When you’re deciding what type of fencing you need around your farm, you need to think about two things. Consider what you need to keep in and what you need to keep out.
For a couple of acres with a few horses and cows, barbed wire may be sufficient. If you have a runner, you can help prevent escapes with the addition of electric wire to deter animals from going through the fence. However, a larger farm is most likely going to need a sturdier fence. Here are the questions you need to answer before you get started.
How much of your property needs to be fenced?
Look at your entire farm and decide what needs to be enclosed. Your strategy will vary depending on the size of the area to fence.
If you need to keep local wildlife out of the entire property, look for a sturdy fencing solution that will be easy to maintain over the long term, such as chain link with metal posts and gates. You can install automatic gates if you need to pull trucks in and out. That’s a small upgrade that can save a lot of time and hassle when you’re doing big jobs. However, if you don’t need to enclose your entire plot of land, you can look at smaller, more customized fencing options that will work for the areas that need to be fenced.
What is the local wildlife situation?
If you live in a suburban area where the neighbor’s cat is the largest predator you need to worry about, you only need to consider what’s inside your fence when choosing materials. On the other hand, in areas where coyotes or wolves are involved, keeping them out is priority number one. Work with your fencing provider (us!) to find a material that fits your budget and will stand up to predators. Ornamental steel or vinyl may be best here.
Additionally, consider getting protector animals to add to your herd, such as llamas, donkeys, alpacas, or a large dog. Great Pyrenees are stellar herd animals that are large enough to intimidate and can live with your herd animals at night.
What is the makeup of your farm?
Once you decide on your main fencing solution, you may also want to add internal fencing. For example, you could alternate the areas that your cattle access for grazing. You can install fencing to keep them in one area and out of the other until it’s time to go back. Installing a basic wooden or vinyl picket fence can protect your grass and keeps your animals well-fed.
If you have other animals, you’ll probably want to create specific areas for them, such as a dog run or kennel, a pig pen, or a chicken coop. If you do need a chicken run, consider adding a chicken wire cover. You may be amazed how high they can fly when they want to get to the other side of their area.
Give us a call to discuss your fencing needs. We can help with external fencing, internal fencing, and protection from wildlife.
