The Fence Post

Panel Smart

If you are building a fence with a purpose around your home or business then you should consider welded wire fence panels. This type of fencing is the strongest that you can find. Because it is so strong, it is often used to enclose livestock and large animals. Also, many zoos use wire fence panels for their animal cages for display and to keep everyone safe. The wires and cross sections of the wire fence are welded together, to create a fortress that cannot be penetrated.

Stands Up to the Elements

You can get welded wire fencing in different types of thicknesses, depending on how strong you need it to be. Unlike a chain link fence, you can get welded wire fence panels designed exactly to the measurements that you need. In fact, all fence panels from Louis Page are custom-made. The welded wire fence panels are made of weather resistant material, so it will not be damaged or destroyed in even the most severe weather.

Panels or Rolls?

Fence panels are strong and highly weather resistant. But so is fencing that comes in a roll. A quick note about the difference between panels and rolls. Panels are easier to install. They come custom made to your specifications, need minimal to no cutting or cutting tools, and they can typically be installed by two people. All these attributes make panels ideal for quick installations with minimal work crews. Wire fence rolls are terrific for jobs that have larger work crews, professional installers, and materials like posts, rings, pliers, and everything else you need to make a fence. Most of our customers that buy fence rolls are using them on work sites for safety and protection reasons. That's not to say homeowners and landscapers aren't buying fence rolls, because they are! For projects like gardens that require protecting fruits and vegetables from deer, deer fencing is ideal. The gauge of the deer fence is strong enough to keep deer out and easier to manipulate because of its gauge size. But when it comes to pools (and other projects), fence panels are the answer.

Welded Wire Fence Panel Install Tips

If you are planning to install your fence on your own; here are a few tips that you should follow:

Tension

One of the most common mistakes that people make when installing their wire fence panels is low tension. If the fencing is not tight enough, it can sag or bow. This will take away from the security and durability of the fence. If you are using it to enclose large animals, the chances of them escaping are high. For tensioning the mesh, you simply need a pair of pliers.

T-Posts

It is important to understand that not all posts are built the same. You should use a steel t-post. If you are worried about the way that your fence is going to look, you should look into green metal posts. If you are going to be using the fence for livestock, you can consider an electric fence; however, you would need to install a T-post made of PVC, as it doesn't require any insulation between the electric wire and the fence.

Animals

If you are going to be using your fence to contain animals, you need to make sure that you are getting a fence large enough for the animals. Before you install the fence, you should take into consideration that your animals will grow and so may your herd. You also want to make it large enough to keep wild animals out of the enclosure.

If you need to install a strong fence on your property for safety purposes or to enclose large animals, fence panels are the best solution and/or welded wire fencing, rather than a chain link fence. Welded wire panels and fencing are strong, pleasing to the eye, and easy to install. Of course, fence panels are the easiest to install.

Build it Yourself!

With a bit of mesh and access to a waterway, you're on your way to your own personal oyster farm. Building a cage for raising oysters is uncomplicated, as shown in this helpful video and you can rely on Louis Page for the mesh you need. Louis Page sources the best mesh out there--it's stable over a wide temperature range, maintaining its qualities in extremes of both hot and cold temperatures. UV inhibitors are in the vinyl to impede degradation from sunlight. The coating is also very resistant to scraping and abrasion.

Our galvanized vinyl-coated mesh is tough stuff and stands up to marine environments.

Vinyl coated welded wire mesh

• Unbeatable durability
• Highly rust resistant
• Features double protection
  • Vinyl coating seals the wire from water and other corrosive elements
  • Underlying wire mesh is protected by a zinc coating

Vinyl coated welded wire fencing and meshes are both long-lasting, attractive, and work in a variety of situations. The galvanized mesh is coated with a thick layer of PVC which is tightly bonded to the wire by a heat process. The coating is flexible and will not crack when the wire is bent.

For more on oysters, take a look at this blog detailing their great assortment of benefits. Interested in building other kinds of surrounds and cages?  Louis Page will source that too. As always, just call us for specific advice (866) 328-5018 and check out this helpful article to get you started.

Tall Fence Easily Breached 

Watch as this coyote shows of its quickness, agility, and strength!

