Using electric fencing to control winter stock feeding

Power Fencing for Swath Grazing
Since cattle standing in deep snow are usually poorly
grounded, a 2 wire Power Fence is needed when swath
grazing. The 2 wires, one hot and one ground wire,
should be 12 inches apart. One–wire fences will work in
the fall, but quickly lose effectiveness as the ground
freezes.
gives the greatest shock. The Turbo Horse Rope (#62257),
EquiBraid (#62174) and Orange Turbo Wire (#62066)
are specifically designed for portable fencing and will be
far easier to handle than high tensile wire. Putting flags on
the wire may be necessary for the first day or two to train
the stock.
Although the fence is portable, the ground rods will have
to be permanently installed. Ground the wires of a
conventional fence running along one side of the
swathed field with a Ground Stake. Connect the ground
wire from the feed fence to this grounded fence. Offset
insulators such as Gallagher Offset Bracket with Pinlock
Insulator (#65905 ) or Drive In Offset Bracket with
Pinlock Insulator (#66205) can be used on the same
fence to carry a hot wire. Don’t put the hot wire on
regular post insulators fitted to the old fence, because the
barbed or woven wire will short to it in the wind and
snow.
For quick and easy portability, Gallagher Pigtail Treadins
(#64213) are ideal. Use an extra Screw–On Rod Insulator
(#65514) for the second wire or use Steel Multiwire
Treadins ( #64253). An alternative post system that is
fairly easy to drive into the ground consists of 1/2" or
5/8" re–bar metal posts, 4 to 5 feet long, with good
quality Screw–On Rod Insulators (#65514). When
moving steel posts it's usually much easier to drive them
in the centre of a new swath where the ground has been
insulated by the swath. The exposed ground between the
swaths will be the first to freeze and more difficult to
drive the posts into.
Highly conductive Turbo Horse Rope ( #62257 ),
EquiBraid (#62174) or Orange Turbo Wire (#62066)
Lastly, consider getting a SmartFix Fault Finder (#50900)
or a Digital Volt Meter( #50301) for sorting out problems
quickly and accurately – it can be considered ‘first aid’ for
an electric fence.
Pigtail Treadin
with Screw–On
Rod Insulators
with
For years, electric fencing has been used to control winter
livestock feeding, greatly reducing feeding time, tractor
use and feed waste. Success with this type of fence
requires good construction, proper equipment and a basic
understanding of how the fence works.
It is often noted in winter that livestock don’t have the
same respect for the electric fence that held them back all
summer. Frost turns normally conductive soil into a very
poor conductor of the electric current returning through
the soil to the energizer’s ground rods. The frozen soil
creates a poor circuit and little or no shock is felt by
livestock touching hot wires.
Ground Retur
n System
Return
To solve this problem, Gallagher recommends the use of a
ground return system. Connect one of the non–hot fence
wires to the Ground Stakes (Ground Stake Kit #87901).
Position the non–hot wire on the fence so the livestock
touch both a hot wire and a non–hot wire at the same
time. These wires should be placed a maximum of 12
inches apart. A complete circuit is made when the animal
touches both wires and the maximum shock is felt,
regardless of soil conductivity conditions.
Ground Stake
(6 ft galvanized)
connected to old
barbed wires or
woven wires
Swath
Hot
Highly conductive
Orange Turbo Wire,
EquiBraid or Turbo Horse
Rope
CONTROLLING WINTER CATTLE FEEDING
Electron flow in ground return wire
fence in dry or frozen conditions.
+
+
Grounded
Wire
Hot
High Tensile
Wire
Offset insulators on
existing barbed wire
or woven wire fence
(50 ft spacing)
Power Fencing Systems • 1-800-265-3150
Electron flow in all live system in
damp conditions.
Power Fencing
The Ground Stakes used in the ground return system can
be the same ones used by the energizer or separate ones
can be installed on the fence line. Install the Ground
Stakes before the soil gets too frozen.
Energizer Grounding
In order to get the full shock out of an energizer, it is
important to have an adequate number of galvanized
ground rods. Six foot long galvanized Ground Stakes
reach mineral soil below the frost line and will not rust.
Use at least one Ground Stake for every 2 joules of stored
energy. A Gallagher M800, with about 8 joules of stored
energy, needs at least 4 ground stakes. Space them 10 to
12 feet apart, clamped and wired together. Avoid non–
galvanized metal components to eliminate electrolysis
corrosion.
Choosing an Energizer
Large output energizers such as the MBX2500,
MBX1500, MR2500, M1800, M800, B1600, B1200
and B600 are very effective in winter fencing. They have
extra ‘kick’ (over 5 joules of energy) in their hot wire and
are ideal for controlling feeding of hay or silage. A shock
from one of these energizers is memorable enough that
livestock seldom test the fence. A ground return wire may
be needed in severe frost conditions or when livestock are
standing in deep snow.
The power or ‘kick’ of the electrical pulse the animal feels
depends on:
• the capabilities of the energizer: the higher the joule
rating, the greater the shock, assuming that the
energizer and fence are correctly installed.
• the ability of the full pulse to complete the circuit: the
average pulse lasts only 0.0003 of a second, so for high
energy to be transmitted in this short time, the whole
system must be well constructed and maintained.
