| Author |
Coming Home to the Land:  Mending Fences  |
|
|
Sarah Blue
outbound
37 Posts
Squaw Valley
California
USA
37 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 08:24:18 AM
|
Well, I live on 100 acres, fenced by barbed wire. I don't know when these fences were built; they've been here my whole life. As you can imagine, they're so brittle they break instead of stretching like they should. What an intimidating task - all that fencework. We're tackling it one section at a time, slowly but surely. One section was mended by a neighbor because his bulls kept coming over to visit our cows. Otherwise, we don't have many other neighbors, and you know how neighbors can be when it comes time to mend the fences. What neighbors?
My wonderful city boy boyfriend has had some fence building lessons from cowboy friends and replaced a 1,000 foot stretch himself not too long ago. My contribution was attaching all those clips that hold the barbed wire to the steel posts, not an easy job I must say. Corral mending is more my speed and we did a bunch of that last week when I took a week off work to catch up on things around here. Tore down an old loading chute and used all the old boards to fix other fences. Now, that was rewarding. I even saved the scraps and am using them to make something for a swap on MJF. Don't tell though. It's a surprise for whoever my swap partner is 
"i believe in god, i just spell it nature." - frank lloyd wright
http://www.myspace.com/svgrrrl |
|
|
Jen
Expedition Leader
1384 Posts
Jennifer
Calico Rock
AR
USA
1384 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 08:52:38 AM
|
Sounds like a huge project! Around here, we need to rig up some deer fence (either electric or just higher field fence) to protect our garden/orchard area - which amounts to about an acre right now!
The View From My Boots: www.bovesboots.blogspot.com
|
 |
|
|
Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 09:30:30 AM
|
wow! That sounds like a huge project! What are you doing with the old brittle fence?
Elizaray |
|
|
|
Sarah Blue
outbound
37 Posts
Squaw Valley
California
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 6:48:00 PM
|
I've enjoyed what I've learned about building and mending fences so far, but yeah it's a big project - one I'll be glad to be finished with someday! The old fence gets hauled to the dump. I don't know a use for rusty old barbed wire, do you? The wood scraps are great though. They're covered with lichen!
A coupla things I've learned so far, which you probably already know - when working with wood fences and removing boards and nails, a crowbar is a better friend than your hammer because of all the leverage you get. And when removing steel posts or even wooden ones from hard ground, invest a few bucks in a post puller to make the job less of a headache, or use a jack and a chain to pull them out.
"i believe in god, i just spell it nature." - frank lloyd wright
http://www.myspace.com/svgrrrl |
|
|
|
marybeth
outstepping
146 Posts
Marybeth
Washington
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 7:37:07 PM
|
Fencing is a chore that is never, ever finished. We have a small place with horses and I had to fix one cross fence. I tore it down instead and the replaces everything but the posts with hot fence and, yeehaw! it worked perfectly. And the horses know it works. hehe I felt good because I accomplished it. I used to work with my husband and he did most of it, I was the helper, putting in the staples, stretching wire etc. He had a stroke 3 years ago and is pretty much bed ridden so I do feel good when I can finish a project perfectly. MB
Being outside is being |
|
|
|
Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 10:19:17 PM
|
Sarah Blue- I don't have any clue what you could use old barbed wire for. A small amount could probably be made into some sort of art work. I know I have seen barbed wire incorporated into scultures and frames before. Is there any way you could recycle the barbed wire in your area? As a horse enthusiast I personally am not a fan of the stuff myself. I would rather see wooden or plastic fences with a strand or two of electric if needed- but I also understand the necessity of using what is available and most cost effective.
Marybeth- Congrats on a project well done! You are too true- Fencing is never ever done. Just whe you get finished- it is time to start again. Let alone always checking to make sure that the latest storm did not weaken the fence or that the horses haven't stressed the fence etc... Where I grew up there are a few truths of the land. One of which is that if you don't like the weather- wait 5 minutes. Another is that fencing is always a work in progress. :)
Elizaray |
|
|
|
Mountain Girl
outrigged
237 Posts
JoAnn
Colville
WA
USA
237 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 07:25:16 AM
|
| Sarah Blue, I've seen wreaths, stars, swags made out of barb wire. I just googled barb wire wreaths and lots of pages showed up. JoAnn |
|
|
|
Sarah Blue
outbound
37 Posts
Squaw Valley
California
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 09:41:50 AM
|
I might like a wreath made out of barbed wire to hang on the barn, but we literally have miles of the stuff. I could/should go into a barbed wire wreath making business! The horses live near the barn and the fencing there is mostly board and some hotwire. I love using hotwire for the horses because they don't mess with it at all. The barbed wire is to keep the cows off the highway and out of the neighboring pastures. As much as we can afford to, we place hogwire at the bottom and 3 strands of barbed wire above that. The hogwire deters wandering dogs and prevents small calves from trying to slip through the wires. I know that fence mending is neverending but once we get everything replaced that needs to be it's gonna be a lot easier to maintain. Some of my ranching neighbors are in the same predicament, except they have thousands of acres fenced by barbed wire that is now rusting and brittle.
Just a funny sidenote about our fences. One night two bulls in a neighboring pasture got into it big time. It sounded like bears or monsters or something. In the morning, they were both in our pasture and a section of fence about 20 feet long was laying down flat like a semi truck rolled over it. The steel posts were bent down to the ground and the wooden posts were snapped off at the bases! Well, I didn't think it was funny then, but it was quite a sight.
"i believe in god, i just spell it nature." - frank lloyd wright
http://www.myspace.com/svgrrrl |
|
|
|
Elizaray
outspoken
680 Posts
Elizaray
680 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2007 : 12:32:05 PM
|
Bulls are one farm animal that intimidates me. I love cows, but will probably never own a bull. They are such powerful creatures!
Do you own the bulls too or is it just your neighbors?
Elizaray |
|
|
|
Ellen
outstepping
124 Posts
124 Posts |
|
| |
Coming Home to the Land: Mending Fences |
|
Mending Fences
