Got a backyard or a farm lot that might go unused in the future?
Don’t let it! You’ll soon have a fenced-in yard, complete with hog wire and metal posts.
Hog wire fences are designed for the modern, tech-savvy farmer who wants to preserve land for generations. They’re easy to build and last for years under heavy use. Many people paint their hog wire because of its distinctive rustic appearance. But it’s just as beautiful cut into strips or left natural.
Hog Wire Fence
Hog wire Fence is the most popular choice for farmers and ranchers. It’s easy to cut and work with, sturdy, and long-lasting. You can also find it in rolls of different diameters. The best hog wire comes with square posts. Which you can use easily to make corners or crossings without a post hole digger.
Step 1: Plan
You’ll need to decide how big your hog wire fence should be. The bigger and more elaborate, the more expensive it is. You can put up a basic hog wire fence in an afternoon, but a more involved design requires several days’ worth of work. Here are some important considerations.
How wide? Think about extending the length of your fence line along either side to the edge of your property. The farther out you go, the more posts you’ll need and the heavier your fence will be.
Think about extending the length of your fence line along either side to the edge of your property. The farther out you go, the more posts you’ll need and the heavier your fence will be. How tall? Your fence should be at least eight inches higher than your tallest animal or person. You can also add a top rail, but it’s not necessary.
Your fence should be at least eight inches higher than your tallest animal or person. You can also add a top rail, but it’s not necessary. How wide? How many horizontal supports are you going to need? Hogs don’t mind the occasional direct hit from an out-of-control steer, so a wider fence will provide greater protection.
How many horizontal supports are you going to need? Hogs don’t mind the occasional direct hit from an out-of-control steer, so a wider fence will provide greater protection. How far you want to run your fence. You can extend your fence line to fit your space, or build shorter fences that you can later expand with more posts.
You can extend your fence line to fit your space, or build shorter fences that you can later expand with more posts. How tall? How many vertical posts do you want? The higher the better, as far as livestock is concerned. Hogs are curious and quick enough to climb a low fence but slower than cattle, who don’t really like to scale a fence.
How many vertical posts do you want? The higher the better, as far as livestock is concerned. Hogs are curious and quick enough to climb a low fence but slower than cattle, who don’t really like to scale a fence. How wide? How thick should your hog wires be? ¼-inch diameter is sufficient for any hog wire fence, unless you know it’ll get a lot of heavy use and you don’t want it to sag over time. For very heavy use, you can use 5- to 7-gauge wires.
How thick should your hog wires be? ¼-inch diameter is sufficient for any hog wire fence, unless you know it’ll get a lot of heavy use and you don’t want it to sag over time. For very heavy use, you can use 5- to 7-gauge wires. How many swings? It’s possible to loop two strands of wire together and set them up as swinging gates. This can be handy for sheep or goats, as it’s more reliable than a gate.
It’s possible to loop two strands of wire together and set them up as swinging gates. This can be handy for sheep or goats, as it’s more reliable than a gate. How high do you want your fence to be? Your fence can’t go higher than your highest stock.
Step 2: Get Hog Wire
The next step is to get your hog wire. It comes in a wide variety of thicknesses (usually 1/2″ or 3/4″) and diameters, so you can choose just the right combination to fit your fence. Experiment with different wire gauges to see what works best for you. We recommend ¼-inch diameter hog wire, unless you know it’ll need a lot of heavy use and will last 25 years or longer.
Step 3: Head Posts
The simplest hog wire fence usually comes with square posts. You can buy them in the store or make them yourself, but you’ll need a post hole digger to set them. Simply drill a hole about 1″ deep on each end of the post, then slide the post in and screw it into the ground. A simple fence costs only $10-$15, but it only protects one side of your property. To keep your farm in mint condition, you’ll soon want to upgrade to a more elaborate design.
Step 4: All-Around Posts
The most common hog wire fence is the all-around design, with posts on both sides that extend about six to ten feet out from the fence line. The posts are placed just outside of the space you want to protect so that there are enough gaps between them for livestock (and people) to pass through. Try to place each post so that it’s easily visible from the fence line, or you may have to look for it in order to spot any gaps.
Here’s an example of the all-around design. You can see how it protects both sides of the cattle pen and mixes in a few decorative elements with the heavy metal pickets. It also provides extra support for light poles, which can be placed at different heights depending on where you’re extending your fence line.
Step 5: How Tall
In addition to making gaps between posts, you can also use different heights on each side of your fence. For example, you can set two-post fencing on your 8-foot fence line. It may take a little extra work to get the posts in correctly and maintain them, but it provides a good excuse to upgrade your fencing at least once or twice a year. You can make it even more custom by adding decorative tops or railings for just $5-$15 each.
