Hi All,
Newbie person here - I can't say "boo" about Alpacas (I'm in that
researching stage so I'm lurking and too shy to ask questions) but at
least I can put in my 2 cents about the fence since we have it with
our horses and dogs. So - we have no climb with hot wire and
extenders for our horses and dogs. (No climb also doesn't rust like
the other fence) I uploaded a couple of pics in the photos to give a
general idea of what we use it for. (You can see the fence squares
and the yellow extenders of the hotwire). If you don't put the hot
wire on it (we didn't in the beginning) our horses went looking for
the "grass is always greener on the other side" and bent down the
top. (As you can see). Our hot wire is solar charged and is "hot" -
but hasn't killed anything. Definately bites if you touch it though.
(My son used to be the tester when he was a stupid 10 year old - he
thought it was funny). But we've never had any problem with anything
coming in or out. Ok - my first question. The horses "feel" the
electricity so they know to stay away - wouldn't the Alpacas? Or are
you using it for the distinct purpose of on the outside keeping other
things "out"?
Ridgley
Rollin'Ridge Farm
--- In AlpacaTalk@yahoogroups.com, LunarStruck@... wrote:
>
> 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@... 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....property....<WBR>.where the alpacas are. And then
their a
> 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.....to go back into their dirt
> 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?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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