The idea of using a training paddock is to teach stock that wires can have a nasty sting in them. Training paddocks are not usually necessary but can be an advantage at times. For instance, if you are going to put stock out on new electric fences in forest or in scrub areas, it is a good idea to train them first. Likewise, if you bring in wild cattle to be controlled by an electric fence, a training period is helpful.
A training paddock is a paddock with a conventional fence in good condition with extra live wires on it or a substantial electric fence. If you are training adult cattle a single live wire about 760 mm high and 250 mm offset from the fence is enough.
If you are training calves or sheep use two live wires. However, two wires are often not enough for calves that are being weaned. And very young calves (two weeks) seem immune to electric shock.
Put the stock in small holding yards with a full strength pulsed wire around the boundary. The animals should be under some sort of pressure to test the fence, for example, hunger.
It is best to train animals when they are young. For example, calves can be trained at about two weeks age. Young animals sniff at the wires to investigate and then get a shock across the moist tips of their noses. Sheep are best trained off shears. Cattle and pigs respond quickly to training at any time.
Stock should be under some sort of pressure to test the fence
Take particular care when you train horses. Make sure they have plenty of room to run when then first experience an electric fence.
Note: you need a reduced power for horses.
Training working dogs. Farmers train dogs to jump up onto vehicles and do all sorts of other things and they should also be trained to jump electric fences. You can train dogs to jump over electric fences by using the commands jump and no. Whenever the dog receives a shock shout no after which it obeys the same command more rapidly.
Training time. The minimum training time is 12 hours and most animals are fully trained in 48 hours.
Figure 1 High performance cut-out switch with internal
Cut Out Switches
Figure 1 High performance cut-out switch with internal
Install cut-out switches, which let you isolate sections of fence. Otherwise, in the event of a broken or leaking insulator, the whole fence or section of a fence has to be inspected to find the fault.
Energisers have connections marked with symbols or words for earth and fence. All live wires are connected to the fence connection. Live wires should each be connected to the energiser through cut-out switches so you can easily disconnect them for testing.
Connect the cut-out switch to the energiser side of the fence. For high joule energisers use a heavy duty cutout switch. When in the OFF position, make sure the switch can’t fall back to an ON position You can also use these switches to divide fenced areas into sections so any part not in use can be switched off.
There are different types of cut-out switch. We recommend you use a simple type so you can see from a distance whether it is on or off.
The type of switch in figure 1 does not burn out with high powered energisers (it is not like stainless steel) and it is safe to use because there is no exposed metal contact point.
Also note the following features in figure 1:
- tail wire left connected for connection to secondary live wire (see figure 1 a)
- pin-lock insulator insulates the earth wire from the bypassing live wire or tail wire (see figure 1 b)
- the bull nose insulator is pulling centrally (see figure 1 c).
