Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby George Collins » Sat Aug 11, 2012 8:42 pm

Image

The pen constructed just today is a two strand affair on 3 sides. The strands are spaced approximately 10" and 26" from the ground. The bottom one intended for hogs and the top intend for cows. On the fourth side, there is a single strand of poly wire ~ 10" off the ground and backed with net wire. The dimensions of the new pen is 110' x 35' for a total area of 3,850 square feet (dern hogs have a bigger house than me!). The fence is running right at 12 kV and was tested with good effect as soon as the hogs were placed in the pen. The approached it extremely tentatively. It's like they were saying, "Hey, that there little yellow stringy thingy looks kinda like, but not exactly like that other stuff that used to bite me so hard. I wonder? If I were to just geeeeeeeently touch it with my nose what would hap YOW!!!!! Damn, that HURTED me on my nose bone!"

There are three saw tooth oaks that are either entirely or mostly contained within the area of the pen. The pen was placed in its present location because the trees have recently started dropping their mast. Additionally, one of Youngblood's garden spots is just uphill so all of the excess production from things like his tomatoes can be easily tossed over to add to the variety of their diet. (FYI, it's those same tomatoes that he once again planted too close to a black walnut tree and that have, once again, made a bumper crop.)

The garden spot and the pen are both contained in a much larger, ten acre cow pasture that is bordered on all sides by a net wire fence. My next project is to add a strand or two of electrical fencing to this larger fence to accommodate a future expansion of existing operations.

Here's the question: Is the fence, thus described, shocking to the sensibilities of the more experienced electric fencers among us or does it sound like a viable set up?
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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby matt walker » Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:24 am

Sounds good to me George. I think that will work great. Love the new pen, I'm sure the hogs do too. It's surprisingly green for this time of year. You are gonna raise some good pork there.
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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby George Collins » Wed Aug 22, 2012 1:50 am

Yes, Mississippi is quite green right now. But that's what happens when a place gets rain for 48 straight days.
"Solve world hunger, tell no one." "The, the, the . . . The Grinch!"

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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby pa_friendly_guy » Wed Aug 22, 2012 12:48 pm

Since the food inside the pen is lush and green, and you have not complained about the Hogs getting out and having to chase them, I am guessing that the new electric fence system is working Great. So it seems to me that we are having a Good Learning Experiance here George, :lol: We as a Group have learned from what you have done how to pen up hogs with an electric fence. That is good information right there, thats what that is, ;)
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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby George Collins » Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:16 am

The electric fence is indeed working wonderfully so far. However, things aren't as lush and green inside the pen at present as when the picture was taken. Everything now is all rooted up, yet the pen holds.

During research for using this type of fencing, others repeatedly made claims along the lines of, "Hogs are really smart creatures: once they touch that fence, they won't ever touch it again."

Well, I must have that special, dumber-than-a-fence style of hog 'cause mine seem to get in it daily. Fortunately, they have never made it through. Usually, but no always, their brushes with "The Law" happen around feeding time. Y'all being farmers know that hogs tend to get a bit nervous 'bout time for their morning and especially evening repast. Sometimes, their exuberance runneth over and into contact with the hog-zapper.

Sounds like, "ZZZZZTT! YYYYYEeeeerrrrtTTTT!!!! As one imagines another booty being tucked under and another lesson learnt until the next feeding. One of them the other day had his chin resting on the bottom wire as he eyed the approaching feed bucket when he got hit. "ZZZZZTT! YYYYYEeeeerrrrtTTTT!!!! But he couldn't help it, he just had to remain as close as possible to the feed bucket because had he backed up even the smallest fraction of a millimeter, one of his brothers might have gotten to see the pears coming out of the bucket first and with only 58 pears per bucket to be split among four hogs, who can afford allowing another to get such a head start? So what happens next? "ZZZZTT! YYYYYEeeeerrrrtTTTT!!!!"

That second one got his attention.

We get lots of giggles as we are out in the yard working and we hear from afar, "ZZZZTT! YYYYYEeeeerrrrtTTTT!!!!" I think Youngblood is the usual culprit. He probably waits until no one is around and throws a tomato right up under the wire just so he can get a giggle.

We will have to move the pen before long. It was placed in its current location to take advantage of acorns falling from the oaks there but it looks like the like of the pen is shorter than the span of time over which the acorns are falling. After Youngblood saw how well they de-grassed/weeded/brambled the area, he has inquired about the possibility of using them to break up a new garden spot. He's already using geese to defoliate certain areas that he and Momma want to plant some future crops/flowers in.

He's gonna yet go permaculture. I can feel it.
"Solve world hunger, tell no one." "The, the, the . . . The Grinch!"

"If you can't beat them, bite them."
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Re: Advice Needed re: Confining Hogs with Electric Fencing

Postby matt walker » Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:28 am

That sounds about right George. Mine were having new Learning Experiences regarding the electric fence just about every feeding time. Three hogs, three equal piles of grub, but oh how they fought and changed piles to make sure the other one wasn't better than the one they had. Still, it doesn't sound like they are testing it to go through it, just getting a little closer, a little closer, a little clo*ZAP! Yep, sounds about right to me. And yes, they will clear an area fast as can be. I bet Youngblood is going to have a big ol' garden come spring time.

I've got some bacon curing in the fridge as we speak, to be smoked tomorrow. You've got a lot to look forward to with those hogs around.
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