Livestock Fence Installation: Wire Matched to Cattle, Goats and Sheep
Livestock fencing is wire fence chosen for a specific animal: how big it is, how hard it pushes, and whether it climbs or crawls. QC Fence Contractors installs and replaces cattle, goat and sheep fence for landowners in the counties around Charlotte.
Pick the Fence by the Animal, Not by the Catalog
The most common mistake we see is a fence bought for one species and asked to hold another. A five strand barbed wire fence that has kept cattle in for decades will not slow a goat down. Field fence that holds sheep can be flattened by a bull that wants what is on the other side.
Three things decide the design. The first is pressure: how much weight leans on the fence and how often. The second is the smallest animal you need to stop, which sets the opening size at the bottom. The third is what you need to keep out, since dogs and coyotes are a bigger threat to sheep and goats than to cattle.
Livestock Fencing: Specifications
| Cattle perimeter | 4 to 5 strands barbed or high-tensile wire |
|---|---|
| Goat fence | Woven wire, 4 in by 4 in openings, about 4 ft tall |
| Sheep fence | Woven wire with close bottom spacing |
| Posts | Pressure-treated wood with steel T-posts between |
| Bracing | H-braces at corners, ends, gates and long pulls |
| Options | Electric offset strands, tube gates, working pens |
Best Uses for Livestock Fencing
- Cattle pasture on larger tracts
- Goat lots and brush-clearing herds
- Sheep pasture that needs predator resistance
- Mixed herds sharing one perimeter
- Replacing rusted or slack field fence
Cattle Fence: Barbed Wire, High-Tensile and Woven Wire
Cattle respect a fence they have learned to avoid. On open pasture, four or five strands of barbed wire on wood and steel posts is still the standard perimeter because it covers ground economically and cattle hide tolerates it. High-tensile smooth wire does the same job with fewer posts and is easy to electrify, which trains cattle to stay off it.
Where cattle are crowded, the fence has to be stronger. Around working pens, feeding areas and anywhere calves are weaned across a fence from their mothers, we recommend woven wire or board. Calves also slip between barbed strands that hold a grown cow, so cow and calf operations often run woven wire with a barbed strand above it.
Goat and Sheep Fence: Small Openings and a Tight Bottom Wire
Goats test fence constantly. They stand on it, rub along it, and push their heads through any opening that looks interesting. Horned goats then get stuck, because the horns go through forward and catch on the way back. Woven wire with 4 inch by 4 inch openings solves this, since the opening is too small for the head. Fence height of 4 feet handles most breeds.
Sheep are easier on a fence but go under it, and they are the animal predators come for. The bottom wire has to sit tight to the ground along the whole line, including through dips. Woven wire with close spacing at the bottom, often paired with an electric strand low on the outside, keeps sheep in and makes it harder for dogs and coyotes to dig or push through.
How QC Fence Builds a Livestock Fence
A wire fence is only as good as its end assemblies. A stretched run of woven wire pulls hard on each corner, all day, for the life of the fence. We set corner and end posts deep, build H-braces at every corner, end and gate, and add brace assemblies in the middle of long straight pulls.
Line posts are driven where the ground allows. A driven post sits in undisturbed soil and is tighter from day one than a post in a dug hole. Wire is unrolled along the line, attached at one end and pulled with a stretcher bar so the tension is even from top to bottom. On woven wire, we stretch until the tension crimps in the horizontal wires are about half flattened, which leaves room for the wire to tighten in cold weather. Wire goes on the animal side of the posts, so pressure pushes it against the post and not off the staples.
Signs a Livestock Fence Is Due for Replacement
You are probably there if you are fixing fence every week. Look for brace posts that have lifted or leaned, wire that has rusted from silver to brown along its full length, strands that snap when you try to tighten them, and wood posts you can rock by hand. Patching with new wire spliced into rusted wire buys a season at most, because the old wire breaks next to the splice.
