Twin Strand Barbed Wire & Stock fence. Question.

Firefly

Well-Known Member
Hi,
It's that time of year when fawns are getting caught by the back leg as they have gained enough confidence to jump the fences.
The main culprit seems to be twin strand barbed wire over stock fence and indeed all the deer I have found or been called out to, have been caught like this this and the leg is also caught in the stock fence.

Recommendations for minimising this seem to be a single strand of barbed wire over the stock fence. My landowner has asked my why this reduces the incidence of Fawns getting caught up ?

So my question is...is it because a single strand is slightly lower than a double strand fence ? can anyone please explain to me the precise mechanism of deer getting caught and why a single strand reduces the likelihood ?

Many Thanks,

Ff
 
It is that it is slightly lower that it reduces the instances of deer caught in fences, but round our way, we have 1 strand on the top and one on the bottom under the stock netting and I find lots of dead deer in fences, what they tend to do is get the leg (usually back leg) caught in between the barbed wire and the stocknetting then the only way of getting out is if someone flips them back over the fence to the side they jumped from. Two strands just adds another chance of getting legs caught between layers!
 
5774135213_86729cb89f_b.jpg

As far as the cases i have seen here and abroad where this occurs the action of the foot/leg going behind the top line and down infront of the second while the animal is going forwards lifts the bottom wire up and they twist together, the very high tension in modern fencing does not help as this action almost cuts into the leg and is almost impossible to resolve with out assistance, normally wire cutters.
 
View attachment 46919

As far as the cases i have seen here and abroad where this occurs the action of the foot/leg going behind the top line and down infront of the second while the animal is going forwards lifts the bottom wire up and they twist together, the very high tension in modern fencing does not help as this action almost cuts into the leg and is almost impossible to resolve with out assistance, normally wire cutters.

That's exactly what happens, the worst culprit is slack wires keep the top wires tensioned and its not that much of a problem if the wires are kept tight enough they cant twist when a leg goes between them.
 
single strand.jpgMulti-strand.jpg Can't see what difference the construction of the barbed wire would make to deer safety. Multiple lines might make a difference.
 
We had a doe the other week which had jumped the fence but then got caught between the two strands of barb wire. Cut the wire but she had either broken or dislocated her back leg as it was being dragged behind her. I will have to ask my client what the damage was next time we talk.

If the deer stand on the top strand they would be ok but standing on the lower one is what catches them. As they go over their legs will push against the top strand and the bottom strand springs up as they try to jump off, result is the two strands completely trapping the leg either side in a vice like grip.

I have tried looking for likely areas where the deer will jump the fence and cut one strand and this is normally a short piece of fence between a hedgerow to fill a gap.

We have an area where the deer are going under a fence where the forestry commission are going to renew the fence soon and they have agreed to leave this for the deer to continue using it.
 
Elmer how do u manage to cut a strand of tension barbed wire without the whole fence going slack?
Even steepling and tying the barb of against the next post will only cause it to pull over

If u have regular routes/runs u would be better putting a timber rail between the 2 post so the deer have a solid and visible thing to jump over.
Wot type of deer are they? Fallow esp younger ones (usually under 2 yrs) tend to kick there back legs out as they jump and it's this extra kick that somehow gets them tangled
My local estate has tried a few different things, even in some cases just putting a net on with no barb and deer still get caught in the fence (between the top upright and top line wire).

I PTS any deer i find in a fence, while i'm sure some/most may recover when u skin them and see the damage caused, they must be in some pain. Most legs are on the verge of being dislocated and a lot of bruising and sinew/tendon damage, deer must be in a lot of pain.
I bet if u seen a recently released deer limping about u would watch it then probably shoot it to end its suffering.
 
just stop leaving the gap!
thats it

the extra 2-3 inches isn't stopping the livestock
use the twin strand barbed wire as the straining wire for the mesh and be done with it
 
explain please ?

its the gap between the top strands and/or the mesh part that catches feet
granted you may still catch a few if the top strand is against the top of the mesh but it is likely to be a lot fewer

this action of the foot going between the top strand gap and the mesh is the most common by far
the foot then slips back into the mesh part and the top strand locks it, levered into place with the deer's own weight

eliminate the gap and you eliminate the lever

deer_fence_wras@body.JPG
 
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but all you do then is shift the problem to the next section of the fence admittedly it will lessen the % caught jumping as the fence will be lower BUT as a farmer i can tell you sheep wire without something above it either barbed or plain wire will get pushed down by cattle and jumped by sheep too
 
Elmer how do u manage to cut a strand of tension barbed wire without the whole fence going slack?
Even steepling and tying the barb of against the next post will only cause it to pull over

If u have regular routes/runs u would be better putting a timber rail between the 2 post so the deer have a solid and visible thing to jump over.
Wot type of deer are they? Fallow esp younger ones (usually under 2 yrs) tend to kick there back legs out as they jump and it's this extra kick that somehow gets them tangled
My local estate has tried a few different things, even in some cases just putting a net on with no barb and deer still get caught in the fence (between the top upright and top line wire).

I PTS any deer i find in a fence, while i'm sure some/most may recover when u skin them and see the damage caused, they must be in some pain. Most legs are on the verge of being dislocated and a lot of bruising and sinew/tendon damage, deer must be in a lot of pain.
I bet if u seen a recently released deer limping about u would watch it then probably shoot it to end its suffering.

As I said, what I am looking for is where a short piece of fence has been put up where a hole has been created in the hedgerow,(probably by the deer which have crossed by here regularly) Its normally only a mtr or so wide so no real tension but enough to trap the deer when they hop over. I have suggested putting a rail on the top instead of barb but he reckons the cows just push against them and snap them eventually. The deer we had last week was a young doe with her first fawn which luckily had stopped suckling as the does teats were dry.
 
but all you do then is shift the problem to the next section of the fence admittedly it will lessen the % caught jumping as the fence will be lower BUT as a farmer i can tell you sheep wire without something above it either barbed or plain wire will get pushed down by cattle and jumped by sheep too


It shouldn't at the strainer is still there and still barbed
if it is too low then lift it 4" and remove the gap

not too many sheep can get under 4" gap

it is most definitely a case of :
mind_the_gap.jpg
 
It shouldn't at the strainer is still there and still barbed
if it is too low then lift it 4" and remove the gap

not too many sheep can get under 4" gap

it is most definitely a case of :
mind_the_gap.jpg

Are u kidding? U'd be amazed at the gaps sheep can get throu esp hill blackie's, i've seen large stags get under deer fences with very small gaps even wearing there hat stand

If u have ever done much fencing? Very hard to get a constant gap under a fence away without the top line looking like a hoor's breek's

With modern breeds of cattle esp ur commercial contentail types u do need 2 if not 3 strands of barb on top of the net.
Ur farmer is right cattle will just lean and scratch on plain rails breaking them, u can steeple barb on to the rail.

Another thing that should work is tying/cable tying a peice of ply inbetween the 2 barbs so they cannot spin or get legs caught between them.
A local estate hs tried everything even with no barb u still get deer caught in fences.


Think i have some photos of the damage that is caused by being caught in a fence, i would never release 1 again.
 
I use feather edge board (cheaper than ply ) 11/2 m long cut to the distance between strands ,hole in each corner , cable tie to strands , it leaves the barb wire still doing its job but stops the deer putting their legs between either the two strands of barb or between the middle strand and the stock fence , which I find traps more deer than between the top two strands .Since I started using this(three years ago) ive only had two deer caught in the fences which is significantly down on the previous three years .
 
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