Monday, August 1, 2011

Fencing Idea

Hubby hates to use the tiller near fencing.

But we want to keep the chickens out of the garden.

And we want them to be able to get around the barnyard and up the access drive to eat the grasshoppers.

So here is the new fence idea, which seems to be working so far.

Wire panels hung on hooks that are welded to the drill pipe fence.
(now if the idiots who installed the fencing had listened, the wire fence would be pig wire, not cattle wire!)
You could do this with wood fencing, too. 4" x 4" wooden posts would be strong enough to hold up the wire fencing, especially if you put cement in the hole (which the idiots 'forgot' to do on 1/3 of the posts, sheesh!)
We're going to have to cap the drill pipe to keep wasps from building nests. Since we had a few old solar pathway lights around, I decided they might be handy to have in the drill pipe to light the access drive in the dark. We like the idea so well we'll find some more solar lights on sale at the end of the season and figure out a way to glue them into the pipe.
The crazy way we have to have the hoses set up so we can water in the desert!
So far the wire panels have worked to keep all but the smartest chickens out (who jump through the bottom holes). And the panels are easy to lift off so that Hubby or Son1 can till the garden. There are no gates (that would have been another $400 for 2 gates) so we just pick a panel up and move it to the side so we can get in and out. Moving the panel to get in and out of the garden is easier than it sounds.

All in all the idea has worked very well so far. Vet2Be has been adding some wire fencing to the bottom of the panels to keep the chickens out. We don't want to go out and buy all new panels with 4" x4" holes (pig panel) right now.

4 comments:

darius said...

What a good idea! I could use it in a couple of places around here.

Tonia said...

I love that Idea!! Very good thinking....

Colin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TJ said...

It took the men about 3 days to put up the fencing. They dug the holes one day (with a post hole digger attached to a skid-steer). Then they waited a week to pour the cement to set the posts. The last day they welded on the hooks to hold the fencing up.

I'm sure it could have been done more quickly..... but they weren't particularly interested in getting the job done that fast.

Depending on the size of the fence, you could probably get it done in two days. One day to dig holes and set the posts in cement. One day to attach the hooks, which could be hooks screwed into wooden fence posts--it didn't have to be steel drill pipe.

Good luck with your project!