Field and woven wire fence in Ohio and Pennsylvania

Who field and woven wire fence suits

Field and woven wire fence suits farms with mixed or small stock, long property lines and fields that need a tight bottom. It is the mesh fence you see along pastures, with horizontal line wires tied together by vertical stay wires. It holds sheep, goats and calves where a few strands of wire would not, and it keeps dogs and small wildlife out of a garden or a hay field.

Solid Rock Fencing builds field and woven wire fence in Ohio and Pennsylvania from our base in Bristolville. It often pairs with a top board or a barbed or electric strand, and it needs strong ends. For the wider picture see the farm and ranch fence page. If horses are involved, read the horse fence page first, since mesh pattern matters for them.

• Pastures with sheep, goats or young stock that slip through open strands.
• Long runs where wood rail would cost more than the job justifies.
• Garden, orchard and yard fence meant to keep dogs and small animals out or in.
• Property lines that need a legal livestock fence in Ohio, since woven wire is part of the preferred partition fence.

What woven wire is made of

Woven wire is steel wire in two directions, a set of horizontal line wires spaced closer at the bottom, tied to vertical stay wires at set intervals. The details that decide how well it works are the wire gauge, the zinc coating, the stay spacing and how the wires are joined. University of Georgia Extension describes woven wire fence as 26 to 48 inches high, with horizontal wires about 1.5 inches apart at the bottom and up to about 9 inches apart at the top.

Gauge

Wire gauge is a thickness number where a lower number means thicker wire. The Ohio NRCS woven wire specification calls for standard woven wire with top and bottom wires of 10 gauge or heavier, intermediate wires and stays of 14.5 gauge or heavier, stays no more than 12 inches apart, and staples of 9 gauge. High tensile smooth wire is 12.5 gauge. UGA gives an example with 11 gauge stays and intermediates and top and bottom wires two sizes heavier.

Galvanizing

Galvanizing is the zinc coating that slows rust, and heavier coating lasts longer. UGA says Class 3 galvanizing has roughly two to three times the zinc of Class 1, and that it can easily add 5 to 10 years of life to fence wire in a humid climate like Georgia's. That is a Georgia figure and not an Ohio one. The Massachusetts NRCS standard calls for 12.5 gauge high tensile wire at 170,000 psi with Class 3 galvanizing. When you get a quote, ask which class the wire is.

Knot types and stay spacing

Stay spacing is the choice that most affects safety for the animal. The University of Illinois found that 2 by 6 inch stays stop animals from sticking their heads through, 6 by 6 inch stays can trap animals, and 6 by 12 inch stays let animals pull their heads back without getting caught. Langston University says 12 inch stays are preferred for horned goats because 6 inch stays can catch horns and trap the goat.

The wire joint comes in two common forms. A fixed knot is a rigid wrap that holds the stay square to the line wire, and a hinge joint is a wrap that lets the stay flex. Makers sell both in several heights and stay spacings. We cannot cite a study that ranks them, so ask the builder which product is in the quote and why it was chosen for your stock.

Stretching and bracing woven wire

Woven wire is stretched tight between braced ends, and the bracing does most of the work. UGA says a corner or end post can see about 3,000 pounds of pull when wire is first stretched, rising to about 4,500 pounds in winter cold. That pull is why every end, corner, gate and long pull needs a brace assembly.

1. Set the end and corner assembliesPosts and H-braces go in first and are left to settle before wire goes on.
2. Roll the wire out along the lineUnroll it along the fence line and check the height, the stay spacing and any damage.
3. Stretch with a stretcher barTension is applied across the whole height of the wire, not at one strand.
4. Fasten to the line postsStaples are driven so the wire is held but not crushed, and the hold is checked on the way.
5. Tie off at the next assemblyWire is cut and tied to the end post, then the line is checked for even tension.
6. Check the tension againWire settles, so the line is looked over after it has had time to work.

