Good fencing is critical in any farm dealing with livestock rearing and keeping. The structure will confine and restrict the movement of the animals, and this will prevent damage to other parts of the property. In addition, the fence will protect the livestock by keeping dangerous wildlife and unscrupulous people from the designated area. It is important to choose the most appropriate fencing for your agricultural operation. The ideal option will depend on aspects such as animal species, production system and even the age of the livestock. Here are the wire fencing types to consider installing in your livestock farm.
Woven Wire
Woven wire fences are constructed using horizontal and vertical wires. These are linked together at the junctions with a wire knot to ensure that the structure remain resilient. The fence is durable and will last long with minimal maintenance. Moreover, you can get different mesh sizes and fence heights, depending on the type of livestock that you plan to confine. Generally, if you are dealing with smaller animals or those that will stress the fence by repeated impact like goats, you should get a woven fence with smaller apertures. This is stronger and will prevent escape through the mesh. Larger animals like cattle can have larger mesh sizes since they are not prone to leaning on the fence.
Barbed Wire
A barbed wire is designed and fabricated by twisting two metal wires to form a single unit. Metal barbs are also placed intermittently along the length of the wire to increase its fencing efficiency. This type of structure is suitable for installation when dealing with large livestock like bison and cattle. Smaller animals will be able to escape through the spaces between the strands. In addition, you should not install barbed wire if you are rearing alpacas, goats and llamas. These tend to lean and even hit the boundaries, so they can easily become injured. If you want this fence to be more secure, you can use it in conjunction with woven wire.
Electric Wire
An electric wire fence is built using several strands of high tensile wire. This wire is strong and can resist relatively high mechanical impact. Some grounding rods, insulators and a fence charger are incorporated into the high tensile structure to electrify the boundary. This system can be utilised in building permanent and temporary fences. It is particularly useful when dividing pasture for cattle for efficient feeding, and it will also be useful in keeping most predators away from the fenced area.
