Pigs and poly rope

Still trying to figure out what to do with some of my timber ground and one thing I thought of is raising hogs. The property has a boundary fence made of woven wire. I am going to use regular electric fence wire on that but for the temporary fence to divide it into paddocks, has anyone tried the poly rope electric wire? I am wanting to use the poly rope so the pigs can see it easier so when I go to move them they won't be scared of the nearly invisible wire that was previously shocking them. Also it would be good for the dogs and me to see easier. Also, will the rope shock as good as the regular wire? Thanks!!!

Will kill a lot of your trees. Coyotes can be a big problem. Farrow or finish only??

farrow. Hoping the Great Pyrenees I have and the woven wire perimeter fence will lessen the predator loss.

Few things harder on standing timber than hogs. Hogs are smart, what is your plan for capture when the electric fence fails? "Cats look down on us, dogs look up to us but hogs look at us as equals

Can't comment on the electric fence aspect, but one thing to think about is that most state's DNR/DEC/EnCon department or whatever they're called in your area take a VERY dim view of free-range pig operations nowadays due to the feral hog problem. Even the latest "pastured pork" craze has drawn fire in many areas as it only takes one pregnant sow getting loose and before you know it you're waist-deep in feral pigs. Had a friend who tried what you're trying probably 10 years ago, and he spent half the summer chasing pigs--even with good fencing and good feed inside they (especially the smaller ones) were constantly getting out. Never did catch a couple, but I'm guessing the coyotes did, as after a few reports of sightings they dropped off the local radar.

It's more of what the rope or wire is made
up of. I had rope but it was made up small
pieces of wire as soon as it streched the
wires lost contact and became in effect
junk I was using it on calves one thing
that will be your friend is a good tester.
The best way I found was a double wire and
pigs will bury the bottom one so to prevent
that I angled the wire so the top wire was
at least 6 to 8 inches farther in then the
bottom wire. That way as they had nose down
they would get it in the back fun to watch.
Another thing to remember electric wire is
like a water hose the bigger it is the more
you get through. Biggest mistake I've seen
guys do is buy cheap wire or fencers get
new Zealand style they will last a long
time. If done correctly pigs will build
your woodlot. Google joel salatin. I think
that's close. Where are you located in
Wisconsin they have pasture walks different
farm's get to show off the good things and
yes some of these things that didn't work.
Don't worry about the neighborhood I've
heard it said so many times that won't work
yet a couple years down the road the
neighbor's copy me.

I've raised hogs farrow to finish for many years. Two weeks ago I sent every pig on down the
road. I've never been more relieved. That's another story.

The only time I ever had luck with hot wire hogs was sows after weaning litters of piglets. Hogs
ALWAYS get out. The sows would come back later that day to see their kids. Cattle will get bitten
from a fence and learn its boundaries not to test it again for some time. Whether it's intelligence or
stupidity, hogs will test it everyday on the off chance that it might be grounded out. If it isn't they
will work on it a while and find something they can jam in it. Then they will con the littlest one into
checking to see if it is still live. When he gets shocked they will all act surprised and run around
like a fire drill. Then they work on it 10 minutes and see if they can con runt into testing it again.
Usually they can. I think they tell them it will help him grow or be in the "in" crowd. Hog peer
pressure. My ham is better than your ham kind of thing.

If you are set on it I would start by ringing EVERY nose on the place then I would run a hot wire
eight inches up about a foot in from the perimeter fence. Of course that means you have to
Roundup or weed whip the perimeter. Hogs are a unique bunch - a wire a few inches off the
ground keeps them in if it stays hot. They don't have a "jump over it" gene and won't lift their head
to look up if they are intent on it.

Let them out there each day and pull them at night. I've had the best luck doing it this way. They
are like dogs - after about three days they know when you come and call them it is time to come
in. Night is the witching hour for hogs. If they are in a hot wire over night they WILL find a way out.
Then your neighbors will do that thing where they sigh before they talk to you - like you are
operating a hospital for lepers out behind the barn. Unless they want a free ham.

Darn it, I forgot the point. Use wire. If you use anything poly you with be splicing it all day. The second it is off they will chew it. They can see that little wire just fine. They stare at it like it is whispering to them. I've sworn for years I had old sows that could hear if it was on if they stared at it. Anything chewable is just asking for repairs with hogs. Remember, a pen of hogs is like a pen of puppies no matter the hogs' age.

A big DITTO on everything 'notjustair' said!

I once had a gal work for me who came from a very religious farm family. She told me once the only time she ever heard her father swear was when the hogs got out.

Nose rings Solves a lot of those problems but don't let the animal huggers see you installing them.

