Tools for Sheep Fences

Perimeter fencing is crucial around the boundaries of sheep farms and grazing areas. Susan Schoenian, Sheep &Goat Specialist at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research &Education Center, says it is the "first line of defense against predators." She says five to seven strands of 12½ gauge high-tensile wire is suitable for sheep enclosures. Very few tools are needed to install the posts and wire for such a fence.

  1. Augur for Post Holes

    • Building good sheep fences requires just a few of the right tools.

      The first task will be digging the post holes. This can be done with a hand post-hole digger. To dig more than a few post holes, a tractor-powered augur may be needed. These can be rented at a home improvement store. They can drill a post hole eight inches wide and 36 inches deep. When a power augur is used, a hand post-hole digger will help widen holes if more than an eight-inch hole is needed. A long pry bar to dig out rocks is useful.

    Finishing Tools for Posts

    • A carpenter's level will be needed to make sure posts are square and plumb. The dirt around the post can be tamped down with a sledge hammer to make the post tight. When using T-posts in place of wooden fence posts, a T-post driver will be needed. The driver looks like a thin pipe with a handle affixed to it. It fits over the post. The weight of the driver and the handles on it to give the fence builder leverage to drive the post into the soil.

    Wire-Management Tools

    • The tool called the spin jenny is used to keep wire from tangling with it is being unrolled from the coil. It holds the wire while the fence builder pulls the wire into the working position. The fencing cannot be done without pliers to help the fence builder pull the wire off the spin jenny and bend or cut it. They are the most important tool once the wire work begins. Heavy work gloves are necessary when working with wire.

    Tools for Setting Wire to the Post

    • The wire will be attached to the wooden posts with staples or wound around the posts. The pliers are used to manage the wire when it is wrapped around the post. Fencing staples are hammered into wood. When T-posts are used, the wire will be tightened into the slots near the top of the post and affixed with fence clips. To set the wire tightly onto the T-posts, fence builders can find an array of fork-shaped tools that help lift the wire into the slot and tighten it. These are called T-post clip tools.

    Tension Tools

    • The sheep fence wire must be given tension to keep it from sagging. This is achieved by using in-line fence strainers. They are set into the fence line when installing the fence and periodically afterward to reset tension. The piece is a heavy aluminum cog with a blade-style latch. A strainer handle is used along with the strainer. The wire between the posts is fed through the strainer and the strainer handle is ratcheted to tighten the wire until a desired tension is achieved.