Modern technology is gradually replacing a person from centuries of proven professions where previously it was impossible even to imagine his absence. An electric device for grazing sheep is a substitute for the usual shepherds: both humans and dogs.

Electric shepherd: what it is, how it looks

Contrary to the name, the electric shepherd does not look like a robot or something humanoid. This is just a type of fence that hits grazing animals with small discharges of current so that they do not try to leave the pasture. This device is presented in the form of a grid or wire that is energized.

Did you know? Animals very quickly draw conclusions and learn - a couple of electric shocks from an electric shepherd are enough, and they will cease to approach the fence.

With the use of electronic fencing, several conditions are immediately fulfilled necessary for the safe grazing of animals:

• preventing pet sharing;
• saving of crops surrounding the pasture;
• savings on wages of employees;
• protection against extraneous animals.

Advantages and disadvantages of using

The main advantage of using an electronic shepherd - This is an exception to the notorious human factor. The fence is impersonal and does not depend on the pity or thoughts of the employee.

If the animal violates the established regime of the fence, it is immediately punished by the discharge of current and returns to the place of grazing. Among the shortcomings, one can note the need for animals to get used to this type of protection, because the sheep will not immediately understand what they have punished her for, and will try to leave the guarded perimeter again.

Addictive sheep

Animals are capable of learning and may well understand what is required of them. No matter how cynical it sounds, just a few electric shocks are enough. This unpleasant effect teaches you not to approach the fence and not to touch it. After that, the grazing takes place inside the fenced area - the sheep develop an addiction to this order of grazing.

So that the animal does not receive stress, he needs to see, because of which he received a negative impact, so the wires of the electric shepherd must be visible and not thin.

Important! Invisible wires can be damaged by animals. This will disable the entire surveillance system and pets may break up.

A dangerous place is better remembered if it is more visible visually, so the braided wire of light or copper color will stop the animals after several electric shocks.

Principle of operation

The device itself is simple - this is just a transformer with an armored core and a winding from ordinary sew wires with a cross section of 0.31 and 0.18 mm². Current is fed through capacitors to wires mounted on racks around the perimeter of the enclosure for grazing. Usually a three-level arrangement of wires is used.

When the animal touches the fence, it receives a weak discharge of current, which does not harm it, but causes displeasure. After several such contacts, sheep and sheep begin to understand that there is no need to look for a way out of the territory.

What to look for when buying

When buying an electric fence, you need to pay attention to the number of wires in the wires. The fact is that in our time, the cross section of the current conductor declared by the manufacturer can differ from the real one to 40% in the direction of lowering.

Important! Checking when buying an electric shepherd is required. Electrical connections must be checked at the store, so as not to buy a useless set of wires.

Because of this, the conductors overheat and are able to not only shock animals, but also burn them. Sheep must not only stumble upon an artificial shepherd, but also good to see him, avoiding visual contact.

User manual

The installation and use of any electrical device requires a basic knowledge of the safety of using such a device. In the case of electric shepherd, you need to correctly position the equipment around the perimeter of the aviary and connect it in time when grazing animals.

When located on a site of equipment, it is necessary to provide grounding conductors and insulators so that an electric current does not affect a person. When using the device, do not touch live parts, even considering the small voltage in them.

Overview of manufacturers and models

It is difficult to come up with something fundamentally new in the market of developers of electric shepherds - there are racks and a fence through which current flows. The only difference is how high quality the device is made.

Chinese "shepherds" can be much cheaper, but their quality is poor. A normal open conductor can lead to the failure of the entire device, so it is better to use more expensive European models. In this case, there is a chance that the product will turn out to be of high quality, and there will be someone to make a complaint if something goes wrong.

The main problem of our farmers is the lack of access to a direct manufacturer of equipment. In Russia, the Kerbl brand from Germany offers a wide range of products and accessories. But her products are offered by numerous resale firms.

In the countries of Eastern Europe they produce electric shepherds in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. This type of assistance to farmers is in mass production. And the models are very different - from the fence for geese to the enclosures for cattle on several hectares of territory and wire levels in height.

How to do it yourself at home

An alternative to buying expensive professional equipment is to make it yourself. To do this, the following items are required:

• current generator (step-down transformer 220/12);
• power source (battery, uninterruptible power supply);
• wire products (calculated depending on the perimeter of the site and the number of levels in height);
• poles (wooden, concrete, plastic - for fastening wires);
• insulators (for insulation of poles);
• control cabinet (to power the system).

It is better to order the project on the side or find it on the Internet. In the absence of special knowledge in design and installation work, it is worth using the services of specialists. When designing and installing the system, all the materials at hand will work and it will take quite a bit of imagination. Used and cut plastic bottles can serve as insulators, welding wire will replace wires, trimming of car tires will help to fix the wiring.

Did you know? Sheep have excellent memory and addiction. If you mix 2–3 herds and ask their shepherds to go aside, then it is his flock that will approach each of them.

An electrical animal control system is promising in terms of automating caring for them. In small farms, this helps to eliminate the spread of sheep and damage to plants surrounding the pasture, and on serious farms it helps to keep the herd in a certain framework and appropriate discipline.