Farmer Joe’s Biggest Problem

I answered the phone…

“He got out again?” I asked Farmer Joe.

” Yes,” said farmer Joe, “The problem is that my goat keeps escaping from his pen and everything I try to stop him ends up breaking. He just broke my new wooden fence!”

“Have you tried using an electric fence?” I asked.

“No, I do not know what it is, how it works or if my goat will still be able to get out of it.” He said.

“Well I know a lot about electric fences!” I exclaimed.  “At Brambles Cottage in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, we learned a lot about electricity because we were taking care of many animals who were kept inside electric fences.”

“First of all, an electric fence is a fence made out of thin wires that are connected to a power source. The power source can be through solar energy or directly connected to the power grid. When an animal touches the wire, the fence will produce an electric shock and remind them that they are not supposed to leave” I said.

“How do the animals get a shock by touching the wire?” asked Farmer Joe.

“Electricity is always trying to find the fastest way to the ground. When the animal touches the wire the electricity travels through the animal’s body on the way to the ground and they get a shock.”

“But what are the steps to set up an electric fence?  Is it difficult?” asked
Farmer Joe.

“The first thing you need to do is gather up all of your equipment. You will need:

• Wooden posts with insulators attached to them
• Electric fencing wire

• Power source

Next, you need to make sure you prepare the land before hand by cutting the grass and bushes low to the ground where you would like your fence.  If you do not cut the grass and bushes low to the ground, anything that is touching the fence and the ground will drain the power.

The third thing you need to do is secure the wooden posts into the ground along the prepared pathways..

Then, thread the wire through the insulators attached to the wooden posts.

Next, use more wire to connect the power source to the fence.  In the photo below, a battery was used as the power source.

After that, test the amount of voltage running through the wires with a voltmeter to make sure your fence works.

Step one: secure tester probe into the ground.

Step two: touch the fence with the voltmeter to measure the voltage.

Finally, bring the animals into the pen…. But not before turning off the electricity!” I said.

“How do I know the electric fence will work better than my wooden one?” Farmer Joe asked.

“Well there is no guarantee it will work better than your wooden fence. There are some similarities and differences between an electric fence and a normal one.  One is not better than the other.

One similarity is that they are both structures which can be used to keep an animal in one area.

A difference is that the wooden fence is permanent while the electric fence is mobile.”

“Will the electric fence keep my goat from escaping?” Farmer Joe asked

“Not necessarily. There are some pros and cons about having the electric fence.”

Pros:

• It will keep most of your animals in the pen
• If one of the wires break, you can just tie a knot where it broke and it will work again

Cons:

• Electric fences can be dangerous for both humans and animals -If a person trips and falls on the fence or grabs onto it they will get shocked
• Some animals will not be bothered by the shock and will escape anyways.

“Thanks a lot for helping me Zoe! I think I will consider getting an electric fence.” said Farmer Joe.

“I am glad to help, bye” I said.

(This Farmer Joe is fictional but the facts in this story are true)