A Guide to Agricultural Fencing
Agricultural fencing, also known as livestock fencing or rustic ranch is a type of fencing used to keep animals such as sheeps, horses, pigs and cattle in and out of a particular area. In this blog, we explore why it’s important to install this kind of fencing and what types of agricultural fencing is available to you.
Why is it important to fence livestock?
It’s really important to fence your livestock for a number of reasons, which include protection to your livestock. If you fence off your livestock, it’s easier to herd them and manage your farmland health. A key reason to install agricultural fencing is to keep your animals confined to a specific area. By doing so, you are providing a designated area for your animals to healthily live and grow and you will be aware of where your livestock is at all time. This makes everyday chores, such as milking, feeding, housing and medical treatments easier to handle. If you don’t fence off these areas, there is potential to lose your livestock, risk of injury and they could be roaming too far from safety. If you have a designated area for your livestock fenced off, then it’s easier to manage them and keep them safe.
Another key reason to consider agricultural fencing is to keep your animals safe from any potential predators. By allowing your animals to roam freely, you increase the risk of predators such as foxes causing harm to them, and especially to younger livestock. Installing adequate fencing will limit this risk and keep your livestock safe.
What types of Agricultural Fencing is available?
At Lawsons, we have a range of options to consider when it comes to agricultural fencing, see our options below.
Post and Rail Fencing
Post and rail fencing is one of the most established and traditional types of agricultural fencing available. Its pretty easy to construct and works extremely well where lands winds and dips because this type of fencing is adaptable and can be easily moved.
Our post and rail fencing covers two main types: Knee Rail which is ideal for use as a general boundary where security is not an issue. It offers an attractive solution to prevent vehicle ingress along verges or around car parks. The rails, which are 75 x 75mm or 100 x 100mm fence posts, are fixed to the "V" cut-out post, by means of either our "Bishops Hat" or "Birds-mouth" strap, which in turn is nailed to the post. The half round rail can be nailed to machine rounded posts to form a secure enclosure.
Stock Fencing
Stock fencing or wire fencing is an alternative to post and rail fencing and is ideal for animal containment such as sheep and pigs and can also be used as field boundaries for other small to medium size animals such as alpacas. It is also suitable in domestic situations where dog containment in a garden is required.
Our universal stock fencing is economical, galvanised and comes as a hinge jointed fence roll, which is Ideal for creating post and wire fencing. It is a heavy-duty wire fence that, when installed, forms a high tensile barrier capable of enclosing large livestock. It is often used conjunction with barbed wire or electric fencing.
Wire Netting
Wire netting, also referred to as chicken or poultry wire, is a flexible mesh that can be used to fence in many types of animals including chickens, hen and rabbits. It can also be used as a protection around plants to prevent access from predators as well as a reinforcement for plaster and concrete.
Field Gates
Alongside our agricultural fencing options, we also offer field gates to compliment your fencing. Field gates are a common sight in both the cities and countryside across the UK – perfect for everything from farms and country homes through to business premises and car parks. Lawsons’ field gates are universal, allowing them to be hung from the right or the left without having to buy a specific gate type. Our field gates are robust and sturdy to ensure high security for any rural driveway or field entrance.
Other Agricultural Fencing
In recent times, there are more advanced fencing solutions including:
- Electric Fencing
- Deer Fencing
- Poly Tape Fencing
We hope this guide has been a useful introduction to agricultural fencing. Whatever type of agricultural fencing you go for, it’s always important to consider the type you go for should be based on the what animal, size and behaviour of the animal you’re catering for, as different livestock require different types of fencing.
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