# Question about Putting up Cattle Panels & T-posts



## Skyz84

Hope this makes since. But when you put in T-posts you have the little prongs on the post facing the inside of the pen where the animal will be. What if you plan to have animals on BOTH sides?

We are putting up cattle panels to separating my bucks & the pen that will eventually house does with newborn kids. I thought about alternating the T-posts. Where one faces the buck pen and the next faces the doe pen... over and over again. 

I was planning on using a T-post every 8 feet...

Would this be correct? OR should I have the little prongs all facing the same way? If so which way. LOL towards the 2 boys... or the mommas with kids?

I want to do it right this time! I don't want to put up another fence! It's 100+ outside & I so tired of fixing the fence. My welded wire fence with T-posts every 6 feet didn't last. Mainly the does... they tore the fence down.... Then my buck learned to go UNDER the fence. :hair: 

:help: :help: :help:


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## liz

The area of the fence that will have the most stress should have the posts facing it as well as having the posts on the outside.... for my panel pens, I have the posts separating the buck/doe pens on the doe side because the bucks push against the panels, having the support on the outside is best.

Also...I wouldn't go less than every 5-6 feet with the posts and be sure you get the 6 footers as you'll want to drive at least 2 feet into the ground.


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## Gopher

The t posts are designed with the prongs on them to aid in holding up fence like woven wire and barb wire. IMO, the prongs have no bearing on holding up a cattle panel.


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## liz

Gopher said:


> The t posts are designed with the prongs on them to aid in holding up fence like woven wire and barb wire. IMO, the prongs have no bearing on holding up a cattle panel.


The prongs have no bearing on holding up a cattle panel BUT the side with the prongs have a wider area for the panel to rest against. Same as when using them with any type of wire fencing.


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## Pronking Publius

I agree with Liz, who responded after I read the posting and before I posted my mammoth post...which I'm not sure if it has posted yet. I would definitely put your panels on the flat side with the notches. If you tie to your t-posts properly, even with livestock panels, the notches will prevent the panels from being pushed up vertically cuz the horizontal bars on the fence will hit the notches on the t-post, which if still what they are designed for, and should touch even with rigid panels.


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## Pronking Publius

(I don't think my post posted, so I am chopping it up piecemeal):

If I were you, I would definitely face all the t-posts the same way. It will not in my opinion affect the durability at all by staggering them in opposite directions, it'll just make it harder on you, and in fact may make your fence less sturdy. T-posts are designed to have the fence go on the side where the notches are, and the ties are most snug if you tie them accordingly. If you use the proper gauge ties and put them on your t-posts and panels snugly, it will hold just as well if pressed on from both sides, and won't loosen at all.


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## Pronking Publius

As far as which way to put them, I usually put my panels on the inside of the t-posts so that the animals would be pressing against the panels and the t-posts would be behind the panels that the animals are pressing against. This way the animals aren't rubbing against the t-posts but against only the smooth surface of the panels. This method also TECHNICALLY helps preserve the t-post ties and doesn't really give them rooms to loosen since when the animals rub against the panels, the panels are pressing up against the t-posts, as opposed to having the t-posts are on the inside so that when the animals rub on the panels they are now putting pressure on the panels in the opposite direction of the t-posts and they could loosen. Having said ALL that, again, if you tie the t-post and panel together correctly, the animals will not undo them if pressed on on side as opposed to another. Such considerations are usually more pertinent with larger animals like cattle and such...not goats. If fencing has been undone by animals pressing against them, it likely had to do with the ties not being properly attached. I've seen people with the t-posts on the animals side and seen other farmers with the opposite. The most important thing is that the fence is properly tied to the t-post.


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## Pronking Publius

It depends on your setup, but I think every 8 feet is fine. I don't know what panels you have since they are called different things in different areas, but most "cattle" "horse" or "livestock" rigid panels come in 16 foot lengths, so 8 feet works well as far as ease as long as your t-posts are also properly grounded. Depending on the height of the t-post, within a few inches, bet on having to put at least 18 inches in the ground, so that if you want a 4 1/2 foot fence above ground for example, I would buy 6 foot t-posts, and so on. 18 inches is what you need to completely bury the t at the bottom of the post in the ground. You may have to go deeper depending on the type of soil you have, but in my opinion, 1 1/2 feet if usually fine.


