... now I'm confused.... I thought the boards/rails were the same thing.... like a 3-rail fence, a 5-rail fence. To me, they all describe board fences. Let me know if I need corrected.... you can see a picture I just posted. Thanks

Maybe I'm too old. To me a rail is split from a log, a board is milled.

 

[Brandonm2]

I'm confused with the term "board" in a "rail" fence. A rail and a board are 2 completely different items. Got a picture?

Sorry Dun... now I'm confused.... I thought the boards/rails were the same thing.... like a 3-rail fence, a 5-rail fence. To me, they all describe board fences. Let me know if I need corrected.... you can see a picture I just posted. Thanks

Maybe I'm too old. To me a rail is split from a log, a board is milled.

EXACTLY, a "3 rail fence" is a very different animal in my mind than a "3 board fence". Maybe it is just an Alabama thing but this is what I think of as a "3 rail fence"

http://www.hooverfence.com/wood/cedar-split-rail.htm

or even this

http://www.heartlandpostnpole.com/page4.html

 

[dun]

I'm confused with the term "board" in a "rail" fence. A rail and a board are 2 completely different items. Got a picture?

Sorry Dun... now I'm confused.... I thought the boards/rails were the same thing.... like a 3-rail fence, a 5-rail fence. To me, they all describe board fences. Let me know if I need corrected.... you can see a picture I just posted. Thanks

Maybe I'm too old. To me a rail is split from a log, a board is milled.

EXACTLY, a "3 rail fence" is a very different animal in my mind than a "3 board fence". Maybe it is just an Alabama thing but this is what I think of as a "3 rail fence"

http://www.hooverfence.com/wood/cedar-split-rail.htm

or even this

http://www.heartlandpostnpole.com/page4.html

Or like these:

 

[HEREFORD ROADHOG]

Wisteria,

On the loose wire you have found with the mower, It scares the heck out of me. That is dangerous. If a cow or horse gets a foot tangled in wire, it is a sure injury, if not death. I personally know of atleast a dozen times through the years where people couldn't find cattle. You search a couple hundred acres and assume they got out. The buzzards found the cows, caught up in wire that is balled up on their feet and now caught in brush. Pull that wire out and bury it deep, deep, asap.

also if one of your cows ingests a piece of that wire you will be out a cow because it stays in the stomach and causes all kinds of problems .its also called hardware disease.

 

[usernametaken]

Here's my fence...(you can't see the electric the horses are on... I'll get a shot of that too).

[/quote]

The Board fence looks great and great for horses. ( you guys ARE old, those rail fences were from Abe Lincoln weren't they ? ;-) )

The hot wire or woven wire below the board should solve your problem with the calf, if the wire is on the bottom. Another thought, and need for the bottom to have wire - easy for dogs, coyotes, etc. to slide under it into the pasture and easy for a calf, lamb to slide under it out of the pasture.

A top hot wire or barb wire will keep them from leaning on the board. Or most of them anyway. I had a big QH mare that leaned on the top strand of barb wire until her neck was completely scratched up, so that she could eat my neighbor's corn. She managed to devour 4 entire rows of corn outside the fence that way. And she was supposed to be on a diet ! I finally had to lock her in the barn for all but about 2 hours a day for grazing to get the weight off of her. My vet laughed and laughed when she saw her - told me I didn't even need to feed her ANYTHING for a month or so and she would still live. :shock:

 

[larryshoat]

Here's my fence...(you can't see the electric the horses are on... I'll get a shot of that too).

Hey Wisteria,cool fence and well cared for animals!I would run 1 wire on the inside about knee high put a good charger on it .That will teach him to respect a fence.

Larry

 

[donnaIL]

Your fences look nice, I bought some like that 10 years ago...trust me wire or cattle panels will last longer. Hot wire will buy you time, buy a good charger and ground it properly...buy the most miles you can--they will respect that. Nothing worse than loose animals..nothing. Also start feeding that escapee.. so that he understands a call, the bucket or whatever. So if your called by the cops you can get him home (been there done that).

We have folk around our farm have nothing but 2' tall hot wire and it keeps the cows in...moral to the story is: if they are happy and like the food they don't want to go no where.

Donna

 

[KenB]

Here's my fence...(you can't see the electric the horses are on... I'll get a shot of that too).

[/quote]

Since you have an electric fence for the horses, it would be easy to just run one or two hot wires along that board fence.
;-) problem solved.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

I'm confused with the term "board" in a "rail" fence. A rail and a board are 2 completely different items. Got a picture?