Step 6: How Wide
Before you start driving your posts, it’s important to think about how wide your fence will be. The more space you cover, the heavier it will be. If you’re just building a small pen for goats or sheep, then gain a little extra strength from thinner wire and smaller posts. However, if you’re fencing a large area for hogs or cattle, then choose as wide of a wire as possible and thicker (and longer) posts.
Step 7: How Far You Want to Run
Before you start driving your posts, you need to decide how far out you want your fence line to go. You can begin with a simple post and wire fence, then expand it as needed. It’s not unusual for farmers to build a small pen and completely enclose it with a hog wire enclosure. However, this is only if you’ve got the funds to keep everything up-to-date.
If you’re building a small pen on a small acreage, you’ll need to be extra careful to build your fence line so that it’s not taking up more space than is needed. This means keeping your posts as close together as possible and using light wire, if possible (also cheaper).
Here’s an example of a cattle enclosure with a simple post and wire fence on the outside and an all-around hog wire design for the rest of the area.
Step 8: How Many Swings
You can make your hog wire fence much more useful by adding swinging gates that allow you to drive a vehicle or turn large equipment in and out of the area. You can also make them for smaller animals like goats, who may otherwise escape by finding an opening between posts.
While swinging gates sound easy enough, you may have a hard time finding the right size gate for your fence. It helps to know the measurements of your fence area, as well as its gap width (typically 2″-6″). You can also build swinging gates from posts and hog wire or make them from wood. A little investment for a gate can save you time and effort in the long run, but it’ll cost you anywhere from $50-$100 per gate.
Step 9: How to Make Swinging Gates
Depending on your design, you’ll have to cut your posts at different heights so that they rest snugly against your fence line.
Here’s a video from Farm Innovator demonstrating how to make swinging gates from sturdy posts and hog wire.
Step 10: Installing Swinging Gates
To install your swinging gate, you’ll have to stretch it out so that the fence line passes through it at just the right spot. Then you’ll have to pull the gate taught so that it doesn’t swing open. If you’re not careful, it may swing too far and hit a post or fence post.
The last step is to drill holes into the gate posts, slide your gate in, and screw it into place. You can also lock these gates by using a padlock. Just slide the shackle through a hole that you’ve drilled in the post, then lock it shut.
Here’s an example of an all-around hog wire fence with a swinging gate installed on one side. This lets people and livestock pass through without having to disturb any of the existing fencing.
Step 11: Provide an Opening
If you’re using a large gate, you may worry that livestock may get stuck trying to pass through. One way to counteract this is to cut out a large opening in your fence line, so that they’ll have plenty of room to squeeze through. However, this means that you’ll have less fence to surround your farm or pastures with. It’ll also leave areas more vulnerable for thieves and predators.
Here’s an example of a large gate (made of light-weight material) that allows a vehicle to pass through but hopefully keeps the livestock out. You can also see how the fence line passes through the opening and is topped with decorative pickets for a little extra style.
Step 12: A Few Extras
You can make your hog wire fencing look more impressive by adding decorative touches like rings, panels, and cross pieces. Be sure to place them so that they don’t interfere with the gate. You can also make a more interesting design by putting copper or aluminum posts in your fence.
Here’s a video demonstrating the right way to install these extra pieces of hog wire fencing.
Step 13: Fences for Livestock
If you’re building a pigpen, then it’s likely that you’ll need some sort of fencing system in place to keep the hogs separated from the rest of your land, livestock, and other people. The most reliable option is an electric fence. It doesn’t cost that much to install and is relatively easy to maintain. However, when you use real electric wires, you have to be careful not to shock other animals, such as your own pets or livestock.
If the electricity in your area doesn’t reach very far, then you’ll probably have a better time using a traditional post and wire design with some sturdy fences around the edges. This gives you enough room for hogs but still keeps them from escaping. However, this also means that they’ll have more room to run and may destroy your crops if you have a garden.
You can build a fence in any size and style you want, depending on your goals and the space you have to work with. If there’s one rule to keep in mind, it’s that the more space you give them, the happier your hogs will be. Hogs like to root around for grubs, dig fence lines for pleasure runs, and enjoy the fresh air.
Conclusion
Hopefully you picked up a few ideas here and can start building your own hog fence. Just remember—it’s not the most difficult project that you’ll ever undertake but it is one that requires some careful attention to detail. And just like any other project, it helps to have someone around who’s more experienced doing these things.
