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Invisible fencing for cattle & other livestock?

3K views 9 replies 9 participants last post by  bassguy 
#1 ·
I did a search for this and came across a couple articles that were "theories" that it would work & wanted you to buy the full report - so no go for now.

Invisible fence works for dogs and other pets and use a collar with a battery powered shocker to shock the animal when it gets near the fence. The animal learns not to go near b/c of the shocks. It usually doesn't take long for most to learn.

The reason I ask is because it would probably cost almost the same to get collars (but larger than dog collars) and install fencing vs installing traditional fencing. The reason is because the traditional fencing would be a hindrance in many cases and a total impedance in others.

I'm wondering if this can or has been applied to cattle, sheep or goats. I know they use cattle prods which are much stronger than stun guns, so they respond to shocking. I would think the smaller animals may need less current (less batteries then) so different collars maybe needed.

Is this idea possible at all?
 
#2 ·
I dout it would work, particularly on cattle. Cattle seem to be able to work out when a electric fence isn't working in a very short time and go and reck it. My theory is they constantly test the fence but don't put any pressure on it and when it stops biting them they just walk over it. If this is he case, electric shocks don't hold a lot of fear for them. Remember years ago reading about some research being done on something like this(cant recall what they were using) but they were skiting that it worked something like 95% of the time. Not sure if that ment if you had 100 cattle, 5 would nick off on you or if it ment ever 100 days any given cow would get out 5 times. Any way you look at it, not very satisfactory.
 
#4 ·
Collars and batteries on cattle would require that your cattle are pets.

There are cultures that train cattle to be like pets, but it is rare in our culture.

We have pigs. They are very friendly and love to be pet / scratched. I have fitted chest harnesses on them before. But an electric fence is cheap. Pigs are easy to train to an electric fence, and the adults never challenge it.
 
#5 ·
Most people have enough trouble with conventional wire fences, and 2 strand electric fencing containing livestock. It is visible and the critters learn to stay away from it. We used to have some bulls from Mexico that could jump any fence around to get to the next bunch of cows.

I have seen lots of dogs and one wolf ignore invisible fencing. I can't imagine getting enough power to stop an animal the size of a bovine. Solar powered electric fence is probably your cheapest option for something that will work.
 
#7 ·
No way would this work on a cow. They need to SEE the obstacle: the fence wire. Nobody wants an intelligent cow, so intelligence has been bred out of them. A cow would have to be intelligent enough to realize there is current between wherever Point A and Point B run. They just wouldn't be able to do it.
 
#8 ·
Fox,
I beg to differ. We have bred cattle to be docile, not stupid. Cattle learn the country they live on and have collective memory, especially the old cows. They know where to go in a storm, when it is cold, where to always find water, etc. When ranchers are forced to sell off their herds, it takes years for the next herd to re-learn all of those lessons.
 
#9 ·
Fences are meant to be impedances. That's the point. It's not just the jolt that keeps the animals in, it's the resistance of the material. If you have any mind to keep your cattle, get a real fence and don't be cheap about it. Get the high tensile stuff and never look back.
 
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