Fencing question

[Barnbuilder]

Have a friend that wants me to put up some fence for a pregnant cow he purchased for is daughter. I've put up fence for horses for a long time but not a cow. I was going to use the 2"x4" woven no climb wire like the rest of the fence I built for him. 5" round posts to support it. I've seen people spread the posts out before like 15'-20' on center. The person I spoke to at the supply house said no more than 12'. You guys have any suggestions or experience?

For the horse fence I put 4"x4"s on 7' centers and a 2"x6" on top to prevent the horses from riding the wire down.

 

[Streetcar]

For cattle I go 10' on center and ran a strand of barb wire6" higher than the woven fence

 

[Clint S]

We use electrified and 10 to 15 between. They only have to touch it once or twice.

 

[Barnbuilder]

Yea he doesn't want to use hot wire. He has a couple goats and sheep also.

 

[DJ54]

Like Streetcar, we went 10', and a strand of barb on top for cattle. If he has goats, he'll want a strand of electric about mid-shoulder high to the goats. When they shed, they will lean on the fence, and start walking. Not sure how high off the ground you plan on putting it, but once again with goats, if they can get their head under it, they will get down on their knee's, and reach for grass on the other side, and eventually bow/stretch the bottom out. The plus side of not having a low strand to prevent this, is the only place you need to trim, is in front of the post on the outside of the fence, where they can't reach.

 

[ustmd]

For woven wire, I did wood posts every 100 ft (or change in elevation) with t posts every 8-10 ft

 

[Barnbuilder]

I put the woven down on the ground so nothing can get under it. I don't think he realized how expensive his present was going to be. Not sure I'll get started tomorrow. It rained most of last night and half of today. Thanks for your help. Need a post driver.

 

[joeu235]

t-post every 12 feet, wood post every 10 t-posts, barbed wire along the bottom and an inch off the top.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Goats will tear themselves up on barbed wire, they never stop testing fences. A strand of electric is good to keep them from climbing on the woven wire. Otherwise they'll wear it out. If you really don't to use electric you need to use either no-climb horse fence or cattle panels if you want it to last with goats.

 

[oosik]

I have 1 1/2 miles of five strand barbed wire fencing around my property. I set 133 heavy duty T-posts on 13 foot centers. Has been up and operational - with minimum repairs - for 34 years. The only "wooden" posts I've used are those treated gooey real railroad ties.

 

[joeu235]

The wood posts are required in our area because of the soil type. In the middle of the summer the black land clay will develop such large cracks that that some t-posts can be pulled out of the ground with one hand