Sorry Dun... now I'm confused.... I thought the boards/rails were the same thing.... like a 3-rail fence, a 5-rail fence. To me, they all describe board fences. Let me know if I need corrected.... you can see a picture I just posted. Thanks

Maybe I'm too old. To me a rail is split from a log, a board is milled.

In that case... I'll stop using the term "rail"..... I have a board fence. Thanks.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Wisteria,

On the loose wire you have found with the mower, It scares the heck out of me. That is dangerous. If a cow or horse gets a foot tangled in wire, it is a sure injury, if not death. I personally know of atleast a dozen times through the years where people couldn't find cattle. You search a couple hundred acres and assume they got out. The buzzards found the cows, caught up in wire that is balled up on their feet and now caught in brush. Pull that wire out and bury it deep, deep, asap.

also if one of your cows ingests a piece of that wire you will be out a cow because it stays in the stomach and causes all kinds of problems .its also called hardware disease.

Hereford... I know what hardware disease is... they sell magnets for that. I've been meticulous in cleaning up the property and hope to never encounter hardware disease.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Your fences look nice, I bought some like that 10 years ago...trust me wire or cattle panels will last longer. Hot wire will buy you time, buy a good charger and ground it properly...buy the most miles you can--they will respect that. Nothing worse than loose animals..nothing. Also start feeding that escapee.. so that he understands a call, the bucket or whatever. So if your called by the cops you can get him home (been there done that).

We have folk around our farm have nothing but 2' tall hot wire and it keeps the cows in...moral to the story is: if they are happy and like the food they don't want to go no where.

Donna

Donna,
The escapee is being fed... he comes running when he sees me (so it was hard to get this picture of him)... This is why I wondered if maybe a dog wasn't spooking him or if he was "being a calf" and headbutting or kicking the fence. Both times he got out, all we had to do is go out there and he came running. I atleast have THAT MUCH going for me! Thanks

 

[Wisteria Farms]

[[/quote]Hey Wisteria,cool fence and well cared for animals!I would run 1 wire on the inside about knee high put a good charger on it .That will teach him to respect a fence.

Larry[/quote]

Thanks Larry....we do try.... really.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

That calf is probably just bored and needs a buddy. Thats why when you come out he comes a running cuz his buddies are now there and he isnt bored anymore. That could also explain the torn up fence. Cattle are destructive creatures especially if they get bored. My bull calves like to play with a 50 gallon metal drum when they get bored. I dont mind letting them play with the drum either cuz it keeps them occupied so that they arent so destructive.

Thanks... I thought about that. We took the others to the sale barn (trying to clean house before getting the new Murrays in). They should be here end of October so I may try throwing one of those plastic blue barrells out there and see if he takes a liking to it. I know he thinks we're his buddies... he tried to "play with me" yesterday and I had to crack him across the nose to make him quit. Poor thing looked at me like "what the heck!" but I had to maintain my dominance.... thanks for your input.

 

[msscamp]

Thanks for the replies everyone...
As for the horses/barbed wire issue...I don't be-grudge anyone for doing what works for them. HOWEVER... my aunt lost her horse due to getting spooked and running through the barbed wire. It sliced her sides open and she had to be put down. So, I guess I'm a little wigged out about putting my horses anywhere near the stuff.

Unless you're willing to put up separate fencing for your horses in certain areas - and that will get pricey - you can't have it both ways. You're going to have to decide what makes the money, and go from there. Harsh? Yes, but it is a fact of life.

We've also had old rusted out sections (laying on the ground and unseen) get caught in the mower... always good for putting the husband in a ripe mood.

Why are you allowing your fencing to get in this condition? It is not that difficult to do a routine check once in a while and replace the wire that is no longer servicable. Cheap? No, but it is another fact of life when it comes to cattle.

But its clear I have to do something... I've been lucky not to go out and find a calf with a board stuck in his side.... will let you know how we proceed. Thanks again.

Yes, you have. I would be far more concerned with a calf/cow getting out on the highway and getting hit - that could very easily put you out of business before you ever got started. Liability is not something to be taken lightly and, given your description of your fences, you would be liable.

First, by running the rail fence I was trying to have a fence that both the horses and cows could be rotated through. I didn't realize calves could be that hard on wood fences. Before I go to the expense of running any MORE fence, I'm trying to find the most practical solution to my problem. I've stated before, I'm new to cattle. I realize they are the money makers and I'm trying to make things safe for them.

