I was really hoping to get some sheep. I have wanted some for wool and 4-H for a while but I did not know about the fences. The fencing that I already have is wooden and I will post a similar pic. I was wondering if this would work for wool sheep or if I would need to spend an outrageous amount of money to put inside of the fence.
My neighbors keep their sheep in with about a 2' high welded mesh fence (not tightened, just slapped up there, sagging and swaying) and then above that is a single strand of tensioned un-electrified wire. That's it. I don't know why they stay in - there is more grass on my side of the fence... Their fence was present before my pastures were built. I am going to have to run my own fence where our property meets, because my horses will just walk over the fence that is keeping in the sheep.... So far, the horses haven't gotten close to the fenceline because of the trees/vines/blackberry bushes. If your fence is the PVC rail, you can find electric fence insulators that mount onto the posts. I've seen them designed to handle wide tape or the braided rope. You could run a single strand of it inside your PVC fence if needed, just to encourage them to stay on the correct side....
I too wonder all the time how sheep stay in. My neighbor has 2 strands of electric tape and that is it. Another neighbor had a split rail and all they did was put a strand of barbed wire between the bottom 2 openings. Half their fence is broken and I have never seen a sheep out. The other neighbor has 12 sheep and an llama in no fencing at all, they just roam the property and back fields and go to the barn at night. I, on the other hand, have a 6ft tall welded wire fence and my goats still manage to get out...
Sheep do not challenge fencing the way goats do. Just about anything will work with sheep. I have woven wire field fencing only because I need to keep my guardian dogs IN (and keep predators out). I also use electric netting whenever I want to temporarily move some sheep to another location.