As more undeveloped land is taken for housing lots and commercial areas, the natural habitat for wildlife gets increasingly restricted. Sightings of animals such as coyotes and deer are more frequent. Coyotes have adapted to the modern landscape in unique ways, especially now with their main predators such as wolves out of the way. Generally content to stay out of sight, a hungry coyote may make an appearance. They are resilient and their numbers are increasing in some areas despite efforts to control them. Closer at hand than one realizes, they create dens in forested areas, parks, and greenbelts; however, coyote attacks are actually rare and often linked to being fed by humans.

Coyotes are powerful and stealthy, yet there are strategies for avoiding dangerous interactions with them. If the presence of coyotes is an issue in your area and cause for concern, one of the best ways to stay safe is to build a wire fence. Small dogs or other animals, if unattended, could be prey. To protect against coyotes, it is best to use a six to eight-foot height. You can either bury 12 inches in the ground or bend it so it lays on top of the ground to the outside of the enclosure as an apron. This will discourage digging.

There are many choices of welded wire fencing and woven wire fencing meshes available:

Welded wire fencing - Galvanized Before Weld (GBW), Galvanized After Weld (GAW) and Vinyl Coated (VC) 

• 14 gauge, 1" x 2" and 2" x 4" mesh
• 12.5 gauge, 2" x 4" mesh

Woven wire fencing - 

• • Apron fence - 17 gauge, 1.5" hex netting mesh
  • Deer & Wildlife fence - 12.5 gauge high tensile wire
  • 2" x 4" mesh non-climb fence - 12.5 gauge
  • Emu & Ostrich fence - 12.5 gauge
  • Poultry & Garden/Deer & Orchard fence - 14.5 gauge wire

Here is an in-depth report on the increase and behavior of coyotes in cities and suburbs:

For more about fencing out coyotes and other potentially aggressive animals, check out this blog.

Deterring Unwanted Garden Visitors

At Louis Page, we love tips that guard the time and effort we put into our gardens. 

And! If you've got some leftover mesh hanging around, don't toss it! Here's a blog with ideas on how to use it.

Hardware cloth: small welded wire mesh that can be used for a variety of projects at your place of business and at home. Find it in galvanized after weld or a very long-lasting vinyl-coated finish. Stainless steel hardware cloth is even tougher and also available.

Cage Ideas for a Healthy Bunny

Wire Mesh and Your Bunny

Your bunny's health depends on sturdy galvanized wire mesh. The right gauge and openings are critical for airflow, hygiene, and the safety of your bunny's paws, and more. To begin, the cage should be at least 4 times the size of your bunny. Two feet by three feet for a bunny that weighs up to eight pounds; for larger bunnies, cages should be two and a half feet by three feet at least.  The height of the cage should be ample enough so that your pet can stand up on its hind legs and stretch out. 

Recommended for sides and top of the cage: 14 gauge, 2" x 1" galvanized wire mesh

Your Bunny's Cage 

A big drawback for your pet's health is the flooring materials. Waste and urine contamination of flooring materials, particularly a pen using straw, is a poisonous combination for your bunny. Prolonged interaction with pellets and urine can bring difficulties such as parasites and the resulting ammonia and contact with puddling urine is toxic. 

Flooring Options

It seems that a mix of flooring is the best option, though studies show that bunnies seem to prefer clean and dry wire, spending most of their time on the wire mesh part of the cage .A section of the cage's floor should be a resting board, plexiglas (or another surface that can't be chewed) and the other half wire mesh so waste pellets can drop through. The resting board can also be a piece of marble, which is cooling in the summer. Do not be misled to think that these docile creatures are easy to keep and can simply stay in their cages. Your rabbit needs out-of-cage time or its muscles will atrophy. The best times to target outside or house play is when bunny is most naturally active--in the early morning and at dusk.  

• their feet becoming inflamed
• thinning of bones which means they are broken more easily
• a weakened heart, and as a result, poor muscle tone
• difficulties with urination and difficulty defecating
• troubling behaviors--chewing the cage, lethargy, chewing its own fur, becoming aggressive

Recommended for flooring: 14 gauge (or 16 gauge for smaller breeds), 1/2" x 1" galvanized wire mesh

Security: A Priority

It is very important to consider the wider needs of your pet rabbit. In a natural habitat, much of a bunny's day is spent in retreat in a burrow underground. Hence, for a domesticated rabbit, security is a priority and quite rightly, this is something that is up to you to provide consistently. During out-of-cage time, if you let your bunny roam in an enclosed space outside, make sure that there is protection from predators as just the approach of a strange animal can overwhelm a bunny that has no means of escape, with the ensuing panic possibly causing a heart attack.