Second, I'm not allowing anything. The areas of barbed wire I mentioned above do not contain ANY animals. But, for the record, I inherited this "condition" because the farmer before me let things go for a very LONG time. My back hill was his trash dump. We have walked the property, coiling up as much old rusted barbed wire as we could see BUT there have been a couple times when pieces of the broken stuff got caught in the brush hog. My horses are contained by 3 strand poly electric wire... we started running a new wood pasture because we liked the look.

Ok - I understand now, thanks for the clarification.

Third, you're scolding me on the particulars of liability... I'm in construction. I deal with liability issues on a daily basis and in 10 years of business, my company has not had a single accident. I take safety and liability very seriously because if I don't I could lose everything I've worked my entire life to build.

Because you're usually very helpful and kind, I'm going to not get my feelings hurt over what I think was a misunderstanding of my situation.

Actually, I wasn't scolding you for anything - simply stating facts, and asking questions to gain a better understanding on your situation. I'm sorry that it came across otherwise.

 

[Txwalt]

I bet you wish you never started this post.

Walt

 

[Wisteria Farms]

I bet you wish you never started this post.

Walt

Walt.... funny you say that.... can't tell you how many times I've looked at this screen and just shook my head. I really do thank those trying to help.

 

[Wisteria Farms]

Thanks for the replies everyone...
As for the horses/barbed wire issue...I don't be-grudge anyone for doing what works for them. HOWEVER... my aunt lost her horse due to getting spooked and running through the barbed wire. It sliced her sides open and she had to be put down. So, I guess I'm a little wigged out about putting my horses anywhere near the stuff.

Unless you're willing to put up separate fencing for your horses in certain areas - and that will get pricey - you can't have it both ways. You're going to have to decide what makes the money, and go from there. Harsh? Yes, but it is a fact of life.

We've also had old rusted out sections (laying on the ground and unseen) get caught in the mower... always good for putting the husband in a ripe mood.

Why are you allowing your fencing to get in this condition? It is not that difficult to do a routine check once in a while and replace the wire that is no longer servicable. Cheap? No, but it is another fact of life when it comes to cattle.

But its clear I have to do something... I've been lucky not to go out and find a calf with a board stuck in his side.... will let you know how we proceed. Thanks again.

Yes, you have. I would be far more concerned with a calf/cow getting out on the highway and getting hit - that could very easily put you out of business before you ever got started. Liability is not something to be taken lightly and, given your description of your fences, you would be liable.

First, by running the rail fence I was trying to have a fence that both the horses and cows could be rotated through. I didn't realize calves could be that hard on wood fences. Before I go to the expense of running any MORE fence, I'm trying to find the most practical solution to my problem. I've stated before, I'm new to cattle. I realize they are the money makers and I'm trying to make things safe for them.

Second, I'm not allowing anything. The areas of barbed wire I mentioned above do not contain ANY animals. But, for the record, I inherited this "condition" because the farmer before me let things go for a very LONG time. My back hill was his trash dump. We have walked the property, coiling up as much old rusted barbed wire as we could see BUT there have been a couple times when pieces of the broken stuff got caught in the brush hog. My horses are contained by 3 strand poly electric wire... we started running a new wood pasture because we liked the look.

Ok - I understand now, thanks for the clarification.

Third, you're scolding me on the particulars of liability... I'm in construction. I deal with liability issues on a daily basis and in 10 years of business, my company has not had a single accident. I take safety and liability very seriously because if I don't I could lose everything I've worked my entire life to build.

Because you're usually very helpful and kind, I'm going to not get my feelings hurt over what I think was a misunderstanding of my situation.

Actually, I wasn't scolding you for anything - simply stating facts, and asking questions to gain a better understanding on your situation. I'm sorry that it came across otherwise.

Msscamp,
No problem. I went through enough in the first 20 years of my life to give me quite the backbone....I can surely handle anything this board throws at me... no hard feelings.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

I would get a roll of field fence and nail that up first and then put up two strands of hot wire. We also have horses and barbed wire is a big sore for us, we are gradually taking down all of it. You said you had a problem with a shorting hot wire. Make sure the electricity starts at one end and goes around in one direction, ours goes counterclockwise, have a good ground, we have two 5 ft deep grounding rods, and make sure you have an adequate fencer. We have a Snapper that will juice 30 miles of fence. Keep vegetation off of the wire and check especially after storms for any shorts. Good luck!