Where to find electric fencing

[Rebecca]

I posted a few weeks ago about electric fencing, and now I'm back again with more questions!

Where can I buy electric fencing for the best price?

Is there a brand or type that works best?

What do I need when buying the fencing? I already have a fence in place so I don't need stakes for it, what do I need to attach the electric to my existing fence? And can a buy a few stakes separately if I choose to divide a paddock in half?

Thanks for any help, I'm completely clueless and wan tot get this done right!

Rebecca

 

[Annabellarose]

Where can I buy electric fencing for the best price?

What kind of electric fence do you want to install? 16 gauge wire, high-tensile wire, rope, tape? Do you want to go to a brick and mortar store or do you want to order something over the internet?

Is there a brand or type that works best?

It depends on what kind of electric fence you want to install. No two people might agree on the best kind or brand of electric fencing. I used to use 16 gauge wire, but I am switching over to rope because I believe that rope and tape are MUCH safer than wire for both horse and human, but, now that I have some of it up, I don't like the brand/kind of rope that I picked, so I will be replacing it and finishing with another brand/kind of rope soon.

What do I need when buying the fencing? I already have a fence in place so I don't need stakes for it, what do I need to attach the electric to my existing fence?

What kind of fence do you already have in place? Are you just wanting to do a "scare wire" inside of an existing fence to keep them off of/away from/from scratching or rubbing on either post and board, chain link fence, woven wire fence, or barbed wire fence? Or, did you take the wire and/or the boards off of the posts and want to reuse the posts for a kind of electric fence? You need insulators, but you have to buy T-post insulators for T-posts, wood post insulators for wood posts, chain link fence insulators that attach to the inside of chain link fence, etc. What kind of posts do you have? If you have wood posts at your corners and T-posts as your line posts you will need both wood post insulators and T-post insulators. Also, insulators made for wire or rope will usually accomodate both wire and rope, but the wider tapes (usually wider than 1/2") will require insulators made specifically for tape.

And can a buy a few stakes separately if I choose to divide a paddock in half?

Do you have a farm and/or feed store in your area of the country? Something like a Tractor Supply or a Southern States, etc.? You can often buy wood posts, T-posts, step-in posts, etc. at a farm or feed store. Also, if the person behind the counter is worth their salt they should be able to answer at least some of your questions and tell you which products you'll need for the kind of electric fence that you choose to install.

Are you friendly with any other horsepeople in your area that you could ask to mentor you on this project?

 

[Rebecca]

Wow, that's an awesome post, thank you. It's helping me to figure out what I want and need, very informative.

I had tape in mind as opposed to wire or rope. I would like to order it over the internet unless I find it at my feed store or a Tractor Supply first. I want to do a "scare wire" because the problem I have is my horse breaking the fence boards. I don't want to actually take boards down. I have wood posts and boards. Luckily, I do have plenty of horses people in the area who I'll be counting on to help me out with this project. This forum is a great way to get answers fast though.

Thanks again for your post, it's very helpful!

Rebecca

 

[Miniv]

I personally prefer the tape/ribbon or rope type of electric fencing. It is much more visible and more forgiving if a horse gets caught in it. The wire will cut.

Since you already have an existing fence, there are connectors and insulators to buy which can be attached to your posts...... the type will depend on whether or not you are working with metal or wood posts.

You are going to be tempted to buy the smallest Charger.........Don't. Always get the step up from what you think you'll need.

And lastly, if you are only running one strand and aren't sure if you should run it up high or down low? Go with down low. Otherwise, I would recommend that you run several strands.

Your local feed store or farm supply store will probably have all you need and hopefully they can answer many of your questions.

 

[Annabellarose]

IN MY OPINION, the best place online to shop for electric fence products is Premier 1. Super nice, super knowledgeable people that offer superior electric fence products. They may not always be the cheapest, but I have found their prices to be good to excellent, especially for the quality of their product. You might pay a tad (cents!) less for a plastic insulator elsewhere, but it likely won't be as good of a product or last as long and it probably won't have this level or quality of customer service behind it. I can't say enough about this company! They make electric fence products that are specifically intended for horse application with the horse's nature and safety in mind. Even if you decide not to buy from them, take a look at their website, it is a boon of information.

 

[wcr]

You mentioned that you have wood posts and board fencing. You need to get the long insulators for wood(nails into the posts) and I would put it between the boards, at least 2 strands. I have used many types of wire, rope, tape ect. and I have been happiest with wide white tape. I use only electric fence and the wide looks nice, is highly visible to the horses and in my area, the elk can see it at night and since I went to it, haven't had to redo my fencing every year. Minis grow lots of hair in the winter(I know this is a surprise on this forum) and some of them will go through it in the winter because the shock isn't as strong to them. For this reason I spend the extra money and buy the strongest fencer I can get. Usually the cost between the cheaper and best isn't that much compared to the overall cost of fencing, maybe $50 at most.

