Blue Barrel Fence Rises And Falls

Blue Barrel Fence Rises And Falls FENCING Miscellaneous Anyone trying to contain livestock where gullies are dry in some seasons and filled with water in others will appreciate Gil Alexander’s fencing idea His blue barrel fence keeps cattle in all year long “The main thing is that when we get high water if there’s moving trash limbs and debris the barrels tend to roll right over it ” explains the Colbert Okla rancher The barrel fence solves the problem of trash catching in wire and other types of fencing With five gullies and low areas on his ranch where cattle have escaped the barrels have worked perfectly for 3 years says Alexander One fence includes more than 35 barrels to cross a pond that dries up Keeping the barrels watertight so they float is key Alexander drills holes in the center of each end of the barrel so that a 3-ft 4-in long piece of 3/4-in pvc pipe fits tightly when slipped inside He seals the gap between the pipe and barrel hole with a silicone seal and cements a pvc coupler on the 2-in end of the pipe sticking out “That prevents the pipe from dislodging and sliding into the barrel ” he explains “The barrels are then threaded onto a steel cable like beads on a necklace each independent of the other ” He ties the ends securely to trees or anchored fence posts that are above the highest waterline The cable and barrels must be long enough to rest on the ground when there is no water “Cattle approach the barrels but won’t step over them ” Alexander notes He recommends blue barrels instead of white barrels because the white ones have less UV resistance and deteriorate faster Alexander also suggests using food grade barrels so there are no contamination issues He is fortunate to have access to lots of barrels because his daughter is in the liquor manufacturing business and ingredients are shipped in barrels He’s working on a movable train of barrels cut in half horizontally to hold feed cubes for his herd pulled by an ATV He also sells the barrels for $10 apiece Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gil Alexander 815 Hendrix Rd Colbert Okla 74733 ph 580 283-3312; galex@cherokeetel com

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