What They Don't Tell You About Electric Fencing...

The goats will be out of vegetation to eat in their compound within the next few days, which means they will start to think of breaking out!  This means moving the electric fence, easy...no not easy when the vegetation around the compound is taller than I am!  This photo is taken with the camera held above my head.  Our pasture (not sure I should be calling it that at the moment, I will call it our jungle) hasn't had animals on it or been touched by human hands or machine for over five years.

Before

After

Yesterday early morning before the sun got too high in the sky, I went out to start hacking through 100 metres x 1 meter wide of vegetation with a machete (the strimmer is broken). I was quite pleased that I managed to get half of it done before it got too hot and despite the hideous yellow and black spiders that seem to like making their webs in blackberry bushes, urgh!

After I have finished hacking through the undergrowth I will then start to make post holes with this gadget (sorry I don't know the technical term for it, anyone reading know it?  I just call it the fence post holer), this is it;   

Then I will start to cut 2 meter lengths of 3-4" diameter posts (these are sapling trees that we have cut from our woods).  I will then screw 4 isolators into each post.  

After that I usually have to remove the electric fence wire from the old compound whilst hoping that the goats won't run off, however this time I have ordered some more wire as we will need it when we separate the males and females next month -this is to stop them mating too early and having kids in January/February when it is too cold.

Next job is to move the solar panel, battery and energiser, set it all up and test it to make sure it is working.

Electric fencing is great from a flexibility point-of-view but I didn't realise it would take a day or two of work each time we need to move it.  Of course, this will get easier in time, the vegetation will hopefully not be as high once the goats and sheep have been on it, and the posts will already been in place. 

I have been saved from more hacking by the awful weather we have had today, but I think the respite might be a temporary one, back to it tomorrow.