Types of electric fencing for cattle and sheep

There are three types of electric fencing:

1. Permanent electric.
2. Off conventional.
3. Temporary electric.

The purchase and erection costs of electric fencing vary significantly depending on whether the fence is permanent or temporary. Costs also vary depending on whether you choose fibreglass, metal or wooden posts.

• A typical three-line electric fence for sheep or cattle will cost between 40p and 60p* per metre
• Installation time is typically 30–60 minutes to erect and pick up a 600 m three-line system. With labour at £15/hour, the cost to move and re-erect a fence is estimated to be about 1.25–2.5p per metre
• Electric fencing can be 50% cheaper to build and maintain than traditional fencing with barbed wire, according to work carried out at Iowa State University in 2005

(* costs based on figures from 2015)

Permanent electric fencing is a long-term option, which, once established, should be trouble-free for many years.

It combines permanent wooden, metal or fibreglass posts with high tensile steel wire.

Equipment required:

• Energiser
• Earth stakes
• Wooden, metal or fibreglass posts
• Post insulators
• End strain insulators
• Joint clamps
• Electrified gates
• Wire tensioners
• Wire

What will I need for 300 m of permanent fence with wood posts?

What will I need for 300 m of permanent fence with metal posts?

What will I need for 300 m of permanent fence with fibreglass posts?

Off conventional fencing consists of an electric fence wire placed at a small distance from an existing timber or wire mesh fence.

This prevents stock from rubbing or pushing against the original fence line, to extend its working life. This system can also be a cost-effective way to feed an electric current around a farm to more distant locations.

Equipment required:

• Energiser
• Earth stakes
• End strain insulators
• Line post insulators
• Wire tensioners
• Wire
• Offset brackets

Temporary electric fencing is designed to be lightweight and easily transported. It allows large fields to be broken up for ‘strip’ or ‘paddock’ grazing. With the help of mechanisation, such as specially adapted quad bikes, you can move and re-erect these very quickly.

Temporary electric fencing allows stocking density, i.e. the number of animals grazing per hectare, to be adjusted so that grazing pressure can be controlled. This is very important when managing grass for maximum utilisation and feed growth/quality. It allows producers to accurately allocate areas to be grazed, based on the number of animals and their feed demand.

Electric fencing can also be used to preclude livestock from areas that may prove dangerous or unhealthy, such as eroding riverbanks or wet areas where the mud snail, the intermediate host of liver fluke, may be present. These areas may change in size from season to season.

Equipment required:

• Energiser
• Earth stakes
• Reel and reel post
• Polytape, polywire, polybraid/polyrope or steel wire
• Polytape has high visibility but can weaken in the wind, leading to greater maintenance cost
• Polywire is the cheapest option. As it is lightweight, less posts are needed to maintain optimum wire height. However, it has a higher electrical resistance due to having smaller wire diameter
• Polybraid/polyrope offer good visibility and wind resistance but are the most expensive option
• Steel wire has the lowest resistance, which minimises voltage drop over long fences, but is heavy and requires closer post spacing to maintain wire height
• Portable fencing posts, including some anchor posts
• Some plastic posts can become brittle in sunlight and do not last long. UV-protected posts are better
• Insulators

What will I need for 300 m of fibreglass posts and polywire?

What will I need for 300 m of metal posts and steel wire?