| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| 3petpacas |
Posted - 04/14/2012 : 11:42:29 PM
i have 3 male alpacas (1 gelding, 2 intact). My fenced in area for them is a little small so i have an electric fence set up to create a larger grazing area for the day time. I haven't had it set up with a charger because they weren't challenging it until recently. now they have started getting out every time i let them out. i set up a charger, and as i expected, they don't feel the shock from it. They are still walking right through the wire.
i'm running out of ideas for them. i can't have them getting out of the fence, and i don't want to keep them on a dry lot with only hay.
Any one have any ideas for teaching them to avoid the wire?
my only other options are to sell them (which i really don't want to do) or find a place to board them for the summer.
******
"The squeaky wheel gets the grease." - don't know who said it but my dad says it all the time. That's how I was allowed to get alpacas in the first place! ;)
Owner of 3 male alpacas in Dutchess County NY. |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| 3petpacas |
Posted - 05/05/2012 : 9:43:53 PM
thanks for all the replies! I was able to fix the electric fence so they haven't gotten out. :) we put posts MUCH closer together and, even though i still don't think they can feel the shock, they aren't even trying to graze through the wires!!! i let them out of the pasture when i'm home to graze in the yard and as much as they LOVE to be free, they stand at the fence and wait for me to let them out instead of just walking through the electric fence whenever they decided the grass was better outside of it...
So for now, i get to keep my boys! now if only i could get a job.... |
| Christiane |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 4:58:00 PM
Rope is not a permanent solution, only a tmeporary one and one where you are watching as well. I would never recommend it to fence in a pasture. The only thing I will use for that is no climb wire fencing.
Christiane Rudolf
Tanglewood Farm
19741 Victory Lane
Fayetteville, Ohio 45118
(513) 875-2533 |
| bobvicki |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 09:21:31 AM
The use of a single strand yellow rope as Christiane uses it is entirely different than using it as a temporary pen.
When we moved here to OK last September I quickly found out that the 5 strands of barb-less wire (like barbwire without the spikes) would not keep all of them in if they decided that the grass "over there" was better. I added more strands and some still figured out that with enough stretching they could move right through it and once they figure out they can go through it they start doing it quickly. I also tried the nylon yellow rope in a few areas to fill in gaps until I could get to them and I found that over a short time it stretched some and became flexible.
Bob
Bob & Vicki Blodgett
Suri Land Alpaca Ranch
10371 N 2210 Road
Clinton, Oklahoma 73601
641-831-3576
alpaca@htswireless.com
www.alpacanation.com/suriland.asp |
| Christiane |
Posted - 04/17/2012 : 08:23:43 AM
I also use the bright yellow rope to make lanes for my alpacas when I want to move them from the pasture on the right side of the driveway to the one on the left of the driveway. Works great most of the time, especially if I lead the way with a bucket of grain. I just leave the rope on the ground when I'm not using it and then, when I need it I just hook up the one end to the fence of the other pasture. This way, I can drive my truck over the drive when the rope is not in use and I don't have to replace it all the time. I can move all 13 in a little under a minute frome the barn, down the pasture and across the drive to the other pasture. It makes for a great show when visitors are there.
Christiane Rudolf
Tanglewood Farm
19741 Victory Lane
Fayetteville, Ohio 45118
(513) 875-2533 |
| dannylink |
Posted - 04/16/2012 : 8:39:57 PM
To keep my 6 boys out of the drive in front of my barn I use 2 strands ofelectric wire (not electrified). Well, the 4 bigger boys respected the wire and would not challenge it. My two little guys would push up against it and break the wire and go on through. Well, I went to TSC and bought a 100 ft of yellow nylon rope and ran that in between the two stands of wire. This put a stop to the two little rascals from breaking through the wire and allowing the other 4 to follow.
Danny Link
270 Leaport Rd
Mt Sidney, VA 24467
540/248-7916 |
| rackapaca |
Posted - 04/16/2012 : 12:37:38 PM
I've used that plastic orange construction fencing for making paths to a new spot so I don't have to walk them to and from and I then used the old stuff around the outside of a newly fenced area so they can "see" the fencing and also so hunters are aware of my alpacas. I don't even use t-posts, I tie it with string to whatever is available and then run an actual rope from point A to point B and use that to tie the orange fencing to that. Good luck squeaky wheel.
Ruthann
Racka Paca Ranch
Kila, MT |
| Mary Jane |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 10:20:19 AM
Until they are shorn, they will not feel the shock. You will have to wait until they are shorn to use only electric fence or tape. Bob's suggestion of the using netting until then is a good one. You might want to top it off with one strand of eletrified fence/tape at about nose level so they don't try to go over it.
Mary Jane
Land of Legends Alpacas
2653 Swans Road
Newark, OH 43055
(740)345-2199
www.alpacanation.com/landoflegends.asp |
| bobvicki |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 09:39:12 AM
A quick temporary solution would be to get the orange plastic net type fencing used around construction sites and for eliminating snow drifts. I think it comes in 50 ft rolls and 2 of them should give you a decent size area. Use "T" posts that you simply pound in and stretch the fence where you want them. Fairly quick to put up and take down and move. The bright color makes them realize it is a barrier and since the holes are not big enough to stick their heads through they probably won't be pushing against it.
You can also keep them on the dry lot area and mow some grass every day and toss it in for them. You probably would get 100% use of the mowed grass. this way they are still getting fresh green grass every day.
Bob
Bob & Vicki Blodgett
Suri Land Alpaca Ranch
10371 N 2210 Road
Clinton, Oklahoma 73601
641-831-3576
alpaca@htswireless.com
www.alpacanation.com/suriland.asp |
| Littlecreek |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 08:21:03 AM
Have you shorn them yet?
Lynn Edens
Little Creek Farm Alpacas
North Salem, NY
www.lcfalpacas.com |
| Judith |
Posted - 04/15/2012 : 07:00:24 AM
What kind of fencing is it? Single strand wire? Multiple strand wire? Netting? You may need to run additional strands because they're pretty nimble both at jumping and at sliding beneath low wires. I like the electrical netting (although I'm changing to chicken wire this year because the spacing is only 3" so they're less apt to try to stick their heads through as they do with the 4" ElectroNet). You can train them to the wire by attaching lures (they sell apple flavored lures at Premier One) or you can simply tempt them to approach the fence by placing a pan of treats on the other side and letting them get shocked. You should be in the vicinity and watching during training so you can quickly turn off the power if any of them get caught up in the fencing so nobody gets injured. Unfortunately, once they've crossed the fence line without incident, they've learned that the fence isn't always going to hurt so they'll challenge it from time to time just to check. Make sure your charger is strong enough to give them a good shock, which means that it is well-grounded and fairly powerful. The Premier One fencing catalog has lots of great suggestions and options, and I particularly like them because they give you both pros and cons of each type of fence.
Judith Korff
AlpacaNation Forum Co-Moderator
LadySong Farm Bolivian Suri Alpacas
Randolph, NY 14772
Cell: (716) 499-0383
www.alpacanation.com/ladysong.asp |
