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Post by Skandi on Jul 9, 2017 12:34:52 GMT
Right so we're trying to build a new enclosure for our ducks in the summer and we've hit a snag. One of the corner posts is in very wet ground right now there is a 4" post which is down in the ground a little under 3ft it might as well still be sitting on the surface, I can easily pull it over. Which of the following do you think will work best. Bearing in mind that it will be supporting only chickenwire (intermediate posts are 4.5 ft apart and 3").
Getting a 10ft post and dropping 6ft down into the ground (not sure this would help)
Bracing the post on either side. (what's holding the braces)
bracing it with wire from behind.
creating a concrete footing and then putting the post into a holder on that.
Or is there something else we can do?
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Post by here to stay on Jul 9, 2017 12:59:46 GMT
Ducks and chicken wire can't put that much strain on a fence I wiuld think, so I would go with corner bracing. The point being to simply stablize the fencing rather than restrain the animals.
If it's like here, anything put in ground that wet will eventually sink into it. So here I use the plentiful stumps and other redwood debis to act as a barrier. I know you are pretty treeless but do you have other kinds if debris like old building stuff, tiles, rocks, etc to use to make basically a fence post that sits onbthe surface and uses mass to hold up the fence post? A sort of gabion?
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Jul 18, 2017 10:35:56 GMT
I've built enclosures without using any posts at all.
You simply build a 2 X 4 frame just like you would a wall in a house, and it sits on the ground.
The method does require that it be somewhat level but it's quick and easy.
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Post by Skandi on Jul 18, 2017 15:57:17 GMT
Unfortunatly the site is on a hill and goes round and over several spoil heaps from old ponds. Even more unfortunatly the net has to be dug down a foot to stop tunnelers, and oh my that is no fun in saturated soil I can tell you!
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Post by here to stay on Jul 19, 2017 1:59:43 GMT
If you are going to have to trench anyway to bury the wire, is there a chance of putting in a french drain at the location?
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Post by here to stay on Jul 19, 2017 2:01:50 GMT
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Post by Skandi on Jul 19, 2017 16:21:46 GMT
We looked at having the entire acre drained but the price was running to around $7000 so that's not going to happen. even putting in one drain would be well over a thousand. We're going to be digging some open ditches later in the year, probably late august when everything is as dry as it's going to get, but the ducks are going here because it's a wet area, if I drain it too much their pond will run dry!
Some good ideas on that thread, though only really the gravel ideas are practical (as we don't have any access to random bits of metal) unfortunatly a ton of gravel would costs about $80 which is a lot more than I want to spend on a fencepost! I've thought about concrete and then using a pole suport thing on top to get round the rot issues. but I think we're just going with bracing it with two other posts as it's not going to be taking any real strain.
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Post by Cabin Fever on Jul 19, 2017 18:01:16 GMT
One option -if you have a lot of rocks - is to make a rock-filled wire basket fence "post." These a are technically called "gabrion" posts.
Just roll some welded wire fencing into a 4-foot circle and fasten the ends with some wire so it doesn't unroll. Then place the wire "tube" on its end and fill it with rocks. You can attach your fence wire to the wire of the rock-filled tube. If you want to stretch your fence wire, you'll have to place a wood post inside the rock-filled tube, attach the fence wire to the post, fill the tube with rocks, and then stretch the wire.
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Post by shellymay on Jul 19, 2017 18:58:27 GMT
I would just dig the hole a bigger diameter then your post....set post and pour concrete around it, you said post was 4" dia, so make hole 12" dia X the 3 feet deep, and I see no reason why this wouldn't work......
I wouldn't add no more water to the concrete then what I absolutely needed to as it will draw some from the ground. |
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Jul 21, 2017 0:24:41 GMT
Unfortunatly the site is on a hill and goes round and over several spoil heaps from old ponds. Even more unfortunatly the net has to be dug down a foot to stop tunnelers, and oh my that is no fun in saturated soil I can tell you! You can stop diggers at the surface by simply laying wire flat on the ground. Extend it out 12-18" and cover it with an inch or two of soil and soon grass will anchor it in place. Google "fence apron" for examples. |
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Post by Skandi on Jul 21, 2017 13:05:52 GMT
Bear Foot Farm, We tried that on the chicken pen, it didn't work very well, and several small things burrowed under. So we ended up having to bury it under the turf anyway, which to be honest is all we're doing down there, taking the turf off and sticking the wire under it. so it ends up about 6-8 inches down and extends out about 12 or so.
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