How to build an electric fence
Posted on Sunday 24th June 2018
If you’re a rural property owner, a farmer, or a hobby farmer you’ll know how important fencing is to protecting your livestock and pastures. Electric fencing is a good long-term investment in managing your property—if you build it right, electric fencing actually involves less money, effort and time than constructing traditional fencing. And once your animals learn that the fences are there, they’ll last longer, and work more effectively, than any other barrier types.
Making just a few decisions about the types of animals and pastures you’re managing will make it easy to build your electric fences. And once you’ve got them up and running, you’ll soon see the benefits, and wonder why you waited so long to do it.
The benefits of electric fences
When it comes to fencing, different animals respond to different barriers. While they may keep your cattle and horses where you want them, small feral animals like cats, dogs, and rabbits won’t be deterred at all by most traditional fences. When you’re operating a rural property, your fences often serve two purposes at the same time: keep the pests out, and keep the livestock in.
Cows will touch an electric fence just once, and they will have learned to stay away from it. That means they won’t lean on them with all their body weight when they’ve got an itch to scratch, and push over your fence posts and the wiring with it. And it’s been widely proven throughout Australia that electric fences protect small livestock—like goats and sheep—from wild dogs, pigs, cats, and foxes.
They’re also a more cost-effective and humane alternative to traditional methods of feral animal control. Electric fences can be used as permanent structures, portable fencing, or to offset or retrofit existing fencing. If you have a hobby farm, you will also realise the benefits for an electric fence will be vast due to its low maintenance and effective instant results. Whether it’s to contain or protect your livestock or pets, or protect your rural land or home from intruders, there will be an electric fencing solution that’s right for your property.
Types of electric fencing
Whichever type of electric fencing you’re using, it’s quite versatile: it can be taken down and moved to another location fairly easily, which is invaluable when livestock need to moved to other pastures for different grazing options. But obviously these benefits will vary between types of electric fencing solutions, and you need to think about the purpose of the fencing to help you decide which materials will be best for your particular applications.
Some of the types of electric fencing and applications to consider include:
Permanent fencing: which are constructed with high-tensile wire or electro-rope, good insulators, and self-insulated or wooden posts to achieve the long lasting durability you’re looking for in a permanent barrier.
Portable fencing: which are easy to construct, easy to transport, and easy to dismantle for rotational grazing. They’re constructed from lightweight materials in single- or multi-wire configurations, with lightweight plastic posts, reels, and battery-powered energisers.
Offset or retrofit fencing: to fortify and protect fencing you’ve already got in place, by using electric wiring to prevent animals leaning their bodyweight on the existing fence or for better animal control and pasture protection. In essence, you’re adding a physical barrier to the visual or mental barrier that the animals are already accustomed to.
Animal types: because each type responds differently to fencing. Horses work well with high-visibility fencing conductors like rope and tape, but cattle and sheep seem to adapt better to steel wire. Your electric fences will always need to be strong, both because of heavy livestock leaning on it, and wild and feral animals running into it at night.
Whichever type you choose, galvanised wires will be more durable, and last significantly longer than other wiring—so while they may cost more initially, they’ll pay for themselves over the long term.
A basic guideline for constructing an electric fence
One of the first things you’ll need to construct a durable electric fence is good quality, moist soil, which will support the flow of electricity. That can be hard to
achieve in Brisbane’s weather conditions, but it’s possible with the right materials and advice.
Some of the things you’ll need to construct an electric fence include:
Fence posts (either wooden or steel
End-strainers and corner posts
Wiring (high-tensile wire, or electric poly-tape, poly-wire, or poly-rope)
Galvanised earth stakes
Insulators
An energiser
A voltage tester
Cut-out switches, lightning protection, and warning signs The basic process for building your fence will involve:
Installing the end-strain and corner posts
Installing the strain insulators
Installing angle posts
Positioning the line posts and wires
Tensioning the wires
Setting up the electrical connections
Installing and electrifying gates
Installing cut-out switches, lightning diverters, and safety signage
CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE ENERGISER
There are a few considerations when choosing an energiser for your electric fence:
The length of the fence
How much vegetation grows around it
The type and sizes of your animals, and their thicker winter coats
Whether there is mains power available
The cost of an energiser maintained on mains power is low, and this will obviously increase if you need to operate it on a battery. There are also different types of batteries—including wet and dry—that are suited to different conditions, and have variable power and lifespans.
Energisers should be sheltered from the weather as much as possible, preferably in a shed or building, but there are solar-powered options available as well.
PLACING YOUR EARTH STAKES
Electric fences work better in wet conditions and moist soil. This isn’t always possible in Brisbane and throughout rural Queensland, so if you’re setting up your fence in dry, light, or sandy soil, you might need more earth stakes.
Whether you’re operating your energiser on mains or battery power will also affect how many stakes you’ll need. Galvanised steel stakes work well when driven 1.5 metres into the ground, and spaced around 3 metres apart.
INSTALLING YOUR WIRING
Connect your high-tensile wire, rope or tape with insulators. The option you choose will depend on the type and sizes of the animals you’re fencing in, and whether you want permanent or temporary fences.
Installation will also depend on whether you’re setting up an earth-return system (which is usually used in strip grazing) or a fence-return system. Each brand of wire will come with its own set of instructions on how to set it up.
It might seem obvious, but always use the right safety protection when installing and testing your systems. Testing your fencing and earth systemGood earthing is essential to maintain the performance of your fencing, so you should check it at least once a year or whenever there’s been a dry spell.
Different fencing will need different voltage testers, so choose one that’s designed for the portable or permanent fencing type you’re setting up. Your fence should have the correct charge, otherwise it won’t deliver a big enough shock to your animals, and the fencing won’t work. Poor readings will mean you might need to add more or better quality stakes, or relocate them.
Quality electric fencing products
High-quality, durable fencing products will extend the life of your fences, and reduce the labour and material costs that come with prematurely replacing them. At Farmcraft, we exclusively stock Gallagher brand electric fencing products, which are designed to withstand the challenging conditions of Brisbane’s rural areas and extend the lifespan of your fence so your livestock, property and income are always protected.
The right advice is crucial to constructing an electric fence system that is reliable and safe. Contact us or drop into your nearest Farmcraft store to take advantage of our professional expertise, and we’ll be happy to help you choose the right products to create an effective electric fencing plan for your property.
