Fences are made for various purposes like decoration, security and other functions. Livestock farmers fall in the category of people who must have fences. The types of fences for agriculture are designed to restrict animals to remain in a certain region or not to move to a restricted area. The choice of fence is determined by use and type of livestock. There are several types of fences for agriculture as highlighted in this article.
- Board fencing
It is also called rail fence. This fencing uses posts and rails to prevent livestock from pushing the fence or cause damage to the fence when they attempt to graze outside pasture. Horizontal rails are nailed on wooden posts. In most cases, the posts are fixed at intervals of eight feet and one strand of electrified cable is run in the middle of the fence. The posts and rails should be treated to increase their lifespan. This type of fence is very expensive to install.
- Barbed Wire Fence
Among various types of fences for livestock, barbed wire fence is the most common type. It consists of strands of strong woven wires with sharp barbs. The wire is fixed on wooden or metal posts. It is a cheap type of fence for confining animals that are docile like cattle and sheep.
- High Tensile Fences
It consists of a smooth electrified wire to contain animals in a given region. Posts are usually fixed in a range of 20 and 40 feet from each other. Corner posts should be strongly and securely installed to accommodate the high tension. The outer fence may have several smooth wires with about three of them electrified. Internal fences can have less electrified wires. It is important to note that vegetation along the fence should be removed or kept short. Droppers are included in the fence to keep the wire spacing uniform if the posts are far apart.
- 4.Chicken Wire Fence
This fence is used to enclose poultry in a given place to control their movement. The fence is made using a wire net or woven wire with small grids. A single roll of the wire has a width ranging from two up to five feet. It keeps predators like hawks, foxes, and others from feasting on the birds.
- 5.TemporaryFences
This type of fence is used to partition a large fenced area into smaller portions. They are used to manage forage and grazing fields. They are designed to be temporary so that they can be removed easily and the material used to fence another place or alter the partitions. Polywire, polytape or wire net can be used to make a temporary fence. Where necessary, the fence is electrified to make it work properly.
- 6.WovenWire Fence
Woven wire fence is ideal for animals that are hard to manage like goats. It can also be used for keeping predators like coyotes from accessing pasture fields. A single electric wire is usually passed inside the woven wire net fence. This prevents livestock from leaning or rubbing against the woven wire while trying to reach pastures that are outside the grazing area.
In conclusion
Improved livestock farming methods and increase in human and livestock population has led to high demand for limited resources like land. Since livestock involves keeping animals which are highly mobile like goats, sheep, birds and cattle, a fence is required to restrict them to remain in an area allocated for them. The types of fences for livestock that a farmer will choose will depend on available budget, intended use and type of livestock reared fast fence.