Electric Fencing for Cattle

Electric Fencing Solutions and Kits for Dairy and Beef Cattle

Electric fencing is a great way to keep your cattle safe and to help with strip grazing, herd control and field management.  An electric fence won't hurt your livestock, but it will give an unpleasant zap which should teach them to avoid the fence.  Dairy cattle are very easy to contain and often need just one line or electric twine or tape, although most fences have 2 lines of electric twine or tape.

Beef cattle are a little more challenging, but still respond well.  2 or 3 lines is used for beef cattle, usually at 40cm and 80cm.

A simple electric fence set-up consists of plastic posts that push into the ground, electric heavy duty twine, and an energiser that powers your electric fence.  The energiser is the most expensive part of your kit and the area where you have most decisions to make!  For cattle you want either a 12 volt energiser (powered by a 12 volt leisure battery of 75Ah of higher - please don't use a car battery), or a solar powered energiser.  Solar powered energisers are becoming increasingly popular and some farmers can even qualify for a grant to cover 40% of the cost of the energiser.  Solar energisers have the advantage of being 'all-in-one' units that are easy to move, environmentally friendly and, most importantly, you don't need to worry about charging the battery.  The slight downside is that you currently can't get such high powered energisers, so for really large fences you still need a 12 volt battery energiser.  If you have a 12 volt battery energiser, you will need to charge your battery every couple of weeks (depending on your energiser and size of fence), although you can get a solar panel to sit on top your battery - and these only cost £36.99.  Whatever energiser you select, you do need to make sure it has enough power, especially for beef cattle.

The premium set-up is a geared reel system.    This allows you to quickly move your electric fence, and it also helps keep tension on your fence.  The spools hold about 500m of heavy duty electric twine, allowing for a 500m fence with one kit.  They also help you easily store your electric fence when it is not in use.  More details of the best value geared reel system, costing £364.99 on sale, can be seen here:  https://www.farmcareuk.com/47TP500CP.html

Basic set-up:

• Place posts between 5m and 10m apart.  The closer they are, the stronger the fence.  Add more posts on corners and for undulating ground.
• Makes sure the energiser is facing the sun, and push the earth stake well into the ground.  Connect the energiser to the fence.
• Run two lines of twine around the loops in the fence posts.  The lines are usually at around 80cm and 40cm, depending on cattle breed and size.
• The energiser will connect to one line of twine.  Use the line connection to join both lines of twine.
• You may wish to add gate handles for easy access to your fence.  These cost £1.99 each and you’d need one for each line of fencing.
• Use twine connectors to join 2 pieces of twine together – not knots!

Energiser selection:

Solar Energiser Hotline FireDrake 67.  This is made here in the UK and comes with a 5 year guarantee.  It’s really easy to use and is a good power for a solar energiser.  It has a maximum of 9,100 volts and has 3,900 volts at 500 ohms.   It’s well made and good value compared to other solar energisers on the market.  It costs £275.99 (on sale).  More details can be seen here:   https://www.farmcareuk.com/drake-67-solar-energiser.html

Another good option is the Gallagher S100.  It has a 7 year warranty, although the value ratio isn't quite as good as the FireDrake line.  To see all our solar energiser click here:  https://www.farmcareuk.com/solar-energisers.html

12 Volt energiser:  Farming A5000.  This is a high power energiser with 6,000 volts at 500 ohms.  It is made in germany and is fantastic value for money.  It costs £115.99  More details can be seen here:   https://www.farmcareuk.com/farming-a5000-energiser-for-fences-up-to-50km.html

Battery:  You need a 12 volt leisure battery of 75Ah or higher.  These can often be purchased at places like Halfords (to save on shipping).  Herer is our one, selected especially for electric fencing.  It cost £114.99 https://www.farmcareuk.com/12v-leisure-battery.html

All of our electric fence kits for cattle can be seen here:  https://www.farmcareuk.com/cattle-kits.html

If you have any questions, or if you'd like to customise a kit please email sales@farmcareuk.com.  We're a family run business and we are happy to help.

www.FarmCareUK.com

Electric Fence Specialist