Our property had some fencing for horses that the previous owners had put up and enclosed about 2 acres. We decided to devide this area into 2 pastures allowing us to rotate the horses as the grass grew. This was a good start. We added a third acre parcel later as well as another half acre temporary field. This is still an ongoing issue.
Types of fencing
We used wood fencing with electric rope, chest high to prevent the horses from chewing or pushing against the wood. The electric fence was solar powered.
There was also a small lot enclosed in front of the barn but it got too muddy for the horses so it became our pig pasture. Therefore adding field fencing on the inside and a line of electric rope at 6 inches up from the ground, keeping the little pigs enclosed.
Our gates are all 10 to 16 feet wide metal attached on our largest wooden posts. Therefore allowing it to support the weight.
The fencing around our chicken, turkey and geese areas are made with hardware cloth along the bottom 4 feet with overlapping 1 inch chicken wire up to 5 feet high.
Maintenance
Fencing will always be an ongoing maintenance job. Painting, replacing boards and electrical hardware as well as solar batteries. Walking your fence line on a regular basis is always a good idea, checking for any repairs that are needed.
We fenced our garden area therefore we were able to keep out rabbits and our dogs from trampling the beds.
Why not free range?
We tried free-ranging our chickens at first but they ended up on our neighbour’s deck! Luckily our neighbours were friendly and thought it was cute. Again fencing makes for good neighbours.
All our fencing took time to go up and didn’t all go in at once. Just keep in mind where you would put your fencing as you plan out your property.
What fencing are you thinking of putting up on your country property?