Electric fencing for dummies

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FinkleyAlex

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I've just moved to a yard with a combination of barbed wire and old post and rail fencing. As a result, liveries put up their own electric fencing. The field I've been given has electric fencing running around three sides, the fourth side has sheep netting with some form of jungle in front of it. Next door's field has an energiser (an old car battery) attached to their fencing but this doesn't extend to mine so my fencing isn't live. Do I just need to buy an energiser? What do I do with it? Does it need a connecter (OH's dad seems to think it will, he also doesn't think a car battery is suitable)? For the price that an energiser seems to be, is it worth just buying this kit: http://www.farmcareuk.com/Products/327/paddock-kit - I've been given a bigger field for winter which doesn't have any electric fencing supplied so I will need to get hold of some eventually...

Need info asap as one of my boys has now discovered the fencing doesn't work and was found in next door's field this morning. He's usually very respectful of electric fencing and doesn't ever bother testing it, but has somehow ploughed through it and jumped over the wire fence on the other side. Can't have this happening again as he's 23 years old and is meant to be retired and riddled with arthritis!
 
Google electric fencing. The main manufacturers have some pretty good instructions which will be too long to re-post here. I'd suggest fencing off all old fencing/post-and-rail/sheep netting using offsets or erect a single internal fence, then get the biggest energiser you can afford and follow the instructions on the manufacturer's site..
 
I'd defo get my own fencing kit. Try paddockperfection on eBay it's great stuff and a good price too. Also buy in a few wooden fence posts for you to use in your corners and even to make a gateway if you don't have a secure one.
You can get some really solid tensioners online too.
Good luck!
 
You will need an energiser AND a power supply, ie a battery. You can get energisers that take DD batteries but they don't last long; these energisers also can be connected to a car or leisure battery which gives a better power supply then the d-cells. I also have recently seen an all in one solar powered energiser; think it was xtrashock? which sound quite a good idea. If you're going to need a fenceline in the near future a kit is good to start off with, but you will need a battery aswell. It is a bit of a mine field and quite confusing when you're new to electric fencing and don't know anything about them - I was the same; actually not much better now! Oh yes - and you'll never have enough posts! Farmcare are quite helpful - give them a call if you are stuck.
 
Re a power supply, I agree the DD batteries are useless on anything but a small stretch of single strand fence. I'd say you need to go for a leisure battery rather than a car battery as they don't run down so fast. It's best to have two, the name escapes me but the ones I have came as a pack with a trickle charger. The idea being that you use one while the other is charging. You just leave the charger connected to the one charging and it keeps it topped up so it doesn't go flat again before being used. This is very handy if you happen to have an escapologist!
 
I got a energizer & leisure battery from Mole almost a month ago for around 260 (which pained me to do) which came with everything I needed (Unlike the energizer id brought from Robinsons the day before) and I picked up a cheapy solar powered battery charger from Maplin a few weeks ago for 10 and its all working well (Touch Wood). It was all new to me a month ago and I now think I have my head around it. Both Horses are petrified of the energizer and my boy is scared of the white tape even when its off so atleast I know its doing the job.
 
As above A you will need both energiser and battery (you can recharge the battery get a charger). Electric fence posts come in various sizes I get 5 ft as otherwise R jumps out.

Good to hear M is still causing trouble ��
 
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