Ok, all you that have or had barbed wire around your feeders...

What did you do to make an entrance? Did you use a real gate, or make a shorter section to stretch over?

Just curious how people did things as i will be making a barbed wire pen tomorrow and woudl like some ideas how to get access to the feeder short of crimping my nads everytime i try to climb over the wire.

Thanks

Build a wire gap/gate.

Pick a corner, double T post, 1 post in the ground, the other one with wire attached, just wire it to T post in ground.

You shouldn't have to run 5 or 6 strands (unless you're keeping goats out....then you'll need something more than barbed wire). I have a few blocks on each side and just step over. I don't go into mine but 8-10 times a year, though.

Have a small piece of cattle panel between 2 trees for my gate..

I am trying to keep cattle out. I figured i would have to have a strand about 3 foot off the ground. Is that too high for dee rto safely jump?

I figured I would do something similar to what dgilbert mentioned above.

Is this a complete gap in the fencing big enough for a person to go thru but not big enough for a cow?

We have had cows jump over four feet into and out of pens. If the cattle owner would feed them, they wouldn't be desperate for our corn.

Ok, we'll see how this works. I built the pen for cattle only as there has been no sight of hogs. I can adjust the pen as needed for hogs if they decide to show.

For an entrance, I am partially complete. As I look at it I realize I put the ground support on the wrong side as it stands right now. I was going to get a 5 foot t post and cut the PVC pipe to above ground a bit. It is buried about a foot below ground. I would then use that as a ground support for the t post and wire it to the t post beside. This will make my gate/entrance. My question is would it be better to string a top wire to the next t post and overlap the gate and the current fence, or should I re-bury the PVC so it is adjacent to the t post shown which would give a very slight opening in the fence?

Also, I made the fence about 60+ feet in diameter (best I can guess) in an attempt to keep the cows far away from the feed. There is plenty of forrage food for them outside the fence, so I think I should be ok. This is my first attempt at fencing let alone feeders, cameras, etc....I am learning as I go.

I have a old up-down ladder with rails that came from a swimming pool type of steps. No cows have climbed over it yet!

Cows will go straight through that fence if they want to.

GO TO YOUR FARM & RANCH STORE AND GET T-POST
INSULATORS AND A SPOOL OF ELECTRIC FENCE WIRE
AND A SOLAR CHARGER .NO BIGGER THAN YOUR PEN
IS , YOU WON'T NEED A BIG EXPENSIVE CHARGER.
YOU LEAVE IT LIKE THAT, YOU MIGHT AS WELL
TAKE THE FENCE DOWN. LIKE S.T.H SEZ ,IF CATTLE
WANT IN , THEY'LL GO THROUGH THAT.

Is your wire just wrapped around t-posts? If you have a decent size tree to wrap the wire around and then tighten with fence stretchers then that may work.

THE PEN IN THE PHOTO I SAW DOESN'T
HAVE ENOUGH STRANDS OF WIRE AND
THE TWO THAT ARE THERE AREN'T
NEAR TIGHT ENOUGH. IF YOU WANT
TO KEEP CATTLE OUT, YOU'LL HAVE
TO GO AT IT AGAIN OR PUT UP SOME
ELECTRIC FENCE.

No, it is clipped to the t-posts with those t-post fence clips that wrap around the wire.

What you see wrapped around the post in the picture there is where I will make my "gate" and that part of the fence only is the wire wrapped around the t-post numerous times.

This is my first attempt at creating a feeder pen. there are not many cattle on the property and the ones that are there did not know about this feeder having feed. I put it up for a week without any feed, and then built this pen. I built it wide; hopefully this will keep any interest the cattle might have in the feeder to a minimum. I did not have a way to transport a bunch of panels to the lease, so i was stuck with barbed wire and t-posts as the way for me to build the pen.

I realize it is loose, although it doesn't just sag. The t-posts are driven in the ground about 2 feet each, and the posts are about 48-49 inches tall above ground (6 ft posts) and the high strand is 39-40 inches above ground with the low strand about 12-15 inches above ground. There has been no sight of hogs on this proprty since I have been watching, and there is plenty of deer activity. I did not want to create a deer trap with a bunch of high barbed wire. in reading, most people suggest 34-39 inches to be adequate for the top strand, although some suggest 54 inch panels for cattle. The main point I was trying to accomplish with this pen was something to keep the cows les sinterested with what's inside and keep them interested in the natural forrage they have abundantly available outside the pen.

If they tear this one down, i will rebuild. I just hope they don't tear up the feeder. i won't be going out there again for about 2 more weeks, and I will update everyone with the status of the pen and feeder at that time...although a couple weeks doesn't quite make a season.

I appreciate the input, keep it coming. I realize everyone has an opinion, and most of the time they are based in experience and wisdom. But, I also realize everyone's cicumstances are not the same and what works one place may/may not work somewhere else.

We'll see...

YOU CAN STRING WIRE ON THE VERY
TOP-MOST SLOT ON THOSE POSTS
AND THE SMALLEST WEAKEST DEER
WILL EASILY GET OVER IT. IF
DEER WANT TO GET IN,THEY
WILL. BUILD TO KEEP THE
CATTLE OUT.THEY CAN AND WILL
RUIN YOUR GEAR.

Appreciate the input, I still have the roll of barbed wire sitting right there, so I may just do another string higher. I am anxious now to see if the cows have found their way in...tempting me to make a trip to the lease.

I realize it is August in Texas, but here is an idea for now or later when possible. Lowes sells 6 foot treated 4 X 4 posts for $5.97. I use these for my corner posts buried in the ground 2 foot with at least a bag of cement per post.

Yes it will take 2 trips. 1st trip to cement them in and the 2nd trip to attach wire. However, you will have a pen for years to come. I run my top wire at 43". Then again I usually buy a 330' roll of field wire and make a couple pens. I run barbed wire along bottom of fence (literally on the ground) and the top wire at 43". Bottom wire keeps pigs from going under.

Side Note: I build them square. One 330' roll of wire will build 2 square pens 40' X 40'. Also, a good set of fence stretchers are priceless for this application.

I cut the top horizontal wire off the field fence. Then wrap all the leftover "fingers" around the barbed wire at 43". Basically replacing the top horizontal wire with barbed wire to keep cows, horses, etc. from being tempted to lean over the fence and push it down. AND no deer have ever been tangled in my top wire that way.

When I first started building feeder pens I ran 3 strands of barbed wire. I had some pretty peristent cattle, but kept them out if stretched tight enough and spaced properly.

u could just take a t post and put it in the center of the runs and pull the t post out so it will tighten up the strands then hammer the post into the ground then put a few stays in between each set of post to help with the loose wire, as for the concrete deal when u mix your concrete add some calcium increaser to the concrete this will heat up the concrete and it will set up really fast. like within an hour. this will save u 2 trips.

I was thinking the same exact thing, just add a couple more posts and stretch the wires as tight as possible, maybe even driving them in at a slight angle to accentuate the tightness on the top wire. Of course I am hopeful this is all just prophylactic and the few cows out there have not been interested in my feeder

Last option would be doing another set of posts set in concrete and wiring tight to those....

We build ares out of cattle panel.Cut the panels in half using 1 t,post at every Conner.

One of these on both sides next to a T post to steady yourself work quite well!

That's what I use.. Work great!!