Hogs do not go over a fence. They go under it, with a nose that can lift a panel off its posts, and through it, with a shoulder that bends wire. Feral hogs are a daily problem on acreage around Lake Livingston, rooting up yards, gardens, food plots and pasture overnight, and a few people around here raise pigs on purpose. Both need the same fence: one that cannot be lifted and has no opening a pig can get a head into.
Hog panel
Welded galvanized rod, sixteen feet long, about 34 inches tall, with openings that close to about three inches at the bottom. It is rigid, so it cannot be bent through, and set right it cannot be lifted. For taller needs, combination panels put hog spacing at the bottom and cattle spacing above, or a cattle panel stacks over a hog panel. See hog panel fence.
Hog wire
Woven wire with small openings, sold as hog or sheep-and-goat fence, stretched on braced corners like any field fence. It is cheaper per foot than panels over a long run and good for a perimeter, but it flexes, so it needs close posts and a low strand of barbed or hot wire to stop lifting. See field fence.
Building it so nothing goes under
- Close posts. Four to six feet apart, because the panel is being pushed low where it has the least leverage.
- Bottom at or below grade. Trench an inch or two where the ground allows; cut and step panels on uneven ground so there is no gap.
- Tight spacing down. Panels go small-openings-down; wire goes small-openings-down.
- Fastened at every post, at several rails, so a nose under one spot cannot lift a span.
- A low outside strand of barbed or electric wire a few inches off the ground where hogs are bad. It stops the nose before it reaches the panel.
- Gates low and tight. A gap under a gate is the first place a hog goes.
Pigs in: pens
Hog panel on pipe or heavy wood posts, with a wallow and shade inside and the panels fastened at every rail. Pigs are strong and smart and will find the one loose clip. Taller combination panels for larger breeds.
Hogs out: yards, gardens and food plots
Fence the places hogs actually damage rather than the whole property: the yard, the garden, the orchard, the food plot. Hog panel or hog wire with a low hot strand, gates that close tight, and a walk around the line after every visit. Garden fence and game fencing cover the related jobs.
Frequently asked questions
What size are the openings on a hog panel?
They tighten to about three inches at the bottom and widen toward the top. A standard panel is about 34 inches tall; combination panels are taller with the same tight bottom.
How do I stop hogs from digging under?
Set the panel at or just below grade on posts no more than six feet apart, and add a low strand of barbed or electric wire a few inches off the ground on the outside. Hogs lift with their nose; a fence that cannot flex up stops them.
Will a hog fence keep hogs out of a whole pasture?
It can, but fencing a whole pasture to hog standard is expensive. Most owners fence the yard, the garden, the food plot and the pens, and manage hogs on the pasture other ways.