Homeowner Forum / Lawn and Garden / February 2010

Wet the ground around it to ensure a good earth and see if that fixes things.

I've used electric fences to keep horses and cattle in (and out) with no
problems! In my Pony Club days, we used a portable, battery-operated
fence when we went to jamborees and gymkhanas overnight. The only vital
thing was that you had a good ground (we used a big shifting spanner or,
in a pinch, an old screwdriver thrust into the earth). We never had an
escape or bad experience. One Zone jamboree, a herd of cattle managed to
get into the Pony Club camp and went stampeding among the tents,
knocking them over left and right. We had pitched our tent in the centre
of our electric fenced area with the ponies and slept like logs while
everyone else had to rebuild their camps.

I know our dogs (Rough Collies and Border Collies) paid utterly no
attention to the fence. Once they worked out that it bit, they'd just
avoid it by slinking down on the ground and slithering under the wire. I
can't imagine sheep or goats would pay much attention either, since
goats are canny and would learn to avoid it, same as the dogs. Sheep are
thickly insulated with wool, so I s'pose that would dull the sensation a
bit for them. I've never kept sheep or goats, but everyone I know who
does uses cyclone wire fencing or barbed wire. I don't imagine sheep and
goats are as inquisitive as cattle or horses are, and can't see them
using their noses or lips to investigate things and hence get shocked.

The one down side of electric fences IME, is that you have to be
*incredibly* careful where you set one up and make sure it's LOUDLY
labelled if it's likely to be contacted by the public. If anyone with a
pacemaker or heart condition managed to take hold of your fence, you
might have charges to answer!

Some years ago, we experienced a few occasions of having the petrol
milked out of our car overnight. I suggested putting up the electric
fence to deter the evildoers, but the attending copper nearly fainted.
He told me that would equate to 'setting a man-trap' and would leave me
open to all sorts of criminal charges.

HTH,

We tried an electric fence many years ago with goats - well-earthed, etc. etc. - the wretched animals laughed
at it.   Worked well on the dog (Border Collie Cross) though, until he worked out how to flatten himself under
it.  Worked extremely well with me when I forgot it was turned on.

Mind you, ordinary fences didn't work too well with the goats, either - if they found a hole they could get
their heads through, the rest of the goat - and then the whole flock - followed.

<snip>

Only experience we have had is with horse
Wired tape rolled through loops on fibreglass "posts"
No problems
Horses got the message quickly - ie after 2 or three sniffs
And or the odd forgetful moment swinging around too close to the tape.

Friends tell me they are not absolutely reliable for cattle
Particularly bulls
If there is a cow in season on the other side
The bulls forget where they are and concentrate on the end "game"
ie they go straight through the fence!

Best "human" story I have heard
Is from a friend whose family had a round yard set up for horses
An "old timer" visited the man of the operation mid winter
And in no uncertain terms suggested that electric fences were useless
To prove his point he grabbed the wire
And stated there was no effect

Friend's hubby suggested the the "old timer"
Dispense with his insulating rubber / wellington boots
And then grasp the wire

The "old timer" took off his boots
Wriggled his feet into the damp earth
And grabbed the wire

The end result was described to me as
The loudest explosion of flatulence ever heard
Followed by a stagger
And an apology ;-P

The other "human" / "feline story
Involves my then teenage son
We had to carry him into the house on a stretcher
He had split his sides laughing

Apparently one of our cats had been under the electric fence
And there was a broken wire in the tape
Which caused a short circuit "crackle"
The cat listened and watched for a while
And then leapt up to grab the wire

The weight of the cat of course
Caused the wire to sag
To the degree that its hind legs made contact with Mother Earth

The ruts in the earth under the wire
As the cat tried to get traction
Were quite deep
And of course, it was sometime before
Said feline was again seen
And never again under that wire ;-P

As others have stated / insinuated, goats are, apparently, another story

Keep smiling
anm

I did use one in a research operation at one time, to keep some sheep contained.

One very wet day the dog got bitten by it and he would never go anywhere near it again.

Ours worked fine with the sheep.

Bet the dog will when its very wet.

They arent all that effective when its very dry with some animals.

I'd be amazed if they worked with chooks, they're too well insulated.

They work with sheep because of their snouts.

Never bothered the dog normally, presumably it could
detect the fence well before it shocked him in dry weather.

They bloody hurt like buggery when you touch them!!!!!

Well ours works to keep the bulls where they are supposed to be and to keep
the neighbours bulls away from our cows

I can't recal ever seeing one on places that run sheep though - I would have
thought that all that wool would be an insulator but really havent' got a
clue.

I know that there are soem purpose built chook electric fences but they've
been in a grid shape like sheep/goat wire.

You've posed and interestign question.  Will be most interested to read the
responses.