# Barbed wire - why not?



## Bubba1358 (Nov 6, 2013)

I'm looking at fencing several pastures for rotational grazing, ideally with cattle and AGH pigs at the same time. Due to the cost of fencing and my budget, I've been attracted to barbed wire. I do NOT want to do electric, since several thousand feet will be strung through woodlands and heavy brush - thus giving me more outlets for shorts than I care to deal with.

So, with hogs, I've heard that you should NEVER use barbed wire. Nobody has ever really offered an explanation as to why not. I'm thinking of running a wire on the ground, and spacing them 6" apart up to 2 feet, then strands at 3' and 4' (for a total of 7 strands). Why exactly is that a bad idea? Thanks.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Bubba1358 said:


> I'm looking at fencing several pastures for rotational grazing, ideally with cattle and AGH pigs at the same time. Due to the cost of fencing and my budget, I've been attracted to barbed wire. I do NOT want to do electric, since several thousand feet will be strung through woodlands and heavy brush - thus giving me more outlets for shorts than I care to deal with.
> 
> So, with hogs, I've heard that you should NEVER use barbed wire. Nobody has ever really offered an explanation as to why not. I'm thinking of running a wire on the ground, and spacing them 6" apart up to 2 feet, then strands at 3' and 4' (for a total of 7 strands). Why exactly is that a bad idea? Thanks.


Pigs and other animals will try to go out the wire and makes it loose. Tree fall over it which makes it hard to fix back right. 

It will injure pigs and other animals. 

I use 4ft. fence wire with 2 barb wire on top to keep other animals out of the pasture. I do have 2 guard dogs that live with the pigs and keeps them off the fences. 

I have small lots 200x200ft for sows to farrow in. In these smaller lots i do hve elec. to train the smaller pigs to stay off the wire and also helps keep the sows off the fence.


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## sang (Aug 23, 2013)

I use woven wire (regular 4' cattle) with electric wire about 10 inches off ground for my pigs of all ages. There are two sections however that had old barb wire fencing about 30 years old, approx. 400 feet long altogether that I left in and am using. I ran a few more strands of barbed wire to make the bottom 2 feet have strands about 5 inches apart, it also has a single electric wire (not barb wire) 10 inches off ground. It has been in use for several years with pigs from weaning, up to old sows and boars with no escapes and no problems.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Barbed wire is best for heavy haired animals with a hide that slides like sheep and cattle.

Barbed wire is very bad for animals with attached skin and little hair like pigs and humans. Horses also do badly with barbed wire.

I have miles of fence through brush and I use electric. Highly recommended.

Here is my favorite fencing setup which is a combination of electric and woven:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/2015/11/17/pig-proof-fence/

-Walter


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## Bubba1358 (Nov 6, 2013)

Been thinking about this some more this week.

If I understand correctly, the main concern about using barbed wire with pigs is the potential for injury from the barbs. I can't find that it's necessarily ineffective, just that it can cause harm.

I guess another way of saying that is that barbed wire will work effectively to contain, but the pigs have a greater potential for injuring themselves on the wires. Thus, it is not recommended for safety issues, and not because of concerns over them escaping.

Is that correct?


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Bubba1358 said:


> Been thinking about this some more this week.
> 
> If I understand correctly, the main concern about using barbed wire with pigs is the potential for injury from the barbs. I can't find that it's necessarily ineffective, just that it can cause harm.
> 
> ...


The pigs and sows and piglets will try and go between the barb wire. This is not good. Barb wire is not for fencing for pigs. Barb wire is not for pigs.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Yes, Bubba, correct.


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## Bubba1358 (Nov 6, 2013)

Thank you. That makes much more sense now.


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## chippy778 (Jun 22, 2016)

What if you used plastic snow fence or fabric silt fence with 2 or 3 electric inside of that 6 inches?


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

Barbed wire is like a good guy from hell.


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