Solar Fencers...

One of the key componants of managed intensive grazing is the electric fence used to seperate the temporary paddocks. A single strand of wire with easy step in posts will do the trick, but you need to have power in order to have a "hot" wire. My dad's farm (where our Dexters live) is not set up much for running electric fence. Right now the horses are out on pasture inside of an electric fence energized by a battery powered fencer. I had planned on going that route, but now I am looking into the possibilty of a solar powered fencer.

I've read good and bad about solar fencers. In fact you can read a little bit from my post on Homesteading Today by clicking here. A couple of the limiting factors to me are the initial cost and the reliability. A solar charger is going to cost anywhere between $130 and $500 (for the big boys). I don't know if I am in a place to lay out that kind of money right now, especially if realiabilty is going to be an issue. I have read of some people that swear by them and say they are just as reliable as any other battery operated fencer, and I have read that they are nothing but trouble.

I am going to continue my research, but I need to come up with something pretty soon so we can get these cattle moving around their pasture. I expect the grass will really take off with the 3+ inches of rain they received down there and the coming heatwave!