"Gallagher Poly Wire and step in posts are working great keeping the heifers away from the Bulls. Thanks Valley Farm Supply"
Thanks for the photo TNA Ranch!
July 27, 2017
" Over time, cattle with unrestricted access will destroy a pond."
July 11, 2017
Shoes on an electric fence | The NZ shoe fence
The Shoe fence in New Zealand!
June 24, 2017
Weed control for electric fences
Its now the start of summer. Time to check your electric fences for weed growth. With the rainfall we have had recently, you may want to consider checking your fences and putting a plan together to control overgrown weeds.
Weeds are simply known as "a plant out of place". Weeds can be a major problem on electric fence that are left un-checked. Weeds and other plants can short the current put out by a fence charger, causing it to over work and having lower than needed current on the fence line.
Todays modern low impedance fence energizers produce more amps to compensate for power losses from shorts in the fence caused by weeds. This means they draw more power from the outlet or battery they are connected too. If you have a solar or battery powered fencer, the battery will go dead quicker as the power consumed is greater than the power replaced. This will lead to your fence not working.
There are a several ways to check your fence and control the power robbing weeds. First, walk you fence line an visually check the fence line. We also like the Gallagher fault finder tool available from Valley Farm Supply. Use it to easily find issues.
If your see a lot of weeds, then more than likely they can be an issue. You can control them chemically or manually. To spray a herbicide, disconnect your energizer, so you don't get. shocked as you spray. Products like Roundup herbicide are safe, non selective herbicides that will kill most species of plants. I recommend 2 oz per gallon of the 41%ai product, or more for lower strength formulations. Read the label the make sure you use it correctly. Other products like Pramitol will keep weeds from sprouting for several years. Make sure you are comfortable using any herbicide first and be aware of grazing restrictions, re-entry periods, streams or run off issues.
Another great way is to control weeds using a string trimmer. It can be much harder, but is the fastest way to correct the problem of over grown plants shorting out your electric fences. Hire a young person to help if you can't get to it yourself. Most string trimmers or weed walkers are cheap and will last you many years.
We hope this helps you think more about maintaining your electric fence. Weed control can improve the power output of your fence charger. This means that your electric fence will do what your needed it for.
June 24, 2017
Finding faults with your spouse | Gallagher Fault Finder
Whereas I understand why the Gallagher fence tester and fault finder finds no faults when I use it on my wife; but why does it say her fences are down when they are not?
Here is a great post from our Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/GallagherElectricFence/posts/1773121052704342
Here is a set up of an electric fence system around a pond to keep cattle out. Livestock electric fence can be set up to control animals and keep them out of environmentally sensitive areas. This helps to protect our water supply and keep our streams, rivers and bays free of pollution and waste.
Here we see a Gallagher S10 solar electric fencer working to keep the fish population healthy and growing at this farm.
Order you electric fence energizers, energisers, or fence chargers from us, www.valley farm supply.com
June 12, 2017
Running 2 Electric Fence Chargers? What happens
Here is a great question for www.fencerfixer.com
Hello!
I'm a professional fence contractor and recently installed a five strand hi tensile fence with top and bottom wires electrifed. We bought 2 of your Gallagher solar S22 electric fence chargers and hooked one to top wire and one to bottom. These wires never touch, cross, or jump each other anywhere. When I turn on one fence I have about 3.0 kv on the end of the fence, when I turn the other one on but other one off that one reads about same. However when I turn both chargers on either one of the lines go dead. Sometimes top wire is dead or bottom wire goes dead. So I unhooked on charger and jumped the two lines and had one charger power both lines and I got s constant 1.9kv on both. Why would this be and shouldn't I have a higher reading than that on a brand new fence?
The fence is made up of a perimeter of 5000' and there is a 4 paddocks going towards middle. I hooked up all paddock lines up to perimeter fence and each one just comes to and end in the middle. I'm wondering if my ground sets are too close. I have a set of 3 for each charger and chargers are about 50' apart.
Thank you!
Does anyone know the answer?
As both a cattleman and manager of one of the country’s largest fish farms, Matt Flynt is responsible for hundreds of cattle, millions of fish, thousands of acres of water, and miles of levees in central Arkansas. His livelihood relies on water quality. So when it comes time to let the cows drink, he can’t afford to muddy the waters.
"I'm in the business to raise fish, so I'm definitely not going to do anything with the cattle to jeopardize the water," says the owner of Fly'n"T" Cattle Co. and manager of Pool Fisheries in Lonoke, Ark. "My situation is unique, but in general, I think it's a really good idea to fence off the ponds and restrict livestock access."
Although it may be a common occurrence on farms across the country, allowing cattle to loaf in the pond while getting a drink is neither good for the cows nor the body of water. Prolonged, unlimited access can not only destroy fish habitat but also reduce pond volume and negatively impact animal performance.
