Thanks for joining us on our next big adventure!! We have partnered with Tractor Supply this spring to help us tackle some homestead projects.

First up, is fencing the additional property we acquired last fall. We are creating new pastures to house all of the new critters. Since the first fence we put in on the homestead four years ago, we have learned some lessons and figured out the hard way what works and what doesn’t for keeping each specific animal contained. Every homestead, ranch, farm, home has its own unique way of fence building, like a fingerprint, no two fences are built the same. Follow along as we show you what works for us and the animals we love to keep around.

Step One: Hire good help. Frankie is a superb Superintendent, checking my work and keeping my posts plumb and straight.

Step Two: Start Fencing! We started by digging holes for our corner posts and setting them in concrete. We used a 12” auger and dug a 20” deep hole. We then filled them to the top with fence post concrete. It is important to use enough concrete to fill the hole to the top so water doesn’t sit and rot out the post over the years. Once the corner posts are up and set, run a string line from corner to corner. We dug another hole every 50-60 feet and set another treated wood post. Subsequently, we pounded in t-posts in line with our string every 8-12 feet, however it works out evenly between the wood posts. Follow along on our fencing install in highlights on instagram for more video how to details.

When picking fencing, it is important to consider what animals you’ll be trying to keep in. We have many different animals and babies running around to consider styles of fencing and we are looking forward to adding cows and horses. We decided on 60” 2×4 horse fencing for our new paddocks.

T-posts come in many different sizes. When picking posts, it is important to consider the overall height of your finished fence. Generally, the t-posts are pounded 18” into the ground. We are using 60” wire and want to run a top wire 6” above the fencing, so we chose 7’ t-posts.

It is important to brace your fence very well so that when you pull the wire tight, the posts stay straight and the fence stays tight and strong for years to come. Posts are set 4’ apart, then a cross brace is placed between.The true strength comes from the stiffener wires, however. The wires are installed in an ‘X’ and held in place with fence staples. The wires are tightened with stiffener winches, which are left in place and can also be tightened later, if it seems that it may be needed.

Concrete for the wood treated posts is mixed in the hole. We used 3 bags per hole and about 1.5-2 gallons of water.

Some winches have square nuts on the side and can be tightened with a crescent wrench, others have round axles and can be tightened with vice grips.

My Superintendent is back teaching me how to tie of the end of the fencing. Frankie is showing me how to cut the center wires out of the first 8 rows in order to wrap it around the post. This is much stronger than relying on fence staples to hold all the tension of stretching the wire. She’s such a patient teacher!

Daisy is here to check out the new digs. She has been sent by the rest who can see that we are expanding their territory and can’t wait to explore the new terrain. Projects like these are truly a group effort around here! Thank you for following along as we build out dream homestead friends! We are thankful to partner with Tractor Supply as they have all we need to complete each project. Here are the links of everything we used on our DIY fencing project:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/bulk

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/cms/fencing

Please let us know if you have any questions and feel free to DM us at the farm.

Christina & Trevor, Frankie