Barbed wire

[Miesque]

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

Because putting them back in the correct field is easier than extracting the idiots from ditches.

[eastie]

Ha ha, thanks

[kent]

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

Because they will not stop them in fact ditches and rivers actually attract them to drink, wade about and pollute the water with dung and erode the banks ( ever heard of cattle drinks along rivers and streams? these are just erosion caused by these actions)

[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

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

Yes and most fences here are being done on grant, ie the taxpayers in the EU foot the bill. Whole of life cost is never considered though (wood posts rarely last as long as ten years). We don't have massive cattle ranches like seen in Australia and the USA etc. I should guess the average cow is never further than 1/2 mile from home in the UK

[rhosyn]

The unfortunate thing about cattle is that they view pretty much any fence as a rather amusing challenge and escaping as a fun way to spend an afternoon. Even with an electric fence they soon learn that if they can't hear the 'tick tick' of the fencer they won't get a zap off it! We also have some budding Puissance cattle here, bloody things!

[rhosyn]

I should guess the average cow is never further than 1/2 mile from home in the UK

I'm not so sure about that, ours rather enjoy travelling when the opportunity arises LOL

[Naj]

I've seen young stock run through 6 strand barbed wire fences as if it wasn't there, & jump it, too, but that's generally only when they are fresh out of the sheds & flighty. I've also seen them jump metal farm gates & hurdles, so I wonder how a more solid fence would stand up to that. And on the farm where I live we have wooden stabs that are over 20 years old, & ours is wet ground. Where I live, the challenge to a more solid post & rail type fence wouldn't come from the cattle, but the ruddy wind! Most of our wire stock fences eventually end up leaning at an angle away from the prevailing wind direction, as do the hydro poles.

Naj

[kent]

I've seen young stock run through 6 strand barbed wire fences as if it wasn't there, & jump it, too, but that's generally only when they are fresh out of the sheds & flighty. I've also seen them jump metal farm gates & hurdles, so I wonder how a more solid fence would stand up to that. And on the farm where I live we have wooden stabs that are over 20 years old, & ours is wet ground. Where I live, the challenge to a more solid post & rail type fence wouldn't come from the cattle, but the ruddy wind! Most of our wire stock fences eventually end up leaning at an angle away from the prevailing wind direction, as do the hydro poles.

Naj

2omm solid m/s top bar and 16mm on a further 5 lower down, all fully welded to 1 1/2" x 1/2" edge on at 1 yard intervals, set into ground 2ft deep with welded underground cross braces (postcrete as required). Bring the wind on I say

Seriously I have seen gates that look like they were hit by a big tractor, the backed over a few times and it was just a cow in a tiz. My neighbour last year took out one fence at the back of my property to integrate two fields for a stewardship grant and left one in at the front. Within a fortnight we had animals wondering how some of their mates were on the other side (yep they walked round) and you have perhaps guessed it - they just pushed clean through a perfectly good barbed wire fence

[rhosyn]

Thick aren't they!!

[kent]

Thick aren't they!!

It seems they can only hold one thing in their head at a time and that takes over everything