Ask The Expert - Zone or Cell Grazing For Cattle Using an Electric Fence

Here is a short blog to introduce zone grazing or cell grazing for cattle.  In this blog we relate how an electric fence system can help to get the best for your cattle and field by dividing it up in to a zone grazing or cell grazing system. Why would you want to consider this type of fencing?  Too get more and better quality grass to achieve better weight gain in cattle - and it really does work.

 

Zone Grazing or Cell Grazing For Cattle

 At Old Leckie Farm in Stirlingshire they use electric fencing to divide a field into zones or cells to create an efficient grazing system on a large 9 hectare field.

 

The Concept

The field - known as 'the big field' - is currently divided up in to 9 x 1 hectare zones or cells with electric fencing.  Within each of these sections 30 forward stores are grazed.  The cattle are moved every 2 or 3 days and rotated around the field section by section.

 

The Electric Fence Set Up

One battery operated energiser powers a double line of permanent electric fencing that runs almost the length of the field right along the middle.  Electric fence lines spur off this main electric fence and run out to the perimeter fence of the field.  These fences are attached at each end with gate handles – one on to the permanent live line at the start and then on to an insulator screwed into a wooden post on the perimeter fence.  Each electric fence has two lines of polywire and these are connected with line to line connectors to ensure a good transfer of power between the two live parallel lines in the temporary fence.  Using the gate handles at each end makes the fencing very quick and easy to move and reconnect if necessary.

If you are interested in a similar electric fence set up please get in touch to discuss your requirements.
We have ready made cattle strip grazing kits avalialbe in our shop

How Long Has This Fencing Been in Place

At Old Leckie Farm they have been using this type of electric fencing grazing system on this particular field for 4 years.  They have found that it mazimises grass growth, gives fresh grass to the cattle, improves the cattle growth rate and also that they can keep more cattle on this field than they could do previously when they had the whole field grazed at one time.

Water Supply

Water is provided by water troughs – one water trough will do 4 cells.  This is achieved by placing it in the mid section by the permenant electric fence.

Anything Else To Mention?

The farmer suggested that he has an adjacent field if the grass wedge has not built enough in front of cattle – i.e. graduated scale of grass growth like a graph.  He suggests that rest periods for grass range from 16 to 24 days depending on time of year and growth rates.  Lastly… the general rule of thumb is the cattle are out when grass is 4cm and back in when it is 10cm high.

 

Get In Touch

Do you have questions about this sort of set up?  Is this just what you have been looking for but don’t know where to start from an electric fencing point of view?  We are here to help… here is how you can get in touch

 

Call:  01620 860058

Email: [email protected]

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