Building new pasture fence

[tweaker101]

We are going to be building some new fence and I was looking for some advice on the size of fence posts. My neighbour says 3-4" 6 footers are good enough for a 4 strand barb, any thoughts?

[grassfarmer]

Why not go electric? It will be a lot easier, more effective and a fraction of the price.

[perfecho]

Although I use 3-4", my neighbor has a fence between us that he used 2-3", but used them about every 7-8 feet. This fence was put in over 12 yrs ago, and I still have to climb over it, I can't go through it. I had chuckled to myself when I first saw it, but will have to rethink my future fencing expiditions.
When you think about it, you are only holding up wire, and if you keep the cows from putting their heads through, (here is where the close spacing helps) you have got it licked. The length of post will depend on wet/frost heave ground. Low land with wet ground will require longer posts. Happy Fencing!

[poorboy]

If it is a short term venture, then smaller and shorter posts will work fine. If it is a long term venture then the smaller and shorter posts will lean more, rot off quicker and break more easily from cow pressure and deer hitting them.

I would look at the sucker rod fence posts that you can buy. Fairly cheap, easy to install, fire proof, and should be able to yank out and resell if you don't want the fence anymore. Just put a couple of bigger 7' posts in once and a while to make sure the fence doesn't lean over.

Like previous posters have said, new barbed wire and lots of strands will probably take most of the stress off the fence posts from cows eating on the other side.

[tweaker101]

thanks for the advice grassfarmer, there will be one strand of electric wire in there so that I can cross fence and try to bale graze this winter. This fence is a perimiter fence so I was wanting it to be very secure. The sucker rod fence posts sound interesting I wonder how much $.

[grassfarmer]

Tweaker, if you are going with some electric you could make the barb fence as light as you want. Put the electric wire on offsets a foot out from the posts and nothing will ever touch your barb fence. If it's perimeter fence I assume you wont have stock on the other side of the fence?
I really like electric fences - I think they are as big a breakthrough as barb wire and the first fences were in the pioneer days. I'm amazed how many people still don't use electric.

[coppertop]

Tweaker, depending on where you are located there is likely someone who makes sucker rod posts. One Time Fencing in Drayton Valley makes them and sells them all across the province.