Farm Fences - Fencing for Cattle and Fields
Farm fence is primarily designed to keep livestock confined and protected. The fence may serve as a field perimeter, a field separator, or constructed to direct livestock in handling facilities.
It is important to understand that confinement and protection are separate concerns, and your farm fence choices need to reflect your unique balance of these two purposes along with the environment in which the field fence is installed.
Some of the choices a farmer has for farm fence include:
Wire mesh, woven wire or page wire fence can be used for a variety of livestock.
This fence is made of galvanized metal, with mesh generally in the 2 to 4-inch range. The come in a variety of weights (wire gauge), mesh size and height. It is sturdy, highly visible to the livestock and serves well as both confinement and protection purposes. This type of fence is particularly useful for horses, as they are best contained with highly visible fences.
Barbed wire has a long history as an effective cattle fence. It is inexpensive, is installed easily, can be run great distances, serves well in both the confinement and protection roles, offers little wind resistance (reducing repairs, preventing snow drifts, etc.), is generally unaffected by vegetation, and offers a clear view by the farmer. This is an effective cattle fence, and can be used along with other fencing, but is less effective for horses and sheep.
- Suspension fence is a wire fence where the posts are placed farther apart than most other fencing. The idea is that the wires move very flexibly, so as livestock presses on one part of the fence, other parts react to the pressure and hit or bump the animal in unexpected locations. There are "stays" installed in this fence that keep the wires apart from each other, but do not touch the ground. It is the whipping action of these fences that make them effective, so vegetation and terrain must be suited for these fences. This is not good fencing for horses, as they are apt to become tangled in the wires.
- Cable fence is very sturdy wire fence with cables 3/8 inch or bigger. Depending on the animals being contained, cable fences may have up to six parallel cables making up the fence. This fence is expensive to build, so is usually reserved for handling areas.
- Board fence comes in a variety of styles, materials and colors, generally featuring 2 to 4 rails between posts. Construction material for this type of fence has traditionally been wood, but recent advances in PVC fence construction make this a viable alternative. Fences of this type are also constructed of steel pipe, usually featuring a durable powder coating finish. In addition, concrete manufacturers have also gotten into the act, and produce sturdy and aesthetically pleasing post and rail fence.
- Electric fenceis designed to deliver a quick shock to livestock and predators that come into contact with it. The fences are powered by electric fence chargers that deliver a quick pulse along the fence's length. This type of fence can be used in a stand-alone mode, or can also be used in conjunction with other fences (board fences and suspension fences come to mind). This type of fence works well with containing all livestock, and is also effective against incoming dogs or other predators.
An excellent article on planning and building farm fences can be found at the University of Tennessee website.
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