3 ms·

What's wrong with barbed wire fences?

• chris1993 5y ago
  Expensive to maintain and injure stock.
  • jessaustin 5y ago
    Barbed wire fence is cheaper and easier to build than e.g. chain-link fence or welded pipe fence. It doesn't injure cattle. I have seen horses injured by barbed wire, but horses are sort of a special case.
• glenngillen 5y ago
  They’re a real pain to move. The article barely covers the myriad benefits of being able to have a collar like this to do virtual herding/fences: * more flexible and appropriate sizing of grazing areas based on current herd size and where the grass is literally greenest * the above can also increase dairy yield per sq/m by a considerable amount (I can’t recall the exact numbers I was quoted) * multiple startups I’ve spoken to in this area also think they’ll be able to use on device biometric sensors to detect when cows need to urinate. Before that happens herd them to dedicated area or drainage pans. Again expected increases in yields and less pasture damage. * biometrics also provide early indicators of potential health issues. Nothing wrong with wire fences though. They’ve clearly worked fine for over a hundred years.
• h2odragon 5y ago
  Insurance companies have started requiring folks to remove them or pay extra for liability coverage from them. Someone told me the cost difference was worth swapping to electric fences and losing up to 6 cattle a year. I don't think they're accounting for who gets sued when their cows wander into the highway, tho.