Langston University says to stretch woven wire until the kinks flatten to about two-thirds of their original height, and that straightening them fully is not recommended. Ohio NRCS allows no more than 660 feet between pull assemblies on standard woven wire, or 1,320 feet on high tensile woven wire.

The H-brace is the usual assembly. University of Wisconsin Extension places the brace post 8 to 10 feet from the end post, and says it can be slightly smaller than the end post but must be set just as deep. Ohio NRCS asks for the horizontal cross member to be 4 to 5 inches in diameter and at least 8 feet long, with H-brace posts 3 feet deep when posts are 8 feet long, and 4 feet or deeper with 9 foot posts in deep or sandy soils.

Wood posts versus steel posts

Wood posts suit the ends, corners and gates, and steel posts can serve as line posts when the ground and animals allow. Ohio NRCS asks for wood line posts at least 30 inches below ground and steel line posts at least 21 inches, and says if soil depth is under 28 inches, use steel T-posts. It allows line posts up to 16 feet apart on standard woven wire and 18 feet on high tensile woven wire.

Our job photos include a heavy post carrying woven wire through snow. Heavy posts like that do two things in cold country. They resist leaning when stock push, and they stay put when the ground freezes. University of Wisconsin Extension says freeze-thaw in silt and clay soils can push dug posts out of the ground, so sand and gravel backfill, tamped as you go, is the usual answer. National Research Council Canada says frost heave needs fine-grained soil, water and a freezing plane. Posts set below local frost depth resist heave.

Dogs, sheep, goats and deer

Each animal looks for a different weakness in mesh, so the stock decides the details. A fence that works for sheep can fail for a determined dog or a goat that climbs. The heights and patterns below are what the sources give. Where they give no number, we say so.

• Dogs. Mesh with close horizontal wires near the ground is harder to squeeze under. Our research found no sourced dog fence figures, so we judge by the dog, the soil and whether the bottom edge needs extra attention. A determined digger may need more than mesh.
• Sheep. Ohio NRCS gives 42 inches minimum, and University of Tennessee says barbed wire is less effective because barbs collect wool.
• Goats. Langston says 48 inches contains goats except under extreme circumstances. Oklahoma State says woven wire for goats should be at least 39 inches high.
• Deer. Our research found no sourced deer fence height, so we do not quote one. Deer fence is a separate design question, and a tall fence puts far more load on posts and bracing than a pasture fence does.

Repairing slack woven wire

Slack woven wire usually means a post has moved, a staple has pulled, or the wire has stretched, and the fix starts with the cause. Retightening a line against a leaning end post only moves the problem down the fence. Our fence repair service covers this work, and many fence companies only build new fence.

1. Find the causeWalk the line and look at the end posts, braces and the lowest wire first.
2. Fix the anchorReset a leaning end or add a brace before touching the wire.
3. Restaple or splicePulled staples are replaced with 9 gauge ones, and a broken wire is spliced.
4. Restretch to the kinksTension is brought back until the kinks flatten to about two-thirds of their height.
5. Replace what cannot be savedVirginia Tech says smooth wire needs replacing when rusty or stretched.

Mississippi State Extension notes that when a corner post moves half an inch, mild-steel barbed wire loses over 20 percent of its tension, against about 10 percent for high tensile.

Common failures and what causes them

Mistakes to avoid

• Stretching wire before the ends are braced and settled.
• Choosing a stay spacing that can trap a head or horn.
• Using lumber rated only for above-ground use as posts.
• Pulling woven wire flat to remove every kink. Langston says not to.
• Running barbed wire in a goat, sheep or horse field.

What affects the price of field and woven wire fence

Solid Rock Fencing offers a 10 year workmanship warranty, with written terms provided with the estimate. It covers workmanship defects, not weather, impact, animals or normal wood aging.

Call 811 before any digging. Ohio uses OHIO811 and Pennsylvania uses PA One Call, and our call 811 page explains who calls and when.

Questions we hear