On a replacement we take out the old wire and posts, clear the trees and brush that have grown into the line, and rebuild from new corners. If you are changing species, say from cattle to goats, replacement is when to change the wire type as well. We can work in sections so stock can be moved field to field while the fence is down.
Keeping Stock In Is a Legal Duty in North Carolina
North Carolina law forbids allowing livestock to run at large. The statute, G.S. 68-16, makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor. Liability for damage done by loose animals is a separate question for an attorney. A sound perimeter fence is the practical way to meet that duty. South Carolina has its own stock laws, and county and town zoning can limit which animals may be kept on a parcel at all, so confirm the rules for your address before building.
The Piedmont clay around Charlotte holds posts well, though rock is common and the rolling ground creates low points. A bottom wire that floats several inches above a dip is an open door for a goat or a lamb. We anchor low posts so the wire follows the grade.
Questions About Livestock Fencing
What kind of fence is best for goats?
Woven wire with 4 inch square openings, about 4 feet tall, on well-braced posts. The small opening keeps heads and horns out of the fence. Many owners add one electric strand on the inside at about nose height to stop goats from standing and rubbing on the wire, which is what wears a goat fence out.
Will barbed wire hold goats or sheep?
Not reliably. Goats and sheep walk between or under barbed strands, and wool and hair protect them from the barbs. Barbed wire is a cattle fence. For small stock, use woven wire. A single barbed or electric strand along the top or bottom of woven wire is a common addition, but it is not a substitute for the mesh.
How many strands of barbed wire do cattle need?
Four or five strands is typical for a perimeter. Five gives a tighter fence for calves and for boundaries along a road. Interior cross fences sometimes run three or four. Spacing between strands is closer near the bottom and wider at the top, with the top wire usually around 4 feet off the ground.
What is high-tensile fence?
High-tensile fence uses smooth, strong steel wire pulled to a set tension and held there with in-line tighteners and springs. Because the wire carries the load, line posts can be much farther apart than on a conventional fence. It is often electrified. It needs heavier corner bracing than other wire fence because the tension is higher.
Can one fence hold cattle, goats and sheep together?
Yes, if it is built for the smallest and most determined animal. That generally means goat-spaced woven wire tall enough for cattle, with a strand of barbed or electric wire on top so cattle do not lean over and crush it. It costs more per foot than a cattle-only fence.
Do you install electric fence for livestock?
We install electrified high-tensile fence and add offset electric strands to woven wire and board fence. An electric strand keeps animals from leaning on the fence, which extends its life. You will need a charger sized to the length of fence and a proper ground system, and we can go over both at the estimate.
Am I responsible if my livestock get out in North Carolina?
North Carolina's stock law, G.S. 68-16, makes it a Class 3 misdemeanor to allow livestock to run at large. We are fence contractors and not attorneys, so ask a lawyer about liability for damage caused by loose animals. What we can do is build a perimeter that keeps your animals where they belong.
Related Fences and Services
- Farm Fencing
- Woven Wire and No-Climb Fencing
- Barbed Wire and Razor Wire
- Horse Fencing
- Ranch Fence Styles
- Request a Free Fence Estimate
Areas We Serve
QC Fence Contractors installs and replaces fencing across the Charlotte metro in North Carolina and South Carolina. Pick the area closest to the property:
- Fence contractors in Belmont, NC
- Fence contractors in Huntersville, NC
- Fence contractors in Charlotte, NC
- Fence contractors in Matthews, NC
- Fence contractors in Ashbrook, NC
- Fence contractors in Harrisburg, NC
- Fence contractors in Concord, NC
- Fence contractors in Rock Hill, SC
- Fence contractors in Ballantyne, NC
- Fence contractors in Gastonia, NC
Listed under Farm, Horse and Livestock Fencing in our full list of fence types we install.
Free Estimate: Livestock Fencing
Tell us about the property and what you want the fence to do. Or call (833) 691-3387.