HomeOld_PostsCattle fencing: Part One...good fence keeps neighbours happy

Cattle fencing: Part One…good fence keeps neighbours happy

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COLONISATION brought with it the need to ‘enclose’ our livestock; ending the days of the unregulated communal grazing.
Complex contemporary laws to regulate the inter-relationship of livestock, people and property were enacted.
For example, the legal requirements to protect a livestock owner from liability for possible damages done by stray cattle, or the right of a farmer to be compensated if a neighbour’s livestock damaged his crops.
The law in the UK (whose laws Zimbabwe inherited), differs for private land and common land.
It is the owner’s responsibility to fence livestock on private land, but it is the responsibility of landowners bordering a common land to fence the common’s livestock out.
While no fence is a foolproof barrier, fencing of livestock represents an investment and risk management for the farmer.
Throughout the world all domesticated livestock usually roamed freely, though they would be fenced out of certain areas such as crop fields or gardens.
Once agriculture became more dominant and populations of both, humans and animals increased, owners of livestock were required to fence-in their animals by means of ‘physical’ barriers.
Physical barriers involved materials strong enough to prevent, or discourage animals from going through, over or under the erected obstacle.
Psychological barriers have been created by inflicting pain to discourage animals from challenging a physical barrier of inferior strength, such as an electric fence.
The earliest physical fences were made of available natural materials – usually wood or stone; these materials are still used in some instances today.
In some newly cleared areas, simple fences were constructed of timber by stacking felled logs or split-rails to construct suitable enclosed spaces.
The terrain, at times, was also used as a form of barrier; an example being a ‘ha-ha’ garden – a wall built by digging a ditch, creating a ‘sunken’ fence with one steep side which animals cannot scale, and one sloping side so the animals could roam.
This can be seen at Ziva archaeological monuments in the east of Zimbabwe.
Good fences are erected to restrain and control the movement of valuable livestock and/or wildlife; facilitate a designated grazing scheme or protect sensitive areas from grazing livestock and to prevent entrée into unsafe areas by presenting barriers to restrict animal movement.
A permanent fence erected around a farm boundary is also helpful to establish a fixed property line between neighbours.
This will also help confine livestock, not in communal grazing, and protect both the cattle and motorists from avoidable highway collisions.
If fencing the entire boundary is not affordable, first consideration should be the areas of safety for motorists and livestock, followed by such areas that are most helpful to the farm operations.
The correct type of fencing requirements differ widely – depending on the range of livestock and production systems.
Its intended purpose should be the first consideration in deciding on the best fence to establish; the protection and confinement of livestock being the main reasons – keeping in mind that each species of animal have specific needs – either to ‘contain’ them safely or keep them ‘out’ effectively.
In the past, fencing options were limited to one type of fence for all types of livestock – in Zimbabwe the woven ‘diamond mesh’ wire and barbed wire were the most common types of fences used.
The all too familiar barbed wire fence was initially invented in the 19th Century as an effective low-cost way to fence cattle in/out; its use rapidly spread around the world – particularly in the new agricultural lands in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
In recent years, many innovations have transpired in the fencing industry.
Today, livestock producers have an array of fencing options for the confinement and protection of their animals; depending on the size of livestock and their needs – big or small, cattle, horses, sheep, goats or poultry.
Currently, the most commonly used fencing options available to cattle farmers include woven wire, cable, mesh, high-tensile (rapidly gaining popularity in many countries); electric netting, coated wire and polyrope, or a combination of any of these.
Past conventional fencing materials that included barbed, woven, mesh and electrified wire, and/or combinations of these materials, are still widely used in many countries, including Zimbabwe, and make excellent fences if properly constructed. However, mesh wire and in particular, barbed wire fences have for long been the cause of injury and death to livestock, wildlife and many other animal species that include birds, that easily get caught or tangled in the wire or are injured by the sharp barbs that are supposed to deter the animals’ movements.
The best form of fencing required for the confinement of livestock depends on several factors which include animal species, age, breed, and production system.
For example, beef cattle on a controlled grazing system have different fencing needs than horses on pasture. Equally, permanent boundary or division fences require different fencing materials than fences for short-range paddocks.
Fencing type and material influence the cost, lifespan and function of the fencing system. New materials such as high tensile wire should also be considered when selecting fencing types.
Fences in the past were mostly physical barriers; today enclosed areas can be psychological spaces or a combination of both systems – thus creating ‘fenceless’ farming.
Today, ‘virtual’ fences are created that enable farmers to ‘fence in’ or move their livestock without a physical barrier!
Instead a collar is worn by an animal and this deters it from a barrier where wildlife can move about freely without any danger of injury or death.
Could a form of fencing be advantageous in Zimbabwe at a time when wild animals are said to be encroaching on human spaces or vice-versa? Fencing is a costly investment.
When selecting a fence, consider what the fence is to be used for, how easy it is to build, what it costs to build and maintain and how long it is supposed to last.
The location and arrangement may affect production efficiency; therefore, good planning beforehand is essential.
Fence lines should be kept cleared of brush and trees; gullies and steep banks may require grading.
Clearing along stream banks should be done to a minimum and no vegetation may be removed within the buffer area, except as required for stream crossings.
This is true whether you are installing a fence around your whole farm or a pasture for the first time, or replacing an old, worn-out fence.
Factors such as expense, ease of construction and life-expectancy of the fence should be taken into consideration by cattle producers when considering fencing strategy; most types of fence can be used with cattle, but these should be a minimum of 1,40m high to avoid cattle jumping over them.
Fencing materials and the construction of fences should be of good quality and durability to meet with special requirements of livestock types and situations in a manner that also meets the intended management objectives.
Fences must be clearly visible and strong enough to withstand heavy usage.
All existing fences should be regularly evaluated.
Special attention must also be paid to fence construction where bulls are penned separately from cows, especially when they (cows) are on heat; here heavy treated wooden posts with thick-gauge wire or cables are required to prevent bulls from flight.
Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, lecturer, musician, art critic, practising artist and corporate image consultant. He is also a specialist art consultant, post-colonial scholar, Zimbabwean socio-economic analyst and researcher. E-mail:tonym.MONDA@gmail.com

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