Safety glasses, leather work gloves, quality pliers, work boots—Keith Taylor won’t begin a fencing project without these safety essentials. As he leads fencing demonstrations across the country, he urges farmers, ranchers and fencing contractors to follow his lead.
“Fencing is very hands-on and physical work,” explains the Bekaert technical support manager. “Like many tasks done around the farm or ranch, fencing is one where taking safety precautions not only keeps individuals safe, but also the animals they care for.”
This is the reason Taylor makes a point to discuss safety before sharing fencing techniques, tips and trade tricks he’s picked up throughout his 28 years working in Van Buren, Arkansas for Bekaert, a company that recently celebrated 140 years manufacturing fencing products. Below, Taylor shares fencing safety tips for installers and the animals they care for.
Safety glasses: Wire is stiff and sharp. Installers are always tying knots, splicing and cutting. Protect your eyes with safety glasses or at the very least, a quality pair of sunglasses.
Work gloves: Fencing is hands-on work. Protect your hands with gloves made of leather or other cut-resistant material.
Protective boots: Posts and rolls of fencing wire are heavy, as are many of the tools used in fencing. Protect your feet with heavy-duty steel-toe work boots.
Back safety: Fencing requires some heavy lifting. Don’t go it alone. Consider working with a partner to lighten the load.
A little common sense and the right tools go a long way
Taylor says in addition to the right protective gear and safety practices, installers need the right tools for the job.
“A good pair of fencing pliers/wire cutters make safe and quick work of many fencing tasks,” Taylor says.
And if you think a task or situation may be risky, trust yourself. “Use common sense. If you think something is dangerous, it probably is. Take a step back, assess the situation and if you need, watch a fencing instructional video for tips,” says Taylor, of the many fencing how-to videos available at https://fencing.bekaert.com.
Have more questions? Taylor is one of many Fence Pros available to answer installation or product questions through Bekaert’s Ask The Fence Pro feature available on their website https://fencing.bekaert.com.
Keep animals safe with the right wire
Animal type and their safety needs are important factors to consider before putting up a fence.
“Fencing isn’t a one-size-fits-all product. Some animals are easier to fence in than others – and depending on the animal, some fence styles pose safety risks,” Taylor says.
Finding the best fence style to meet containment needs and animal safety depends on animal type, fence location and stocking density. Based on his experience and Bekaert’s more than 140 years of research and development, here are Taylor’s suggestions to keep animals and their owners safe.
Tension: Tension is a consideration for all animals. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s recommendations for post spacing and tension. “If a horse is spooked and runs into the fence, you want to make sure the tension is correct, not too tight, enabling the wire to react and flex to prevent injury,” Taylor says.
Cattle: Because cattle are rather easy to fence in, a variety of wire types and styles work well. Stocking density is the largest factor to consider when selecting fence for cattle.
“Depending on stocking density, a fence is either a physical barrier or a mental barrier,” Taylor says.
High stocking density recommendations are:
High tensile woven wire;
Four to six strands of high tensile barbed wire; and
Four to six strands of high tensile smooth wire, two to three strands of which are electric.
Low stocking density recommendations include the same designs as above for barbed and smooth wires. However, fewer wires can safely be used.
Horses: Taylor recommends using an S-knot 2-inch-by-4-inch non-climb woven wire design for horses. The S-knot does not catch on their hide if they rub up against it and the 2-inch-by-4-inch opening will not allow a foal’s hoof through, making it safer for the animals.
“Horses have a tendency to kick or paw at a fence, so openings need to be small. I’ve heard if you can put a soda can through a fence opening, a foal’s hoof can get caught.”
He also strongly encourages horse owners to avoid barbed wire because of the risk to horses’ hides. Avoid installing any woven wire fence with larger openings.
Goats and sheep: Because of a goat’s tendency to stick their head through a fence, Taylor recommends keeping openings larger than 6 inches or 4 inches or smaller.
Hogs: Two options work well for free-range hogs: 35-inch-tall, fixed-knot woven wire fence or three to four strands of high tensile smooth wire that are electrified.
“The key to electric fencing is to train your animals to the fence. You can keep a lot of animals in with an electric fence. But if you just put it up, and don’t train them, they will go right through it. They need to learn to respect it.”
