The Routine ...

Picking up hay ... that's the routine event on the farm.

Farmer Mike Moving Hay From His Bale Carrier To Our Trailer

Unloading hay ... another part of the routine this time of year.

Round Bales Going Into The Loafing Shed

Then there's the problem that is not routine.   We noticed that the electric fence charger sounded a little weak this morning, but we had rain, so that could have been the reason.  I walked out to "test" the fence.  Checking the fence hillbilly style means that you take a blade of grass, lay it on the electric wire, and slide the grass forward so that your grip gets closer to the wire.  Somewhere along the way you should start to get a pulse & good tingle in time with the sound of the fencer pulse .  Then you know it's working.  NO  pulse - NO tingle.   Hmmm.  Then a tentative touch of the wire with a finger.  Nothing.  A solid full grab of the wire.  Nothing.  Time to trouble shoot.  Turns out that the charger, although pulsing, was not sending out a charge.  We brought out the "spare" charger and the electricity is working now.  That means the sheep get a zap when they touch the electric net fence.  As a side note, electic net fence & the single strand fences that you see around dairy cow pastures work on the "fear factor" ... they are a psychological "pain" barrier, not a true physical barrier.

Dead Electric Fence Charger ...

Of course, we also rely on the electric fence to keep predators OUT as well as keeping the sheep in a grazing cell.  So --- that's why it's so important.  It seems that we got over 15 years out of this fence charger before needing to replace it. 

Spare Electric Fence Charger Installed

Now it's time to order another back-up - that will run about $120 - yep, that's routine maintenance on the farm, right?!?   BTW - here's a plug for my favorite fencing supply company, Premier 1 out of Iowa.  Order their fencing catalog - it's worth it if you're considering any kind of fencing (even keeping varmits out of your garden!).