Low power, little
into memory box
Power Fencing Systems • 1-800-265-3150
High power, plenty
into memory box
6JWFEED – 11/04
Hot Wire Round Bale Feeding
Hot wire round bale feeding is the most common hot
wire winter feeder, and is easy to set up and maintain.
Bales are placed in straight rows between 2 parallel electric
fences. The fences are made of 1 or 2 high conductive
wires on post insulators. The bales should be on their
sides with round sides touching, and the flat side of the
bales forming a continuous feeding surface facing the
animals.Orange Fibreglass Rods (#81830), 3/8" x 5 ft,
with Screw–On Rod Insulators (#65514) are pushed into
the bales every 30 feet across the feed face. A hot
Gallagher Orange Turbo Wire (#62066), Gallagher
EquiBraid (#62174), or Gallagher Turbo Horse Rope
(#62257) is suspended by these rods. The wire is powered
from the parallel electric fence using Insulated Gate
Handles (#63930 or #68910) at each end.
Overhead view of typical hot wire bale feeding yard.
Livestock feed either over or under the hot wire until they
can’t comfortably reach any more hay. The rods holding
the hot wire are pushed further into the bales daily to
allow feeding to continue. The feed wire should be set low
enough to encourage livestock to eat the upper part of the
Orange Turbo Wire or
Turbo Horse Rope
(do not use
regular Polywire)
bale face first. If the lower hay face is eaten first, the bales
could topple forward, dropping the wire to the ground,
and allowing the cattle to overeat and/or trample the hay.
In general:
• Feeding chores involve pushing the rods further into
the bales and picking up and resetting any that have
been pulled out. There is very little feed waste if the
cattle are forced to eat hay lying under the hot wire,
before the wire is set closer to the feed face.
• Cold weather tractor feeding is practically eliminated.
• Good and poor quality hay can be mixed in rows, or
entire rows can be made up of different hay quality,
greenfeed, etc. When setting bales out to build the
feeder, avoid placing spoiled bale bottoms towards the
feed face, or the cattle will eat around those bales.
• Separate feeding areas can be set up for bulls, heifers,
etc. or both ends of a bale group can be used for
feeding at the same time.
• There are fewer leg problems if plastic baler twine is
removed from bales when they are set in place in the
feed yard. Sisal twine is sometimes left on bales.
• Allowing 1-1/2 to 2 feet per cow of offered feed face
width greatly reduces competition and wire damage in
front of bales.
• Set out enough hay for the coldest part of the feeding
season (e.g. mid–Nov. to mid–March). Alternate
feeding areas may be needed during thawing weather
in early spring, as the ground in front of the feed wire
may get too soft. Bale feeders or hay rolled out on the
pasture are possible alternatives.
• Install a ground return wire on the feed yard fence
before cold weather arrives, so that a second, grounded
feed wire can be used with the hot wire if necessary.
• For the best shock use high conductive wire such as
Gallagher Orange Turbo Wire (#62066), Gallagher
EquiBraid (#62174), or Turbo Horse Rope (#62257 )
for the feed wires.
• In very cold weather move the feed wire closer to hay
twice daily to allow more intake.
Hot Wire Silage Feeding
+
Insulated
Gate
Handle
Hot
3/8" (10 mm) Orange
Fibreglass Rod, 5 ft long with
Screw–On Rod Insulator
Feeding system if cattle will respect single hot strand
Silage can also be fed out using the same techniques. If a
bunker silo is used, often support rods are not needed
because the face distance is short enough for the wire to
span right across. At least 6 inches of silage must be eaten
each day to eliminate spoilage. Because of the height of
the silage in a bunker silo, undercutting is a concern. It is
often necessary to use equipment to break down the top
of the face to allow cattle access to the silage.
Power Fencing Systems • 1-800-265-3150
Hot Wire
Hot Wire
Grounded Wire
Grounded Wire
Feeding system if cattle need Ground Return System to respect fence
Eat back top face first
Hot Wire Round Bale Feeding - Star
ting Out
Starting
Day 1 – To introduce cattle to the hot wire feeder, first
remove all other feed sources. Set the feed wire a
maximum of 1 foot off the ground and almost touching
the feed face. By the end of the day, all animals should
have investigated the bales and eaten some hay.
Wire set low
Day 2 – Pull the rods out of the bales and move the feed
wire up to about 1/3 of the bale height from the ground.
It should be out about 1 foot from the feed face. Ensure
that there is good power on the feed wire. The cattle
should eat above the feed wire until the top 1/2 of the
bale face is eaten. Move the wire up so the cattle then eat
below it. If the bottom part of the bale is eaten first, the
bale will tip forward. This method will give a fairly even
top to bottom eating pattern and let the cattle get used to
how far they can reach over the wire. It will also help to
determine how far out the feed wire should be from the
bales for one day’s feeding.
Longer 5 ft fibreglass rod reaches next row of bales
Move wire up to eat bottom
Day 3 and on – There is likely one wire height that will
allow even feeding of the bale face. Try setting the wire at
a little under 1/2 the bale height and adjust the height as
necessary.
Note: Any untrampled hay lying under the feed wire should
be cleaned up by the cattle before the feed wire is set closer to
the bale face. The livestock will soon eat it up if they are
hungry and can’t reach any new hay. This will save feed since
this hay is usually lost.
Two different groups can be fed from one bale pile
Power Fencing Systems • 1-800-265-3150