Electric Fencing: How to Choose, Build, and Maintain the Best Fence for Your Plants and Animals. A Storey BASICS® Title Paperback – August 13, 2013

This is a great little book. It *is* small, but chock full of great information. Hansen writes very clearly and anticipates likely questions someone would have about putting up an electric fence system. She explains the basics of electricity, how the fence works, and what kinds of electric fences are best for different types of animals. There are useful diagrams, illustrations, and boxes scattered about. Despite the small size of the book, the detail is impressive. For example, she walks the reader through all the different kinds of fence posts used for temporary (and in a different chapter, permanent) electric fencing, listing the pros and cons of each type. Sometimes "how to" books can be frustrating, but not the case with this little tome; for example, the ratings on fence chargers can be confusing, and Hansen acknowledges this and does a great job of leading the reader through the intricacies. This book told me everything I needed to know to make a good decision on what kind of fence to put up, what equipment to use, and how to install it.

All you need to know to get started. A good introduction as well as an overview covering planning, safety and maintenance

No, this book will not turn you into another Tesla, but did you know that electric fencing gives you a powerful way to keep escape artists like pigs in a pen, and at the same time keep out feral dogs and other pests? Before electric fencing came into being, people had a difficult time keeping livestock from breaking loose and "breaking bad" in the neighborhood. And it works for many different kinds of critters, from chickens to cows and everything in between. So if you have ever wanted to raise a few pigs and enjoy the enormous benefits that can bring to your table and pocketbook, get this inexpensive little book and get started on the path to learning how to use this valuable resource to make your dreams come true.

Very basic….

I'm honestly surprised by the handful of good reviews this book has so far received. I just finished reading it, myself, and found it to be somewhat worse than mediocre. Frankly, I don't feel that it was anywhere near worth the money - and that's saying something considering that it's not a very expensive book.It's 96 pages, yes, but in small (think paperback size) format, and with relatively few words and a lot of white space on every page. Worse, it's full of obvious filler. In that scant text, for example, the author took more opportunities than I cared to count to tell readers that metal is more durable than plastic. I'm not being sarcastic; that incredibly obvious fact was covered on MANY instances, sometimes at length.More complex matters, on the other hand, were barely mentioned, and when they were addressed the text lacked enough detail to really aid understanding. Nor were they addressed with any kind of illustrations. (There are only a few drawings in the book, and they too address only the most simplistic things.) One glaring example of this was the subject of how to design or construct a gate for any kind of electric fence, which seemed mentioned only as an afterthought.Between you and me, I suspect the author wrote this book in a VERY short period of time, maybe even without any personal experience but just a bit of knowledge gained by scanning a few websites, just to cash in on having thought of a book title that sounded as if it addressed a useful subject not previously addressed. That's certainly how it reads, anyway.

This small book of knowledge is a great starting tool for any person looking to build an electric fence for cattle or any class of livestock. Its not going to tell you step by step in how to build the fence, but it does give a lot of good guidance into "why" you could/should build it this way. I also like the fact that its non-biased and not pushing a certain company's product. This at least makes you feel like the information is adequate and you can trust what is being written instead of a product being shoved down your throat touting its excellence.

Good basic information providing basic understanding and insight for planning and installing fencing appropriate for needs.

it helped with understanding electric fencing and whether it would work in our yard.