| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Piggyphile |
Electric Fencing mains or BatteryHi everyoneI am planning to buy an electric fencing kit to enclose pigs initially (and maybe goats?) I don't know much about them (electric fences I mean) but I know they can be battery driven, with solar help with charging or mains driven. This will be for use in our Spanish place which has a limited electricity supply. You can't for example have the electric cooker on at the same time as anything else. My worry about batteries is the lifespan of them and the nasties they contain from a sustainability point of view, I don't think you can easily recycle the contents in Spain and I think their lifespan is limited. Ultimately they will need to be recharged from the mains anyway as I don't think the solar chargers will provide all they need, they just slow the power loss? Are small/medium sized electric fences expensive to run from the mains? Eventually fencing/hedging will be created but the ground is mostly rock/stones with thin sandy topsoil and it is going to take me ages to hedge or fence it. The enclosed area won't be huge because I want the pigs to rotivate it to the best of their ability. I'd rather they did it in bits and I moved them as required. The land is surrounding the house so the mains cable won't have to be huge or crossing anything awkward. Thoughts? thanks |
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| RichardW |
For pigs mains every time. They will know when the bats going flat long before you do. At UK prices a mains charger uses about £20 per year. | ||||
| Rob R |
Or get one that does both and give you the choice? The fencers I was looking at cost more than that in electricity so we stuck with batteries. Getting the saddleback boar to even cross the line where the fence used to be means we don't have to worry about the battery going flat before we notice it.  But it depends on the breed of pig- the Tamworth didn't care whether it was working or not, she just went straight through it.
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| RichardW |
I assume you mean rechargeable bats Rob?
As you will be loosing up to 30% to charge them & need to replace them it will cost more than mains elec. The bigest ONE I could find used 25w MAX so even if that max was 24 7 at 12p per unit its still only £26 per year. This one is more powerful but only uses 16-20w. There are plenty that use 5-10w |
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| Rob R |
Yes, it was some that Ixy has- according to the packaging they were more expensive to run on mains, I think.
Anyway, dpack has one of these which adds flexibility so that you don't have to decide now. |
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| Piggyphile |
Thanks guys, much appreciated. | ||||
| bodger |
Mains every time. Its the best thing that we've ever bought. You can almost do toast on this one we have. It gives out one heck of a zap and also kills the grass around it, if any touches it. | ||||
| Ixy |
The ones I have cost '36p per day' on mains according to the box. That seemed quite pricey given that the batteries cost me a tenner each and only need charging twice a month if that (car batts) and our total monthly electric is something like a tenner? | ||||
| bodger |
I asked about the cost of running an electric fence, either on here or another forum and the consensus of opinion was that it cost about twenty odd quid a year to run. | ||||
| Mutton |
With goats, if they have horns, you should avoid electric net fencing - they can get their horns caught in it or so I've heard and that would not be a nice time for the goat!
Also, if your grass is long enough to touch the bottom strand it will short it out, so reduce the charge. We researched electric fencing for our place a while ago, decided against, and haven't ever used any. (Basically, length needed, cost of purchase and having sheep with horns put us off.) So my answers are from research not experience.[/code] |
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| Rob R |
Was that for a mains or battery one? |
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| bodger |
The mains Rob. I mentioned it on a thread about standing orders for electricity bills and when I mentioned the cost of running a mains electricity fencing unit, a number of people said the cost was peanuts. | ||||
| Rob R |
The one we have was a Gemini 80, which is a 12v that can be run from the mains, maybe the others we're referring to are designed to be run from the mains are more efficient? | ||||
| RichardW |
That makes them 125watts or more. I cant find any that use that much. Care to quote the make & model? |
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| RichardW |
I guess some one cant do sums.
From HERE 1.6watts on mains gives a yearly consumption of 14 units (kwh) at 12p aprox per unit thats only £1.68 per year. |
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| Ixy |
gemini 80 - I took the figure from their own packaging and thought 'ouch' at the time! |
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| Ixy |
Here we go: http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/electric-fencing/HLC40-80-120-Electric-Fencing-Kit.htm
look down to the 80 and it says 36p/day. Is that £131 a year? eep. def doesnt cost that with batts. |
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| Treacodactyl |
It says: 0.0036p per day. 
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| Simon |
so it does ... |
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| Ixy |
doh! That'll teach me to read too fast....
*plugs fencer into mains*
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| Rob R |
That won't keep the pig in
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| RGT |
So what kind of fencing are you planning on using? I ask because IME a pig in a hurry will be through an untensioned mesh before it even realises it's been zapped, mains or battery. | ||||
| Rob R |
Who, us? If so, we keep a saddleback in with two strands of rope that may or may not be on. The Tamworth was a different matter, and went straight through the fence and ran all the way back to the shed. All pigs benefit from 'training' with a couple of strands round a solid sided pen first. |
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| Piggyphile |
I was going to use the electric 'tape' stuff so they can see it. If we get them as weaners with 2 or three lowish strands I thought I could add another strand when they get bigger. I guess I was hoping that having learnt that the tape hurts when young they would be reluctant to charge it when older. I have heard that hairier pigs get less of a shock so it might be that which makes the difference between the breeds. It is probably going to be a bit of trial and error | ||||
| Ixy |
yeah - although I think if we had thought to train her first, she would have been fine. Little piglets would be another matter altogether but we struggle keeping them in the stys anyway! Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and keep anything left outdoors piglet proof
you don't have to do tape for visibility - rope is just as visible but more reel-able and doesn't look as messy as tape IMO |
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| RichardW |
Pigs have good eyes (even the ones with floppy ears). They can see plain metal wire just fine.
You also can either have more of it or use a smaller energiser than with tape, plus it costs less & last longer. |
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| mochyn |
Only once had a pig go through the fence and that was one trying to get away from a larger, bolshier animal. Our biggest electric fence problem is getting tghe pigs to go over the line where the fence WAS when we want to move them! Batteries here, by the way. |
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| Rob R |
The saddleback boar can't even see a person approaching
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| Ixy |
That's true - I think the ears distort sounds for them aswell because sometimes I can talk to him when I approach, thinking he'll then know I'm there, but he still acts surprised when I touch him! I was scratching his back the other day and then went off to feed the chickens or something - he was still stood in the same spot waiting for me to scratch more when i went back past, and then he saw me through the ear gap and made a surprised noise!
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