running pen

[wagler]

i got 10 acres i am wanting to fence in and its got a ditch on it i was wondering how u fence through that ditch and also where the best place to get wire and what cauge any ideas

[kenjames]

Red Brand 17ga ,at least 5ft. with 1ft. apron. Try the Co-op or your farm supply store. I have 17.2 acres fenced in and have a couple of ditches . One was large enough I fenced straight thru it , the other I put a large pipe in it and covered it and put the fence over the top and then placed a screen over the end of the pipe. It has been there several years so it worked quite well. A lot depends on how much runoff you have going down the ditch. I used large wooden posts on either side and in the middle of the ditch rather than the metal posts. Building a pen is an adventure and everyone has his own idea about what is best. Of coarse some one else always has a better way .I am just telling you what worked for me after I tried their way.Ideally I have another larger field wth no ditches . It is level all the way around with no trees to fall on the fence either. Good luck , keep us posted..K.J.