sumi
Rest in Peace 1980-2020
There's a thought….Best bet in your situation is put up a hot wire.
There's a thought….Best bet in your situation is put up a hot wire.
I spoke with a friend in Canada a few weeks ago about cheaper fencing options and the two cheapest options we came up with was pallets and shade cloth. Here are some pallet fencing ideas (link)
It could be as simple as switching your T posts out for sturdier wooden posts. You can rent an auger for installing them and you can use your woven wire you already possess. The sheep are scratching their bodies on that fencing, so you might also put in a few wooden fence posts here and there on your acres and rough up the wood real well with a saw so that they can scratch more effectively. Some people go so far as to get old coil springs from cars and mount them up so that cattle and sheep can use them for scratching, thus saving the fences.
Another neat trick for keeping them occupied while also keeping their hooves in great shape, is to pile a group of rocks or cement blocks in the middle of your pasture so they can climb, scratch, and play on it...this keeps them from climbing your fences and bearing them down.
Sheep don't do so well with electric fencing, so folks who keep big herds tend to avoid the high tensile electric for containment. I'd not recommend it...been there, done that and it was not effective for sheep like it is for pigs, cows or horses.
I've noticed that they can brush right up against a hot wire and never even feel it through their wool...unless they touch it with their nose first and remember that, they can blunder right on it, through it or over it without feeling a thing, somewhat like chickens. Or, when in a panic, they will run right through the wire or get caught up in it around their necks and really get in trouble when it does make contact with a sensitive area when they are caught in it, across it or astraddle it.
I love the cement block idea. I will definitely give that a try!
I will have to take a look at augers. How strong do I physically need to be to handle one of those puppies? We have heavy clay soil. I have read that sometimes augers can't work through it very effectively, so I am hesitant.