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## Pronking Publius

Also, I always make sure that my t-post ties are pointed down and in to the t-posts so that they don't scratch an animal rubbing against the fence. I use the spine corner/crease of the t-post on the opposite side of the notches in which to point the tips, so that's something to think about I suppose. 

If you are not sure how to put the t-post ties on correctly, just go for a drive and take a peek at some of the fences around the area if you are in a rural area. If you are cutting your own wire, which I do, cut maybe 6-8 inch pieces (see what works), make a bend halfway through, and match that bend with the back spine of the post which is on the opposite side from the notches. Then take the two ends of the wire and wrap them twice around the nearest horizontal fence bar and again, point the excess down and into the spine crease, or if there is not any excess, just make sure it is wrapped around the fence bar tightly so that a barb isn't pointing out at the animals. Wrapping the two ends tightly around the fence so that there is no excess and the tie cannot move vertically is vital to having a sturdy, long lasting fence. I use a level as I'm pounding down my posts. Check from the front and back as you go.

Probably an over-extensive response, but I find putting up fence the proper way a rewarding experience. You may have known most of the stuff I said, but just in case, there it is. It has worked for me, but there's more than one way to skin a cat I suppose.


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## Skyz84

Thanks for all the info :hi5: 

We had the Red Barn wielded wire and it was the wire breaking. The clips stayed in place. The girls are constantly rubbing on the fences... sometimes i would look out and see a line of 5-6 goats going down the fence rubbing as they walked together in a line.

I have one very "bucky" doe who likes to constantly challenge & headbutt the bucks through the fence. SO yeah... that fence was taking a beating.

Then the bucks are almost always pushing to get to at least 1 girl in heat and the girls love to lean into the fence and stand their all day when they are in heat.

I had replaced and fixed the fence in the same places so many times it was just unfix able and I would need to move the T-post because there were so many breaks in the welded wire. Wire started getting lose and the buck learned to stick his nose under it... then he would get on his knees and work the bottom of the fence until he could get under. I saw him doing it so I closed the gate to the middle pasture. Thankfully I did because he ended up in the extra pasture over night. If I hadn't closed it before I went to bed he would have gotten to all the girls. Now he is trying to go UNDER the fence everywhere.

That's when I decided I was gonna go get the cattle panels. They are 16 ft long and 50" tall. I just wanted to make sure I'm doing it right. Or if there was a certain way to make it the safest. We have the 6ft heavy duty T-post. Looks like I have it all right... Just hoping I don't have to do fencing again... at least not any more this year ! We even have the handy little clip bender so it's super easy to put the clips on. I just hate working in 100 degree heat! 

Next I'm getting an electric fence to go around our perimeter because I'm worried about them breaking down the neighbors fences. They are already working them a lot. Silly goats are keeping me BUSY!


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## Pronking Publius

Yep, goats are mischievous. I'm relatively new to goats, and I initially had 4X4 woven mesh wire (it was what was already up before I decided to get some goats). The goats rubbed on it and made it wavy as all get out, and that's before they decided to push their way under it. I then looked into it and saw most goat-owners had rigid cattle panels for the living quarters. That's what I have now. Everything I was saying was in reference to that type of rigid panel. If they are put up correctly, you shouldn't have too many worries on them getting through it, no matter what side they are on. I sure haven't so far.


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## GTAllen

Since you are planning on running electric fence/hot wire around the primeter, you can do it inside your pens, with a stand off insulator, to keep them off of the panels and wire.

The hot wire must be really hot. You want it to arch a spark across the gap. You need to use a tester and know how much voltage your wire is cranking out. My wire is really hot. Yesterday I heard my wire snapping the repeating every one second snap. A grasshopper had tried to climp across the insulator to the post. Blue sparks were snapping across to/thru the cooked grasshopper. 

My boer goats still check it everyday, when they are turned out to a pasture, to see if it is working. I can hear the snap and the offender run off screaming, which "usually" makes all them stay away from it, however some might try it for themselves later. 

Any time it is off they will walk right though it, under it, and over it. Most animals "should" learn/train after a few pops from the fence. Some are


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