Bull Fencing

[lightnin4]

Just wondering what type of fencing everyone uses to separate bulls.  I'm going to have to do some fencing soon and I have a 6-7 acre pasture that I was thinking of dividing to house bulls in 2 runs.  I'll have 2 bulls for our cow herd plus we keep a few bulls to sell.  So this would be for bulls that have nothing to do but cause trouble. (lol)  What do you recommend or wish you had done?

 

[leanbeef]

Electric!

 

[ZNT]

Electric!

I agree.  A really hot fence works better than any steel fence.  If they can't touch it, then they can't tear it up.

 

[SIMMY BREEDER]

We built our bull runs with 6 strand hi tensile -- 3 on one side of the post 3 on the other  spaced like a normal 6 strand from  top to bottom  with a Gallagher M800 charger   this will save the line posts from getting snapped off, cause all big bulls will get bored and want to push against something.  we have not had any problems since we split the wires on both side of the posts.

 

[firesweepranch]

I agree with electric! Our bulls decided to scratch their heads on the gate (the only thing not electrified), and they popped the chain and went for a walk across the highway to visit the girls while we were at church! We fixed that by running two strands across the gate, now we do not have a problem!  (thumbsup)

 

[leanbeef]

I've also seen a tractor tire half buried in bull pens to give them a scratching & rub...something they can't tear up. Leave half the tire above ground so it looks like a rubber arch with treads. I thot that was a pretty cool idea...

 

[Shorthorns4us]

Lean Beef-- that is an awesome idea!!!  Thank you!!
I am going to take the tractor tire idea home tonight and ask hubby to get his skid loader out and set that up-- I have boredom problems sometimes and also rub problems-- this would give them something in the middle of the pen that they are supposed to try to tear up and leave the gates and bunks and waterer alone! 

 

[CAB]

I visited Squirt 71's home farm last fall & they had used old street sweeper brushes for cattle rubs/entertainers, in their cattle pens. I thought that the cattle really liked scratching on them.

 

[paj315]

Electric is a must . We went a little overboard but 10 strands of high tensile and every other one is hot. Overkill , yes but our bulls haven't gotten out. We have pit old tractor tires up for them to rub on and beat on seems to save things like gates and fence posts .

 

[leanbeef]

Lean Beef-- that is an awesome idea!!!  Thank you!!
I am going to take the tractor tire idea home tonight and ask hubby to get his skid loader out and set that up-- I have boredom problems sometimes and also rub problems-- this would give them something in the middle of the pen that they are supposed to try to tear up and leave the gates and bunks and waterer alone! 

That's the idea!

 

[lightnin4]

Thanks for all the replies!  I figured electric would be best, but its always good to open up to new ideas.  I like the idea of alternating the wires on both sides of the posts, especially for the cross fence.  The tractor tires are a good idea too.

How many strands of high tensile do you like to use?  I was leaning toward 5-6.

 

[trapper]

I like the electric fence ideas and was wondering, are the bulls penned individually or could you run a group of two year olds in an electric fence pen?  Will bull fights send a bull straight through the electric fence?

 

[FriedgesCharolais]

We also have old brushes off street sweepers in both of our pens for cattle to rub on. They work great! We have yet to have a bull or a cow snap the post that they are put on to keep them upright and we have had one in each pen for 15 years and all we have had to do is replace the brushes every few years!

 

[nate53]

We have a 7 acre field of grass divided into 3 paddocks.  We use 5 strands of high tensile wire to seperate them.  We have gates to access each pen and a gate in between pens (to go from one pen to another).  No bull has gotten out, one bull did  get shoved through the wires (he didn't get hurt and the fence wasn't hurt just a few broken insulators).  Young bulls can often be ran together but bulls over 3, soon as they start fighting there is no stopping them (some of them).  If we have a couple two year olds we'll run them next to each other for a few days and then put them together.  We have concrete feed bunks (the bulls rub on them).