|
NW IL | Dairy calves, calves in general for that matter, can be little buggers when it comes to electric fence! I have found that the fencer can only do so much though. A few years ago I was having a grand ole time with animals getting out of my fences on the regular, so I did a little research on electric fence systems. It turns out you need to install one ground rod for every joule of output that the fencer is rated for. The fencer I was using is rated for 100 miles and 6 joules. However when it was installed the ground was tied to an old water line, that should work great right? Not really! So I decided to use the manufacture's recommendation and install a real grounding system. Sunk 6 brand new 8 ft copper rods in the ground. Spaced so none of them were closer that 10 ft together and then strung insulated underground fence wire to tie them all together. Connected the grounding circuit to the fencer and hoped for the best. I was amazed at the difference it made! My fence tester would show nearly 9 thousand volts throughout the paddocks and if I had a short, it was easy to spot because it would draw 20+ amps. Yes animals still got out on occasion, but for other reasons than the fence not being hot enough. Take a look at how your fencer is grounded. I would be willing to bet this is a large factor in the performance of your electric fences. | |
|
Fast acting fence charger?
