# Fencing-posts inside-or out?



## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

I know how its supposed to go, your fence goes on the side of the post your animal is on--but i also know, along the road, it looks better if your posts are INSIDE the wire- so how do you do yours? fencing on the animal side? or posts?


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

I would think it would depend if you want good looks or safty for the animals. Just my 2 cents worth,.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

ditto to Ruby


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## Country Lady (Oct 2, 2003)

It depends on how bad you want to keep your animals in. If it's on the outside, the animals can push through much easier.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

you can say, Well at least they were smart enough to get out in the best looking fences on the place, and they probably didnt get hurt as much doing it either


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## NeHomesteader (May 27, 2003)

If you are using a fence with wood posts ,barb wire and staples,the wire should be on the inside of the fence. Otherwise the cows will push against it and knock the staples out. Dawn


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

Wire and boards on the inside of the posts. Harder to push apart.


Kathie


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## Meg Z (Jun 8, 2004)

Wire on the inside, no matter where. But street-side, we put up the half-cut split rail, with field fence on the inside of that, so it still looks good from the road, while safely containing my animals.

Meg


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## okgoatgal2 (May 28, 2002)

if you decide to go with the wire outside for looks, put electric on the inside to keep the critters off the fence.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

I don't think that many people that drive by will look at a wire fence to see if it looks pretty but you'll meet a lot of people passing by if you fence improperly as they each drop by to tell you that you have stock out. If you do it right the first time, all you have to worry about is maintenance and if you do it wrong, it's a never ending adventure. At one point in time, I ended up with a leased pasture that was fenced wrong and it was a total nightmare. Roadside pastures tend to have ditches with enticing grass and the fence was always in need of tightening, staple replacement and countless phone calls at all times of the day or night. I would get a call, run over to put the offending animal back in and come home to 10 more messages but couldn't be sure if it was the same animal or another so I'd have to run back over to investigate again. If your land is near a road, part of the reason for fencing is protecting those on the road from your livestock and if it's a busy road, I would recomend game fencing or something similar as extra insurance but if that's not possible, I would certainly do it right to avoid a lawsuit.


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## UpstateNY (Aug 3, 2004)

one of the funniest fences I ever saw was a long run of upside down posts and wire on the outside. So.... as far as looks are concerned go inside. It will look good to those who know fences. It will only look bad to those who do not know a good fence when they see one.


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

How could you tell that the posts were upside down?


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## moopups (May 12, 2002)

Posts are tapered.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Wire on Inside of posts no matter what kind of critter is being kept inside~!


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

For our high tensile electric perimeter wires we fence outside on the corners and inside on the line posts where ever possible. That gives the strongest fence.


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## hrslvrtrailridr (Jan 9, 2007)

I always put my fencing on the inside, I want my animals to stay in.
If your really concerned about looks and put your fence on the outside then I'd make sure you run hotwire on the inside to keep the animals from pushing the fence down.


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Well, actually 35 + plus years ago, when we built the fence, we put wire outside, and nothing ever pushed the fence--except time--. we used "lifetime" treated posts as they called them, when we built. wire is still excellent--red top barb, and it will be a lot easier for me to drive new steel posts outside the wire this time-- AND removing the old posts as i go-- yes, i'll be 70 next summer, female-and i can do it.


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## hrslvrtrailridr (Jan 9, 2007)

You go, girl!!!


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## Scrounger (Jan 6, 2007)

The only time I put my wire on the outside of my posts was down my driveway, the rest the wire goes on the "goat" side.


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## Cornhusker (Mar 20, 2003)

Depends on if you are keeping someting in or out.
We built a pen around the trees, and the wire is outside on 2 sides and inside on 2 sides. It was all about what was in the way......... :shrug:


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## Wendy (May 10, 2002)

I am keeping in goats & fencing with cattle panels. Mine is going on the outside of the posts. We have had board fence up, before putting up the panels & at one time had 5 horses in it. We have never had an animal get out of our fence or even come close to tearing it down. So, I guess I am the oddball as all of our fence will be on the outside of the posts.

edited to add:
I can not think of one place in the whole area around me where the fence is on the inside. My neighbor runs 1000's of head of cattle & the fence is on the outside of the posts with no barbed wire or electric fence on the inside.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Well for one good reason for putting Posts on the outside Even With a Board fence. Say you are riding your horse in his Pen and training him against the Rail.. I sure as heck would rather have my leg Brush Up against The RAIL instead of my Knee slamming into a Post~!


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

Yeah, even for things like round pens and training your dog on sheep, you need the posts to be on the outside to avoid injury. I think posts look better on the outside anyway. It would look weird any other way. What is right looks good.


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## UncleD (Aug 29, 2006)

If your wire is on the inside of the posts. What do you do when you come to the corner? Same question with a wood fence. How do you make the corner if the wood is on the inside?


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## Scrounger (Jan 6, 2007)

Run the woven wire on the inside of the line post, then when you come to the corner brace post, run it on the outside. With barb wire, it doesn't matter, you should be tying of each corner and wrap it around the corner or end, post.


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Ok which side do ya put the posts on when Ya run stock on both sides? 
Or like when ya have sheep and what the fence is really there for is to keep the nastyies out?
LOL one mans in is anothers Out!
Seems like either would work ya just might take more care if you are putting the posts on the outside.


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## papaw (Jan 21, 2005)

fantasymaker said:


> Ok which side do ya put the posts on when Ya run stock on both sides?
> Or like when ya have sheep and what the fence is really there for is to keep the nastyies out?
> LOL one mans in is anothers Out!
> Seems like either would work ya just might take more care if you are putting the posts on the outside.


I was wondering the same thing. What about cross fencing?


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## Scrounger (Jan 6, 2007)

With cattle it is not so important, but goats will rub against a fence and push the staples right off. I run a couple of barb wires on the opposite side of the fence, about "goat" high and a little lower, that will keep the rascals off.


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## foxtrapper (Dec 23, 2003)

Depends on the loads the fence will see. 

Along the road, I've got it strung on the outside of the posts, so the snow plows and cars that hit it won't knock it down. The critters don't put nearly the same load against it trying to get out.

On the back side, it's reversed, wire on the inside, as the critters do put the most load on it in this location.


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## wilderness1989 (Feb 23, 2006)

dawn said:


> If you are using a fence with wood posts ,barb wire and staples,the wire should be on the inside of the fence. Otherwise the cows will push against it and knock the staples out. Dawn


EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! That's the way to do it. After you've built some fence you'll find it interesting to see how others build theirs. I think you could write a book about the different types of fencing used around Texas.


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