05/31/2026
Electric fencing or permanent fencing?
We prefer permanent fencing for our flocks. Both our dairy and commercial flock are kept in woven wire pastures, and there are a few reasons why. No one asked, but I’ll share why.
First, when we bought this property it had been abandoned for years, and the previous owners apparently loved electro net fencing for their goats. Untangling hundreds of feet of netting that had become one with the weeds and brush was literal misery. I still have PTSD.
Second, I don’t have the patience to trim the grass around fence lines to prevent it from shorting out the netting.
And third, I don’t want to worry about batteries. If a battery dies, sheep have a solid way of figuring that out before you do. I refuse to spend time chasing sheep because a fence lost power.
With permanent fencing, we simply rotate between established pastures. No moving netting, no setting up new fence lines, no battery checks. Everything is already in place and ready to go.
Plenty of people successfully use electro netting. I am not one of them.
What’s your preference?
