Hi All

How far apart should I put the fence posts for a barbed wire fence? It's going to be a three layer fence (ie 3 wires high) to deter people from coming onto the land to steal fruit.

It's going to be about 130m long and 60m wide so I'm trying to work out how many fence posts I need.

Many thanks

Joe

Hi 007
check out this web site http://handbooks.btcv.org.uk
it covers all aspects of practical outdoor jobs including fencing.

good luck

I don't think that a 3 strand high by single barbed wire fence will stop many people, try a double strand fence about 70cms between the rows, and stagger the heights of the wires between the 2 fences, or failing this and still people are nicking your fruit, try reading the R E's fencing hand book, or PMing me for an almost impregnable barbed wire fenceing

About 6ft.;if you put them any further apart,it's too easy to get thro'.

an electric fence would give them a bit of a shock!

is it legal to electicify barbed wire?

People nicking your fruit? Where on Earth are you living? Surely not in France, people don't do that sort of thing in France, they nick your fuel oil.

Chris

Hi All

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately an estimated 75kgs of cherries vanished overnight on Thursday. We had been watching them ripen and when we went to harvest them we were gutted to find that some b*****d had been and stolen the lot. Every single one of them. Stalks and all. All they left were footprints and tyre tracks.

A friend has told us to report this at the mairie but is there really anything they can do?

If anyone has any clever suggestions re economic and effective security, we'd really welcome them.

Cheers

Joe

Gendarmerie is where you report crimes.

Chris

First, as Chris said, call the Gendarmes

Second, call your insurance guy

Sorry to hear that the cherries were stolen. Next year I'll be sleeping in the grove with my fusil.

Blackduff

A quick and easy security deterrent is putting 6 inch nails all the way through scaffold boards,then turning said board upside down so nails are sticking uppermost. Place around inside of fenceline at intervals and where cars belonging to thieves are likely to drive.

It is illegal to electrify barbed wire in the Uk,not sure here,but all makers of energisers strongly recommend against it anyway. Trip wires attached to blank firing birdscarers,PIR lighting and personal rape alarms attached to trip wires are also good. Tripwires are easily made from 25lb fishing line strung as tightly as you can get it without it pulling the pin,place these 3-4 metres inside fenceline.

There are some other,less legal ways of dealing with intruders/thieves,pm if you want details....... Ree

can you buy razor wire in France?

that would stop them.

Do you (007) live next to your orchard? I only ask as to pick 75 kg of cherries would take several people quite a while. I find it hard to believe you didn't hear anything. You asked about fencing, I am afraid that whatever fence you put up a determined thief is going to get through with just a pair of wirecutters, even electric fencing is no probmlem using insulated cutters. I speak from experiance only my problem was with chasseurs who thought nothing of cutting through my fences to follow their target. My solution has been a bit drastic and will probably be useless to you..having installed five strands of electric wire I now have a very big bull free ranging the pasture all winter. Result, no more cut fences and no need to fall out with the hunters!! BTW no need to guard our fruit this year 90% was lost to frost.

Chris, in our area they nick anything. We've had our entire walnut crop taken for two years running, our electificateur stolen, our neighbour lost her satellite dish, another neighbour their ride on mower, another the entire filtration system for their pool while they were away. Our Salle des Fetes has been broken into three times in the past two weeks, on the first two occasions all the food for a local fete was stolen and on the second 1500 euros worth of goods from a charity Art competition as well as all their collection tins. Are the gendarmes interested? Not a bit.

If anyone tells you there's no crime in rural France, they are wrong. It's all there, just rarely reported, but if you ask around you'll find out the true extent of the problem - and it's a big problem.

GEESE - they are the best deterrent ! In Dumbarton (Scotland) there are some bonded warehouses stocking whisky. There is a very high perimeter fence, not electrified, set well away from each warehouse. In this grassy gap live a large flock of geese. Since this 'system' was installed, not a drop of whisky has gone missing. Just the odd goose at new Year......

Seriously, though, 007, most people will keep their distance from a goose, and if anyone comes near, a flock of them will kick up enough racket to wake you up.

The other thing to try is sensors - for lights, or for alarms. The alarm type won't go off every 5 minutes providing they're set for human weight!

Last year, the cherries in our area got hit by maggots and a lot of crops were ruined. Let's hope your thieving gits get maggots.