cattle panel for a gate or fencing then you know how the nubs at the end of the panel can catch your clothes
and the sides of your livestock. Sheep crowd an entrance and the critters at the outside of the stream can get
painful gouges or severe rips in their hides.
When you cut down a panel with bolt cutters, the remaining stubs are longer and about as sharp as a scalpel.
Grinding nubs down is a poor solution, it takes lots of time and (if you're not very careful), you can leave shorter,
even sharper ends!
We have two solutions that we use.
1. Panels that end at a post are cut long enough to leave horizontal wire protruding 4 - 6 inches beyond the
post. Place a short length of pipe over the wire and bend it around the post. The ends are tucked with fencing
pliers.
2. If the panel just ends (like a gate), we drill and split plastic tubing or even an old garden hose. Slide the tube
lengthwise over the end wire and secure it with wire ties.
The photos below illustrate the problem and the solution...
right show close ups
of the two methods.
Method (1) is illustra-
ted by the shot on
the left.
Method (2) is shown
in the right photo.
Be careful when you
use the first method
to protect against
the nubs. If the
ends aren't tucked
they can still cause a
lot of damage.
Method (2) is better
but takes a lot of
time.
herded into the crowding area of our chute.
The second photo is of a gate that leads from the yard to the livestock area. The dogs are always eager in the
morning and have cut themselves many times in the past. Not so any more!
We haven't lost a tuft of fur or a drop of blood since wrapping the ends back. Notice the healthy pin holders
that secure the gate against intrusion by two big (yet friendly) Akbash guard dogs that think they should have
yard privileges from time to time.
The pair of graphics on the right show an entrance to our arena that was unfinished. The left shot shows the
end of the panel after the sheep used this gate only twice! The right image is of the same post after wrapping
and tucking the ends of the wire. Protection of the livestock wasn't the only benefit here. The panel no longer
catches and isn't as subject to damage and the post is much more secure with 8 or 9 heavy steel wires
embracing it.
