Barbed wire

[Alice]

if you kept cattle you wouldn't be wanting to ban it!

Naj

Electric fence does the job for all the cattle I've met, the mains one anyway, coos aren't as stupid as they look! (at least dairy cattle anyway, can't speak for beef animals...)

[Alice]

and I agree on the 'damage to clothes' part too...many's the time I've thought, on the way home from work, 'I'll just nip the dog out here', climbed over, got stuck and hey presto, more of my supposedly decent trousers are now sans crotch!

[Springfield Pointers]

if you kept cattle you wouldn't be wanting to ban it!

Naj

Electric fence does the job for all the cattle I've met, the mains one anyway, coos aren't as stupid as they look! (at least dairy cattle anyway, can't speak for beef animals...)

Electric fencing is cost inhibitive unless you have very deep pockets. It is also tougher on dogs and people.

[Naj]

You beat me too it, SP. My nightmare scenario is coming across an electric fence - give me barbed wire every time.

[Springfield Pointers]

You beat me too it, SP. My nightmare scenario is coming across an electric fence - give me barbed wire every time.

Indeed. And to add to that, if you've seen a dog get hit by an electric fence, it takes years to get them to go over/through a fence again. Some never go near them again.

[Nickheref]

I tried to post something earlier that seems to be lost in the ether but just to say that like Naj and SP I hate mains electric fences far more than barbed wire. Particularly single strand ones low down in hedge bottoms, half hidden. I have had very hard going dogs stopped in their tracks by them and it can take some time to get them going again,sometimes far longer than recovering from a cut.

[Andrew]

if you kept cattle you wouldn't be wanting to ban it!

Naj

Electric fence does the job for all the cattle I've met, the mains one anyway, coos aren't as stupid as they look! (at least dairy cattle anyway, can't speak for beef animals...)

Not much fun when you pee on one in the dark , electric fence that is.

[kent]

In truth it aint all its cracked up to be in holding in cattle, when these things get it in their head they want to be on the other side only the very best newly laid one will stop a cow, in a panic even that fails.
The problem is some farmers cant see anything but the way they have always done something better fences do exist. My company does traditional steel post and rail estate / parkland fences this is way better at holding stock, better looking and longer lasting, about the lowest whole of life cost and safe. Chances on your average farmer spending on it? not great! Grants can be had for wire you see, It degrades and you get another grant

[Springfield Pointers]

In truth it aint all its cracked up to be in holding in cattle, when these things get it in their head they want to be on the other side only the very best newly laid one will stop a cow, in a panic even that fails.
The problem is some farmers cant see anything but the way they have always done something better fences do exist. My company does traditional steel post and rail estate / parkland fences this is way better at holding stock, better looking and longer lasting, about the lowest whole of life cost and safe. Chances on your average farmer spending on it? not great! Grants can be had for wire you see, It degrades and you get another grant

if you've got a large piece of ground, the camps can be rather large. Cost becomes an issue.

[eastie]

Not knowing cattle, I wonder why farmers don't make ditches instead of fences?