Most feed stores and even hardware stores will carry electric fencing. Ask about the product book for electric fencing. Jeffers has one and sells on line. Every once in a while they will just send me one and it is full of info. A little fencing can go a long way and in the end I don't think you will save a whole lot by shopping on line and may pay more if you have to pay for shipping. Check around.

 

[bjcs]

Don't forget, you will also need a copper ground rod.

 

[Peggy Hogan]

Hey Rebecca...

I use 1/2 inch tape. I really don't feel safe using wire.

I also string at least 3 strands of it. PLEASE get a low impedence fence charger, you don't want one that stays on if the horse gets caught. The pulse type is better. I also use the plastic posts that have bottoms that look like a stirrup; you can put your foot in them and drive them into the ground.

I use farmtek.

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/home

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1...g;pg108045.html

(electric tape)

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1...078_108079.html

(fence charger)

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/prod1...026_108065.html

(posts)

They are very willing to talk and educate and I've learned a lot from them.

good luck!

 

[kaykay]

We also prefer the rope over tape. Ive just had too many friends horses go thru the tape. Ours have never gone through the rope. We tried solar the first couple years then switched to electric. The solar just wasnt dependable enough in winter when there are so many cloudy days

 

[susanne]

Wherever we use only electric, we use tape or rope, but where we have it in conjunction with the no-climb fencing, we use a hot wire top and bottom.

One advantage of tape or rope is that, if you are trying to track down a short, it is easier to see a sagging section of tape or rope than it is to see a thin wire.

Wire, however, has more zap than tape or rope -- at least what we have. I test the tape with my fingers (sick, I know...).

 

[Annabellarose]

I test the tape with my fingers (sick, I know...).

You can find cheap testers.

 

[Bunnylady]

I test the tape with my fingers (sick, I know...).

I just use a goat. No, wait! Let me re-phrase that! My goats are much more conscientious than I am about testing the fence. If there's a problem, they'll find it. And then I'll find them, someplace where they aren't supposed to be.

Fortunately, they are also pretty obliging about testing the fence when I'm where I can see them, so I can tell by the reaction whether I need to check things more closely. With goats, you need board and/or wire fencing to keep them in, and a hot wire to keep them off! I figure, if my fence is goat-proof, it's mini-proof.

 

[Alex]

I test the tape with my fingers (sick, I know...).

You can find cheap testers.

Take a long peace of long grass and hold it in your hand and put it against the electric wire or rope and you will feel the pulse of the electric but not an actual shock. And no, it really does not hurt. A free fence tester!

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I only use wire fencing instead of tape or rope simply because it is on the cheaper end of the three and I try to cut costs if possible. I use 3 strands on all my fencing and it works very nice. I am considering running a 4th wire between the bottom and middle wires to prevent foals from even thinking about trying to squeeze through there. Will have to do that before spring. . .add that to my to-do list 

I also use an electric fence charger but always be sure to get MORE than you need for wattage simply because it will do nothing but benefit you and prevent the horses from even trying to peek through the fence. 

I will say one thing that they DO know when the fence is on and when it is off so if you do get an electric fence, be sure to not leave it off for long periods of time and I only turn it off while I am out there with them (feedings, cleaning, quality time, etc.)

IMPORTANT TIP: I have found that during Thunderstorms, sometimes lightning will run in to the fence charger and you need to replace the fuses if this does happen - even if you have a surge protector like we do, it still happens occassionally so be sure to have extra fuses 

 

[shorthorsemom]

I love my two inch wide white tape. I bought the type of insulators that screw into the posts. It has two plastic key twists and the cross bar sandwiches the tape flat and then you screw the bar down tight onto the tape with the keys. I love this type. Does not snap open and you can put really tight tension on it. When I used the yellow ones that snap down on the tape, I was forever fixing the tape as it would pull out at the corners where there was the most tension. Also for safety, I am able to clip the tape and re-start a new piece so I don't have one continuous strand going around the pasture. It makes it real easy to adjust to take out the flop when you do get some (high wind and snow will make it sag a tiny bit, but not too bad). I use the redbrand no climb wire in combination with this tape. I tried one inch wide tape and I tried rope and love the two inch wide the best. Stays put and looks like thin fence board. I have a nice solar fencer and have had no issues with any of this set up so far. Knock on wood

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