Fencing a large property boundry

[WKR]

Its that time that I need to put up a fence around the 20 acres.

I'd like to hear from some guys that have done it and what materials and tools did you use.

I need to keep wild horses and coyotes out, and the dogs and tame horses in.

Also not sure if I need to do a horse fence the whole way or just a wire fence and horse fence the acres I plan on having animals.

 

[Skerhunter]

Square wire for the part you want to keep the dogs in (few acres around house).

Lots of options for horses. Pipe is the best but $$$. For horses you can get away with a fairly weak fence with smooth wire (wood or pipe corners with the rest T posts) with one hot wire to keep them off of it (cheap). Cattle will walk through it, but horses respect it.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Steel or wood posts, horse wite or hog wire on the bottom. Barbwire on to- tractor with bucket with steel posts, auger or pounder with wood posts. Teen agers to mid twenties with time on their hand . Or .... a contractor.

 

[Billy Goat]

Well, you probably need woven with electric to actually work. K9's will dig/climb if they really want in or out.

I'm a fence contractor, but am probably unfamiliar with practices and costs in your area.

 

[huntsman22]

20 acres is now a 'large' property?

 

[MallardSX2]

Brace yourself. This is going to be expensive.

 

[WKR]

20 acres is now a 'large' property?

Well with the average lot size in the US being less than 0.4 of an acre i would think so.

But if you think its small, do you want to come drive some fence posts with me?

 

[WKR]

Brace yourself. This is going to be expensive.

Yeah...I know it. But fence and shop are priorities.

 

[yfarm]

Ranch I hunt on just put up a woven wire(hog wire) fence along a highway, calves were getting out through the existing barb wire. Paid a contractor $6/ft for a mile of fence

 

[MTPipeliner]

Mine wasn’t nearly as large as yours, I had dogs to keep in, and keeping my neighbors menagerie of goats, pigs, horses, etc out. Their horses were nearly starving so they were trying to eat my trees so I did a 6” no climb horse fence with hot wire on top.

Used 6” treated wood for corners and t posts for the line posts.

Obviously it’s easier if you can get pneumatic post pounder and an auger, but it can all be done by hand if you’ve got the time and ambition. The suggestion to get some young men to help is a good one.

 

[Wellsdw]

I used red brand sheep a goat fence, wood post/ t-post where i wasn’t over concerned on looks. No issues keeping dogs or alpacas in

 

[Mighty Mouse]

The casual horse folks that I know around here (Ozarks) use 5 strand barbed wire fencing. That obviously won't hold a dog though. Collar-based containment (wired or wireless) might be your best bet if you want to let your pups roam the full 20 acres.

I've built a lot of 4-5 strand barbed wire fence (for cattle) over the years. There are lots of ways to skin that cat. High tensile wire is quite a bit cheaper than 12.5 gauge, but the skinny stuff is harder to work with and doesn't stretch as much before it breaks. I prefer to build my corners out of pounded-in oilfield tubing, but that requires some pretty hefty machinery and a welder. Renting a gas-powered driver (or maybe even buying one outright) is worth every penny for setting t-posts.

 

[huntsman22]

Well with the average lot size in the US being less than 0.4 of an acre i would think so.

But if you think its small, do you want to come drive some fence posts with me?

Sorry, I won't have time to help you. I have over 3 miles of 5 strand barbwire to remove/replace this spring my own self.

 

[robtattoo]

I did my 16 acres specifically to keep horses in. I'm surrounded by woodland though so there's always a visual barrier.
I went with 5 strands of high tensile round wire, to 5' height. 5" wooden corner posts & braces, 4" posts every 5th line post & T-posts between them at 12' spacing. That was a shit load of fun to do, by hand, in Tennessee, in August.....

Without the visual barrier of trees, I'd run a hot top line about 8" above those 5. Barbed wire is, to my mind, a massive no-no for horses. They'll tear themselves up very quickly.

One thing I would recommend is to put some 4"x4" hanging flags on every line, 2 per span. Even if it's only for the first month or so. It just makes the fence easier for your horses to see until they're used to their new perimeter. Best thing to keep coyotes out is a miniature donkey. I've found 2 in the last 5 years that'd been stomped into a wet mess.

 

[rayporter]

if doing it yourself, do your self a favor and get a post driver. spring thaw is the time to drive posts. i drove posts for seven acres in a week end. high tensile is easy to electrify and keep stock in, except for the dogs and yotes.

 

[LostArra]

. Best thing to keep coyotes out is a miniature donkey. I've found 2 in the last 5 years that'd been stomped into a wet mess.

Can donkeys be trained to not stomp the family dog? Or is the dog trained to avoid the family donkey?

 

[robtattoo]

Can donkeys be trained to not stomp the family dog? Or is the dog trained to avoid the family donkey?

I taught my dogs to stay out of the pastures. About 4 weeks with a shock collar set to vibrate did the trick.
The only time i struggle to keep them out is immediately after the farrier has been! 5 horses & a donkeys worth of trimmings is pretty irresistible!

 

[Billy Goat]

Can donkeys be trained to not stomp the family dog? Or is the dog trained to avoid the family donkey?

I never got llamas or donkeys to work.

However, I imagine my place is only big enough for one jackass.

 

[MallardSX2]

I looked at fencing in 10 acres at my place. 5 strand barbed wire. It was going to cost me minimum of ~$7,000 and that was doing the work myself.

Also, that was 4 years ago. Today I bet it would cost at least $10,000.

 

[Billy Goat]

I looked at fencing in 10 acres at my place. 5 strand barbed wire. It was going to cost me minimum of ~$7,000 and that was doing the work myself.

Also, that was 4 years ago. Today I bet it would cost at least $10,000.

My wire prices haven't changed a bunch.

It took a good while for post prices to go up, when lumber was going crazy, but they finally got up there. And have mostly stayed.