Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

I've enjoyed the "subject for another thread" discussion, but it got me thinking about fencing, a favourite topic of mine. I've always thought that any cow can get through or over any fence, if properly motivated - hunger, sex drive, fear, etc. One consequence of that thinking is that I don't use barbed wire because if the cow is going through the fence, it's going through and I don't want additional injuries caused by the barbed wire. On reasonably flat to undulating land I use Forestry Commission spec. which is two spring steel wires top and bottom to support stock netting which is only lashed to the wires (not stapled anywhere) and a single spring steel wire above (the stock netting). On steeply undulating ground I use four spring steel wires only, with tie downs where necessary to prevent posts lifting. Also as a temporary measure, when strip grazing or keeping the cows away from some hazard I occasionally use a single or double strand of electric fencing. I've had a roll of barbed wire for years, and only mutter about putting it out to deter tourists, not cows! (but I've never done it).

And finally, I recommend to anyone interested in fencing, the BTCV Fencing book.

We have standard stock netting 2" off the ground, topped with two strands of barbed wire at 4 & 8" above that, giving 41 inches in total, seems to keep most things in.

We're grazing some land at the moment that has sheep netting, a strand of plain wire and a strand of barbed on top. Today, in a 'grass is always greener' moment, one or more of the Dexter cows have forced their heads between the plain wire & netting to reach the other side.

At the same time, the bottom strand of wire snapped on the electric and they didn't go under! Also, I forgot to put the bottom strand of the electric gate across yesterday and neither have they strayed under that! (apart from some of the calves).

The fields we sub-let and summer graze have electric fence only. young stock get trained at home where we have electic fence inside an old barbed wire fence, and around a central pond.