Setting up a new paddock

Right now the process is too time consuming. We are going at look at ways to improve the process so it only takes a few minutes.

At the beginning of the week last week we found that the sheep were beginning to test the fence. Their side of the fence was eaten down pretty low, and they started reaching through the netting to get to the grass on the other side.

As it turns out, the solar charger was not turned on so there was no electricity on the net. So they could put their head into the net, but then couldn’t get it back out.

Fortunately, someone was around to disentangle them, as this could be pretty dangerous for them if they stayed there too long.

So after we secured the far end of the laneway and let them move into it, Daddy took a scythe and cut a strip of grass through the pasture. This will keep the grass low where we are running the electrified netting, to reduce the amount of electricity we are losing into the ground.

Seppi tried using the scythe, but it’s just a little too big for him still.

Soon! He’s getting bigger fast, in no time at all he will be able to do this all by himself.

While out there, we took the time to check on our willows and witch hazels we planted back in January. We must have done something right, because they all have leaves sprouting on them!

The netting had gotten chewed by rats or mice over the winter so some of the wires needed to be repaired.

Then we took out the old line of netting and moved it to make a roughly 50 x 50 foot paddock.

Which can hold children as well as critters.

When all is set up, we check the charge at the distal end. It ranged between 2 and 3 thousand volts.

Then we put the sheep in their new paddock. Welcome to the buffet!

Next week we sould be getting a new order of electrified netting so we can set ups several paddocks at once and move them more rapidly through smaller sections. Ideally we would be moving them once per day with the cows, but I don’t know if this is going to happen this year, with our schedules as busy as they are. We shall see.