Well, the Fence Works

Fence maintenance is a time consuming, but necessary chore on the farm. We have several fields fenced off for our cattle to graze in. One is right behind the barn and has woven wire with electric fence inside. It has woven wire because it is the first place we put weaned calves to get used to fences in the place. It turned out barbed wire wasn't much of a deterrent to cows that have never been in a fence and many times we had to put it back together. Thus, we re-fenced it with the woven wire. Next, is a little larger area (a couple acres) outside of the first one that is barbed wire and electric. Once they are used to that and have begun eating the grass faster than it can grow back, we give them the larger field - the other areas are inside the big one. Every year the deer have a habit of running through the wire and either knocking it down or breaking it altogether. This fence has to be repaired often- like daily. We keep the cows up next to the barn starting in the fall because it's hunting season and we don't want people shooting at the cows. We also have a hard time getting around the field in the deep snow.

The circumference of  this outer field is about a mile. We finally got the cows used to the middle field and it was time to fix to the outer fence. Last year we had taken down some of the posts for the combine to have access to our soybean field so I spent a day putting up posts and replacing plastic insulators. FYI-Insulators go on the posts to hold the wire and they are plastic so they don't conduct electricity between the wire and the posts and the wire will maintain its ability to shock the heck out of the cows (or anything else) that touches it. The next step is to put the wire back on the insulators or in most cases, splice it back together where the deer broke it and then put it back. We also have to tie orange tape (non-stick kind) on the wires so the cows know it's there before they get shocked. (Fair warning and all that.) My husband did the other half mile of the fence the next day as I was tied up with other chores, and we turned the critters out for a test run. The cows of course began immediately exploring so we heard a lot of bawling as they discovered the fence in spite of the warning tape.

Now everyday someone has to walk the perimeter of the fence to make sure no insulators have come loose or are broken which happens on occasion, especially if a deer decides to crash land on it or a cow doesn't heed the shock. And we have to check to see that the wire is not grounded, which causes it to not shock, or broken, also causes it not to shock, or some weed didn't sprout to immense proportions overnight and take on tree-like status which also shorts it out. I did go around the fence with the tractor and big spray tank and spray weed killer under the wire, but sometimes it just doesn't kill it.

Today, I walked the fence and judging by the black hair on the barbed wire, a cow did not heed the shock and it broke an insulator which also set free the wire which tangled with the next one down. Shucks. It was like passing a law to get it untangled and if I had not decided it was just too far back to the barn (and through ankle deep mud -we'll call it that- yeah, since it has rained so much lately) to unplug the charger it would go much faster. I carefully separated the two pieces using the fence tester (a heavily insulated piece of wire-the wire exposed on each end that one puts one end on the wire and one on a steel post to see if it zaps), and a pair of fencing pliers with plastic coated handles. It must have had a few cracks in the coating on the handle because I got some mild shocks - nothing too bad. Then I put a new insulator on and commenced to putting the wire on it. Now the way one threads an insulator of that type is that it has to go under one hook and over another one like a set of fingers holding it in place. That wire was stubborn, but rather than putting in on the insulator and then onto the fence post, because the wire was hot and I thought it would go easier without the wire on it (it did). All the tools slipped and I ended up with a firm hold on a non-coated part of the pliers. The tools went flying one way, I went another and I know a really bad word slipped out. I got up and shook my head, almost afraid to reach for the tools on the other side of the fence, but I got them. Of course my legs felt like jell-o all the way back to the barn and I'm not sure my heart will ever forgive me. But you know what? It's really hard to check for shorts in the fence if it's not plugged in. It was about a half mile back to the barn where the charger is, and then another half back and then back again, because it does have to be turned back on in order to continue the check, but I think I'll just suck it up and get the extra exercise and wade through the 'mud'. Ouch!