GATE KEEPERS

Livestock fencing keeps your animals in and predators out.

- BILL GRAVES

I’m not sure if critters get a bit bored with the same old pasture, but they can plainly see that what’s on the other side hasn’t been chomped and is therefore taller and smells fresher. The problem is animals can get in trouble when they break their confinement. Sadly, we all want what we don’t have, even if we have plenty and are safe right where we are.

That phrase “The grass is always greener on the other side” has been around for more than a century. It was probably born because some farmer noticed that his or her livestock would continually reach over the fence to nibble the greens on the other side. It didn’t take much time to relate the phrase even to human behavior. Anyway, it should serve to illustrate the importance of fencing.

INS & OUTS

Fencing is required to satisfy two important potential problems: how to enclose your livestock or poultry and how to keep predators and/or other humans out. To ensure success, you must consider several factors, the first being the species of livestock.

ANIMAL CONSIDERATIONS: Each species of livestock has specific behavioral tendencies that dictate which type of fencing is going to be the most ideal. For instance, chickens can fly over low fences and all poultry may need protection from aerial attack. Swine tend to rout under fencing if it isn’t partially buried beneath the surface by at least a few inches of topsoil. Horses may tend to chew on wood fences destroying the top run of a board fence. Give some thought concerning species you have or may have in the future.