Re: [AlpacaTalk] RE: no climb fence
Our barn cat got shocked a few times and took off for parts unknown. That
may happen. Try and show your cats a safe way out of the hotwire if you can,
they are very smart. It definitely will not kill them, but can kill rabbits,
squirrels and birds. You can adjust it higher or lower voltage also, ours
is very hot. I've been shocked by it and it isn't pleasant but it doesn't do
any permanent damage, you get over it in a few seconds. I put up little tags
that I bought at the feedstore hotwire dept. to put on the fence to warn
people not to touch it. I bought plastic extenders to angle it out at the top
so the alpacas can't really reach it and nothing can jump over it. I'll
take a pic of ours to send you, Janice.
I'd say in four years we've lost about 10 sparrows, which I hate but is a
trade-off considering we may have lost all the alpacas instead if we hadn't put
it up. I love it and it makes me feel really safe. As I said, the coyotes
totally avoid the area now and stopped going up their nightly path and took a
turn around our property. Most dog predators (and coyotes) will dig under a
fence instead of jumping over it so the bottom hotwire is very important.
In four years we have not had one problem with predators other than I ran out
in the middle of the night to a llama alarm call to find two possums on the
fenceline.
SUSAN OLSON
Alpaca Loco
Riverside, CA
In a message dated 2/28/2009 4:26:39 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
houckj@aol.com writes:
<<<<To echo what has been already said here, no climb is so that horses
etc can't climb the fence. Actually, no climb fence helps those
predators that can't jump over or mash it down climb. It really is kind
of a misnomer as a lot of people assume no climb means nothing can climb
it and gives them a false sense of security.>>>
Ahhh....that was my impression when my friend was telling me that they
had *finally* put up this no climb fence to keep the goats in and the
predators out. As I looked at it all I could think was that it looked
nice and sturdy enough for anything to climb over! She could not tell
me why it was no climb, but was very proud of it. I have been puzzled
by that misnomer ever since. Thanks for clearing it up.
I am borrowing money (while I still can!) to fence and the more I look
into fencing the more confused I get as to what would be the best choice
- and the least expensive.
The alpacas have done fine for 10 yrs with a cheap welded wire fence and
metal fence posts. No problems at all with them. It is not a perimeter
fence and they are close to the house. I am not fenced totally, but am
fenced across the front and down 1/2 of each side of the
property....
with this welded wire.
But I have been having a lot of trouble with the horse fence and since
my husband died 2.5 yrs ago have had to pay someone to repair, add to,
and generally do everything we could think of short of starting all over
again, at least 4x now. The horses just push over everything. Mainly
because their pasture is dirt and they are trying to get to the grass
outside their fence. so I thought I would just start letting them out
to graze around for a few hours a day - and save on some hay expense.
It is a long way to find the end of the fence line. Took them maybe 2
wks tops to find it and before I knew it I was having to go get them off
the main road. I live on a one lane, but that wasn't good enough for
them, no they had to keep on trucking up to the main road. So they had
to go back into their dirt pasture.....
sitting here going to waste :-(.
I have been told over and over and over to put hot wire up and that will
stop them. I haven't wanted to do it. susan's story about the dead
sparrows is enough to make me not want to do it; not to mention dogs,
cats, and children. And I have bluebird houses up all over the horse
pasture. But apparently that is about my only affordable choice.
Barbed wire has been suggested many times, but personally I jsut don't
see it keeping the horses back. I think they would still lean over it
and I would just be doctoring wounds all the time.
I am also planning on getting some dairy goats and this fence will
continue from the horse fence up across the clearing and to the woods
for them. I keep looking at all the options and just cannot decide what
is the best, and again, least expensive best. This fence will also come
around and connect with a new alpacas area I am planning, so I can
rotate them off their pasture, and also make it easier to keep the male
separated. The goats will be with the horses in the day time, but with
the alpacas at night as that is as safer area - close to the house -
from predators.
I seem to have narrowed it down to woven wire with electic wire top and
bottom or 5 strand wire with 3 hot - and I think that is the least
expensive and easiest. Now with these stories, I just don't know what
to do. I have a lot of ground to cover and cannot afford the high
tensile wire all the way around. Besides I know people with horses that
used that and they said it didn't slow them (the horses) down a
whit....only their pocketbooks (the owners), so I gather it is rather
expensive. Up in the woods it will be next to impossible to roll out a
large roll of woven or wire fence, so the 5 strand seemed the way to go,
but I know I will not find the time to constantly walk that fence line
to check it for shorts.
What will electric wire do to cats? Will it kill them the first time
they touch it? Dogs? What about young children, or even older
children? If it is dangerous to these creatures I cannot use it. What
are my other (affordable) options for keeping goats and horses where
they belong and predators where *they* belong?
Any thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks! Janice
PS Is there a difference in the woven wire fence and the "no climb"
fence that is woven wire?
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posted by Chaddo at 4:30 AM
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