We have had some requests for more information about our electric fences for predator control, so here goes. When we first moved to "Riverbourne" there were very few internal fences and we needed to get some in place as quickly and cost effectively as possible. So we decided to go electric, this has worked very well and during the drought required minimal maintenence. However, with the last two wet years the need to keep the grass down under the fences to stop them from shorting has become a bit more challenging and spraying the fences lines with Roundup is time consuming. The fencing has also had the benefit of making our place less attractive to other animals such as wild pigs who tend to go round us to the neighbours rather than come through the fences.
The wire configuration on the fences varies with the paddock's usage, if you just want to keep sheep in, three or four wires will do, but for predator control Gallager, who make electric energisers, recommend an earth wire 2" above the ground, live 4" above that, earth 4" above, live 6"" above, and so on.
We built a lambing paddock like this near the house and for the first few years it worked very well and we didn't lose many lambs to foxes. In the last couple of years we have found that the foxes are coming in more often, maybe they have learnt the fences weak spots, or they learn to move quickly through the fence and only get a shock occasionally. Hunger is a great motivator. The plain wire also makes it easier to get the carcase out of the paddock. So when we needed a lambing paddock on the other block Electric Fence #2 was developed.
The wire configuration on the fences varies with the paddock's usage, if you just want to keep sheep in, three or four wires will do, but for predator control Gallager, who make electric energisers, recommend an earth wire 2" above the ground, live 4" above that, earth 4" above, live 6"" above, and so on.
We built a lambing paddock like this near the house and for the first few years it worked very well and we didn't lose many lambs to foxes. In the last couple of years we have found that the foxes are coming in more often, maybe they have learnt the fences weak spots, or they learn to move quickly through the fence and only get a shock occasionally. Hunger is a great motivator. The plain wire also makes it easier to get the carcase out of the paddock. So when we needed a lambing paddock on the other block Electric Fence #2 was developed.
Detail of the insulators on the predator fence at Riverbourne
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