"From an animal health and environmental perspective, it's not an ideal situation," says Dirk Philipp, associate professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas. "If livestock are allowed to stand around in the water, they will urinate and defecate there. Whatever comes out the back end is right back in front of them to take up again."
Philipp says cattle drinking tainted water can ingest both parasites and pathogens that can lead to disease. Foremost among the related ailments is leptospirosis, an infectious bacterial disease.
"Fever, malnourishment, anorexia and possible calf abortion are all possible symptoms from drinking bacteria-contaminated water," he says. "Parasitic trematodes, or liver flukes, can also cause liver damage and lower fertility."
Although it may be a common occurrence on farms across the country, allowing cattle to loaf in the pond while getting a drink is neither good for the cows nor the body of water. Prolonged, unlimited access can not only destroy fish habitat but also reduce pond volume and negatively impact animal performance."From an animal health and environmental perspective, it's not an ideal situation," says Dirk Philipp, associate professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas. "If livestock are allowed to stand around in the water, they will urinate and defecate there. Whatever comes out the back end is right back in front of them to take up again."
Philipp says cattle drinking tainted water can ingest both parasites and pathogens that can lead to disease. Foremost among the related ailments is leptospirosis, an infectious bacterial disease.
"Fever, malnourishment, anorexia and possible calf abortion are all possible symptoms from drinking bacteria-contaminated water," he says. "Parasitic trematodes, or liver flukes, can also cause liver damage and lower fertility."
Coccidiosis, caused by a protozoan parasite, may cause acute diarrhea, weight loss and even death. Philipp says this disease alone is estimated to cost the U.S. cattle industry $100 million annually.
But troubles don't end with issues of tainted water. Standing in a pond for extended lengths of time can soften a cow's hooves, which can lead to injury or disease. Foot rot is a common problem of lingering livestock. "Softened hooves are easily damaged, leading to cracks and crevices that can serve as an entry point for pathogens such as fusobacteria," Philipp adds.
Losses only begin with decreased herd performance. Over time, cattle with unrestricted access will destroy the pond.
"Most of the time, you have way more cows than you have acres of water," says Flynt, past president of the Arkansas Forage and Grassland Council. "What you typically see is a lot of erosion around the pond bank and a lot of mudding up along the shoreline. That's going to cause water-quality issues and cause it to silt in. It will get more and more shallow, reducing the life of the pond."
The best way to protect both the livestock and the pond is to limit the herd's access to the water altogether. An electric fence — constructed at least 12 feet away from the shoreline to provide adequate space for vehicle access or recreational activities — is a cost-effective solution. Fencing off a pond entirely and drawing water to a stock tank, tire tank or freeze-proof tank will eliminate damage to shorelines and dams by hooves and overgrazing. It also will prevent excrement from entering the pond, improving the quality of the water and potentially resulting in greater livestock gains.
Depending on the pond's size and location on the landscape, complete exclusion may require more investment in pumps, piping and other infrastructure. Philipp says cost-share funds may be available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the local soil and water conservation district to help offset these expenses.
An alternative to complete exclusion is to construct a limited access floating fence with a heavy-use area designated for watering cattle. While a number of designs exist for floating fences, Philipp recommends using lengths of 2-inch-diameter PVC pipe topped with 12.5-gauge high-tensile electric fence wire or polywire.
"The width of the fence varies with the size of the herd," he explains. "For a small herd, you want at least 20 feet of access; double that width to 40 feet for herds up to 200 cows."
The distance the access area extends into the pond will depend on the slope of the bank. "A slope of about 30 percent is ideal," Philipp says. "You want the access point to extend into the pond to a depth of at least 3 feet but no more than 5 feet."
Along with the floating fence, producers should construct a heavy-use area to handle increased livestock traffic at the access point. A 6-to-12-inch layer of rock covered with gravel and supported with a geotextile fabric will maintain a firm base.
"The cattle don't like to stand around in the gravel," Philipp says. "They'll walk in, get a drink and walk out."
Flynt agrees. "They don't like standing on those sharp rocks, that's for sure," he says. "I have one floating fence limited access point that I call the 'two-holer.' It's got a pipe down the middle so you can water two different paddocks from the same heavy use area."
Watering situations vary greatly across a farm, and Flynt employs a combination of solutions, including wells, gravity-fed tire tanks and limited access watering directly from ponds. "And I do have ponds that aren't fenced off, but they're in smaller paddocks that the cows aren't in year-round," he adds.
He says that producers who have allowed cattle in their ponds for years might question the need to fence cows out of the water now, assuming it's caused no issues.
"Well, they've probably had cows that got sick and died from something related to water quality, but they didn't know that was the cause," Flynt says. "I'm not going to say you need to fence off every pond. It takes time and money. But once you do get the cows out, most of the time, you'll see a cleaner pond."
The University of Arkansas offers a free publication on designing watering systems for cattle ponds. Download here.