Well first off your timber ground will be mostly worthless after you have hogs in it very long. The hogs will ruin just about every tree in that they can get too. They destroy the roots around the base of the tree and often will eat/pull the bark off right at the ground to eat. If your wanting to clear the ground out for other stuff then fine but if you think the trees will still be there after the hogs you will be in for a surprise.

Second electric fence will not keep hogs in very sell. Sows are the worst at this. They are older and smarter than feeder pigs. I have use electric fence to split a corn field for hogs. They will get out a lot when they are first let in the field. A hog jumps forward when hit with the electric and they run right through the fence. Then as they get used to it they will find any place that is grounded out and get out. They can "feel" the electric by just getting close to the fence. So a rain or heavy fog will draw the fence down and they will be out. So you had better like chasing hogs in the dark when it is raining. That is when mine would all ways get out.

If your going to pasture farrow then install woven wire hog fence with two strands of barbed wire on the bottom. One about two inches off the ground and one 4 inches higher than that. Then every mature hog will need nose rings. I mean plenty too not just one or two.

I had to pasture farrow hogs for the first twenty years I had hogs. The labor involved is way more than confinement farrowing. Even just farrowing in a concrete yard outside is way better. Working on the piglets is a real challenge. I finally got to feeding the sows on a concrete slab with a wall around it. This way all the pigs got used to coming into that so I could pin them to sort them when I needed to work on them.

Guys are using hoop buildings on gravel to farrow in around here and that meets the nature requirements. They line sow huts down each side and after the piglets are a few weeks old they let all the hogs run together.

P.S. The poly rope will not work on hogs. It is not hot enough and the first time it is dead the hogs will destroy it. Neighbor tried it for some type of "natural" hog program he was in. He had hogs out all of the time. After a sow got hit by a car and the insurance company told him he no longer had any livestock coverage he put the hogs back in lots. If the insurance company know you have livestock that is commonly out they will deny claims. They asked around here when they have any type of road accident involving livestock.

This is from someone that raised hogs for over forty years. So do yourself a favor and if your going to pasture farrow do it in an area that has few trees and build some GOOD woven wire fence. I have seen electric used on the bottom side of woven wire fence with some success. It will help keep the hogs from rooting under the fence.

One thing I might add before I turned
the pigs out i had a break in pen it
had woven behind it and I used tape
with a twist in it to make it
flutter. I also ran the tape across
one corner to encourage them to try
and go underneath. I had a boar named
dofus. When he was first turned in he
tackled one side and got fried he
immediately went to the other side
and got it again then he ran to the
middle and did something I never seen
a boar do I guess the electric fence
got him turned on real good. Some
breeds of pigs are worse for rooting
then others. I constantly moved them
to fresh grass you will find out they
will clean out the brush and if you
don't leave them in one spot to long
they will leave trees alone.

We used to kid that one of the pigs had rubber boots and he'd check the electric fence every morning. They sure knew when the fence wasn't working.

A good woven wire fence is what will keep the hogs penned in. An electric fence alone won't always do the job. Use an electric fence to keep the hogs from tearing up a woven wire fence quit so fast.

stik with wire ,,. I always done real good with one wire keeping the sows in, trouble was I never could get them to cross were a wire once was , so keep a gate they can rub on and trust for moving them tothe next location ,.,the cows mite jump over but the hogs were easy to keep , but the sows occasionally would get out ,, but were easy sukers for a feed bucket and the sound of a stick banging on it , ,, I had 25 sows with about 10 cows in those days on about 15 acres of clover and orchard grass ,,. in the winter they got an additional 25 acres of crop land foraging to roam over,. always rotate pastures too ,.always gave them daily rations cows too ,mostly farrowed outside, used the warm farowing house from thanksgiving til easter. catching pigs was easy enuf ,feed thesows in the barn with a lower board missing , after 24 hours all the pigswill be in with the mommas I wouldset a sheet of plywood over the hole , then turn the mammas loose ,, it was at best a 2 person job,.. and yes hogs will kill a woods if you want it all to come down ,, in 10 yrs most everytree will be dead or d ying ,,. one other note ,, when I came here 30 yrs ago the gravel road was 12 ft at best and had grass growing in the middle in places ,I had few neighbors and all understood country living and livestock running at large occasionally ,, it was no big deal lest they got in someones garden ,, now the deer do FAR more damage if you do not fence your garden ,, now that county road is now 22 ft wide and paved,.folx will go 70 mph on the straight away where my pigs used to cross over to play in the old abandoned apple orchard that is now long gone ,.. son I could not farm like I did here as a young man ,,. times have changed in these parts