We’re all about fences these days at HQ. And for good reason. A fence is more than just a fence for the sanctuary. It’s a key to the future. A key that opens the door to more rescues, to more land for the animals we currently have, and to security and safety.
I’ll save the story of how we got to the property we have for another post. The back story version can be summed up by saying that we had the opportunity to purchase a property, sight unseen and across the country, that pays for itself (through passive rental income). The ability to start a farm sanctuary on a property where the biggest cost (mortgage) is negated was too big to pass up. However, the moral of that particular back story is that things are typically too good to be true. While the ability for our land to pay for itself is invaluable, it did come with a higher need for repairs than we were expecting. One of those needed repairs is the fencing. The property was once used as a hobby farm, so the remnants of a once existing fence still remain. However, it’s worn, missing sections, and not constructed with the safest materials for the animals.
Replacing a farm fence is no small task. The financial cost alone, especially in our current COVID world, is astronomical. You want the fence to last, so choosing high quality materials and construction is key. Otherwise, you will end up paying more over time in repairs. Plus, we’d be risking breeches where animals can escape or get hurt. It also requires a lot of planning. Your fencing plan needs to account for future needs as well as current ones. You need to factor in the animals you currently have, as well as those you may add in the future. Then there’s the topography of the land itself to take into consideration, plus existing structures, etc. It’s a lot.
We’ve spent a lot of time on the planning process for the fence and have run through about a dozen different configurations, getting quotes for each one. HQ has two pasture areas, so we thought about fencing off each of those separately with the hopes of someday building a new barn to connect them. We added a third fenced area to the plan that would be just for pigs. Then a fourth area just for chickens. The number of times we had someone from a local fencing company come out to walk through the changes with us and discuss pros and cons is probably too embarrassing to mention. (Three. It was three times. OK, maybe four.) Despite all the planning, something never felt right about each of the iterations we were coming up with (in addition to the high price tag).
Then, one day, I was sketching out possible fencing plans on a copy of an aerial photo of the property and it hit me. We were we so focused on these separate areas and in which order we could/should raise the funds for and get installed first, but why not fence it all in together? If we could make it work, it would not only save on costs but allow us to utilize the maximum amount of space for the sanctuary. Our property isn’t huge, so every square foot we can utilize for the animals is a plus. I did some research to see if it was even feasible. Can different species of farm animals share the same space for grazing? Can the species specific shelter areas we were planning for still exist in the same fenced perimeter? I read about co-pasturing and which species can benefit each other by sharing the same spaces. With some considerations and best practices, we can definitely make it work.
And just like that, it clicked in my brain. I’m a visual person, so being able to fully visualize something in my head is part of my process and a good indicator that I’m on the right path. And man, could I picture this configuration for the sanctuary! I could see Jubilee and Logan chilling in a new wallow with their future cow and goat buddies grazing near by. I could picture the chickens having the entire space to scratch and peck at, while helping to keep the fly population in check. The entire process of starting this farm sanctuary has been step after step of turning our visions into reality. It feels good to know that our next vision is in our grasp and on it’s way to to becoming real.
How You Can Help
If you believe in manifestation, here’s a story for you. We already had a new fencing contractor scheduled to come out to give us a quote on the previous fencing plan when I came up with the new perimeter fencing plan. Once we showed him the idea, he was fully on board and helped advise us on exactly the kind of fence we would need (4 foot woven wire with pressure treated posts, both a top and bottom “hot” wire, and two 12 foot wire filled gates). Also, his quote came in just over half as much as all the others we had gotten up to that point. Being a donation driven non-profit sanctuary, we need to raise the funds to have the fence installed. If you’d like to help us make this new vision a reality (and allow our current animals to have all the space they need AND allow us to rescue more animals), please donate to our current GoFundMe campaign:
/https://www.gofundme.com/manage/hullabaloo-farm-sanctuary-fencing
Thank you!
Tiffany