June 06, 2017
Electric Fence Questions and Answers
Electric Fence Charger Question:
I have a M150 that I ordered end of April 2013 so it's now 4 years old. Have 40 acres of grass so that's about 1.5 miles of single strand fence with a cross fence also so no more than 2 miles of wire. Without fence connected, the unit shows about 5.1 kV. When I hook fence line up to it, goes down to about 3.4 kV and at the end of the wire it's 1.1 , so barely even a shock. We have sand, buy it just snowed and rained 2 inches. 4 galv ground rods in a straight line 10 feet apart apiece. Insulators are on top of wood posts. Is my fencer bad or do I have another issue. Been working on this for several weeks. Calves walk right through the cross fence.
Answer:
It sounds like a grounding issue or a short in the line... fencer should be above 60000 v unhooked. Check your fencer, The check out fence, then your grounding system.
call Gallagher 800-531-5908 for tech service if you can not correct it on your own. Also Valley Farm Supply is a great place to call to talk to someone if needed.
May 23, 2017
Electric Fence Charger | What you should know
A joule is derived unit of energy, heat or work. For your charger, think of it as the output. More joules = more shock.
You have probably seen the terms Output Joules and Stored Joules. Don't get these confused, and be aware of which is advertised on the charger. They are not the same thing! A charger may advertise 30 Joules, but only refer to the stored joules (A fence charger will always store more joules than it outputs). Stored Joules represent the amount of power stored inside your charger. This is ran through an output transformer, which converts the power to a higher voltage. Some of the power is lost during this conversion. Output Joules refer to the actual output of the charger - the power available to shock the animal.
Electric Fence Charger
Gallagher Electric Control Fence for Bigfoot, Yeti, and Sasquatch.
Complete Kit for only $789.99 and includes FREE USA SHIPPING!
THIS IS NO JOKE! IT'S SQUATCHY OUT THERE!
HELP PROTECT THE MAGNIFICENT CREATURE! THE NORTH AMERICA SASQUATCH IS ENDANGERED AND SHOULD STAY WILD. BUY OUR EXCLUSIVE BIGFOOT PROTECTOR FENCE TO HELP KEEP THIS SPECIES OF ANIMAL WILD, WHILE ALSO PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN, PETS AND FOOD SUPPLIES.
REMEMBER, A FED BIG FOOT, IS A DEAD BIGFOOT!
ACCORDING TO WHAT WE NOW KNOW ABOUT BIGFOOT, WE HAVE COME UP WITH THE BEST ELECTRIC FENCE SOLUTION TO KEEP THEM MIGRATING AND AWAY FROM HUMANS AND TROUBLE.
Features
- A Powerful B100 Solar Energizer ( Battery not included and sold separately. Purchase locally at big box store)
- A high voltage electric fence to control bigfoot.
- Uses a heavy duty, thick, and durable Equi-Braid electric fence rope.
- Can build an 5 strand BIGFOOT exclusion fence that measures up to 60 x 60.
- Includes Digital Voltmeter to check fence condition.
- Include Live Fence Indicator Lite, Great for seeing the fence work form a distance and a flash deterrent.
- Easy entry way gate to service hives
- Easy to install or move.
- Ideally suited for all predators.
- Great for large or small setups.
- Can purchase additional energizer, ground rod, gate handles, and clips to make an additional enclosure if not building a 60 x 60 yard.
- A highly-effective and long-lasting fence system.
- Approved by several BIGFOOT RESEARCH ASSOCIATIONS.
- Free Energizer shipping in USA!!! Free Gallagher Baseball Cap with every $500 Order!
Tips:
• Make sure the solar panel is facing south and not obstructed to receive the most sunlight
• Place energizer so it is protected from the animal
• Use a short piece of wire (about 30”) to connect the five horizontal wires vertically
• In really dry locations, the second and fourth wire can be ground return wires
- Kit will not harm Bigfoot! It will simply give them a shock so they run away and hide.
- Please do not shoot a Bigfoot
- If you come across a family or individual bigfoot, turn and slowly walk away and do not spook them.
- Document and Photo your encounter if possible and report to the correct authority
Materials included in kit
PRODUCT |
DESCRIPTION |
QTY |
| G392SK | B100 ENERGIZER SOLAR PACKAGE | 1 EA |
| G503014 | DIGITAL VOLT METER | 1 EA |
| A351A | GALVANIZED 3’ GROUND ROD | 1 EA |
| AFRP48 | FIBERGLASS POSTS - 1” X 48” | 10 EA |
| G70400 | FIBERGLASS POST CLIP | 100 PK |
| G639304 | INSULATED GATE HANDLE | 5 EA |
| G62176 | 1312' TURBO EQUI-BRAID (WHITE) | 1 EA |
| G51100 | LIVE FENCE INDICATOR LIGHT | 1 EA |
Works on other wildlife.
Don't be this guy! Bigfoot loves honey.
Complete Kit for only $789.99 and includes FREE USA SHIPPING!
Gallagher Electric Fence Manual Download
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