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Green Manure
Find out the benefits of green manure and its uses
grow your own
10:25, 14th Aug 2008
Build a Pallet Shed
Build yourself a shed from used pallets
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Decide which greenhouse is right for you
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Chicken Coop
House chickens in a suitable chicken coop
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13:11, 23rd Jul 2008
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Growing Peas
Find out more about growing delicious peas
vegetables
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Electric Fencing
Learn about the uses of electric fencing
Electric Fencing
smallholding | buildingGood quality Fencing, hedges or walls are essential if you are to keep livestock where they are supposed to be. Electric Fencing has many uses and is very quick and easy to install and move around as required.
An electric fence can be used to keep cattle, horses, and pigs in an area, or to keep dogs, deer, and rabbits etc out. The electric shock given to the animals is harmless, but it is memorable enough that they will not continue to attempt to pass through the fence again.
Electric Fencing usually operates off a 6 or 12 Volt battery, or off mains electricity. With a battery a solar panel can be used to provide all the necessary power. With mains power up to 25 miles of fencing can be powered by one unit!
Mains, battery or solar power is converted into pulses of electricity by an Energiser (or fencer). Energisers (one of which is pictured above) are available from around £50 to many hundreds of pounds depending on your requirements. The cheapest units are powered from a couple of D sized alkaline batteries (which will last a couple of months 24hrs per day) and can energise around half a mile of fencing. The more expensive energisers will power much longer lengths of fence, and also offer night and day economy modes, monitoring of fence status, lightening protection, and much more.
With an electric fence there is no need to strain the wires or to use large posts. Thin lightweight stakes are used with insulators. The wire is loosely wrapped around the insulators and on in a loop around the field. The live wire should be positioned at around hip height for cattle, or higher for horses, or about one foot off the ground for pigs.
Electric fence is not very effective for sheep and so more elaborate fence designs are required mixing live (aka hot) wires at 10, 17, 26, and 36 inches.
Article Published: 03:35, 20th Apr 2006
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