6 Hog Panel Fencing For Pigs That Old Farmers Swear By
Explore 6 hog panel fencing options trusted by seasoned farmers. Learn why these durable, welded wire panels are a top choice for secure pig enclosures.
There’s a particular sound a hog makes right before it tests a fence line—a low, determined grunt that means you’re about to find out how good your work really is. Choosing the right fencing isn’t just about keeping pigs in; it’s about peace of mind and protecting your investment. The old-timers knew that a good panel fence is the foundation of a low-stress pig operation, and their wisdom still holds true today.
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Why Galvanized Steel Panels Are the Gold Standard
When you talk about hog panels, you’re almost always talking about galvanized steel. There’s a simple reason for this: rust is the enemy of any farm fence, and pigs accelerate its work. Their mud-caked bodies, rooting, and constant rubbing wear down paint and expose raw metal in no time.
Galvanization is a process where the steel is coated in a layer of zinc. This zinc coating acts as a sacrificial barrier, corroding long before the steel underneath is compromised. This means your investment lasts for decades, not just a few seasons. It’s the difference between a fence you put up once and a fence you’re constantly patching.
Beyond rust protection, steel provides the brute strength required to contain a 300-pound sow with an itch or a boar that decides the grass is greener elsewhere. The welded grid structure is also key. The graduated spacing—with tight, small rectangles at the bottom and larger ones at the top—is a brilliant design. It keeps tiny piglets from squeezing through while preventing larger hogs from getting their snouts under the bottom wire to lift and escape.
CountyLine Utility Panel: The Go-To for Versatility
You’ll find CountyLine panels stacked high at nearly every Tractor Supply, and for good reason. They are the accessible, reliable workhorse for the small-scale farmer. While they might not be the absolute thickest gauge on the market, they offer an excellent balance of strength, affordability, and availability.
The real beauty of the CountyLine panel is its versatility. Today it’s a farrowing pen, tomorrow you can lash a few together for a temporary buck pen for your goats. Next spring, it’s a trellis for your climbing beans. For a hobby farmer where every piece of equipment needs to pull double or triple duty, this multi-purpose nature is invaluable.
Think of it as the perfect solution for rotational grazing systems or interior cross-fencing. Because they aren’t excessively heavy, one person can manage to move and set them up in a new paddock without specialized equipment. They are strong enough for most heritage breeds and feeder pigs, making them a practical first choice for anyone getting started.
Tarter 4-Gauge Hog Panel for Maximum Durability
When you see "4-gauge," your brain should immediately register "heavy-duty." In the world of wire, a lower gauge number means a thicker, stronger wire. Tarter’s 4-gauge panels are what you use when you have zero room for error. This isn’t your average pasture fence; this is a fortress.
These panels are built for high-pressure situations. Think about permanent pens, working corrals, or the fence line separating a mature, territorial boar from your gilts. These are the areas where a standard panel might eventually bow or a weld might pop under constant stress. The sheer thickness of the 4-gauge wire provides incredible rigidity and impact resistance.
Yes, they are heavier and more expensive. You’ll spend more upfront and grunt a little harder setting the posts. But this is a classic "buy it once, cry once" scenario. The cost and effort are forgotten years later when the fence is still standing straight and strong, having contained generations of pigs without a single failure.
Red Brand Welded Wire Hog Panel: A Legacy Choice
Red Brand is one of those names that has been on the side of barns for generations. It’s a legacy brand that has earned its reputation for quality and consistency. When an old farmer tells you to "just get the Red Brand," it’s because he’s seen it outlast cheaper alternatives time and time again.
The critical difference often lies in the quality of the welds. A hog panel is only as strong as its weakest weld point. Pigs are experts at finding that one spot and working it relentlessly. Red Brand’s manufacturing process focuses on creating clean, strong welds that resist popping when a hog throws its full weight against the panel.
This commitment to quality means the panel maintains its shape and integrity over the long haul. It resists the sagging and bowing that can plague lesser-quality fencing, especially in longer runs. Choosing a legacy brand like this is about trusting a proven track record over a slightly lower price tag.
Behlen Country Hog Panels: Built for Tough Pastures
Not every farm is a flat, manicured field. Many of us are working with rolling hills, wooded lots, and uneven ground. Behlen Country panels have earned a reputation for being particularly rugged and well-suited for these challenging environments.
Their panels often feature a high-quality galvanization process that holds up well to the scrapes and dings that come from being installed in brushy areas. The rigidity of their construction allows them to span slight dips and crests in the terrain without losing tension or creating gaps at the bottom—gaps a curious pig will find in minutes.
This makes them an excellent choice for perimeter fencing on rough pasture. When you’re weaving a fence line through trees and over rocky ground, you need a panel that can handle some flex without compromising its core strength. Behlen delivers that practical toughness needed for real-world farm landscapes.
OK Brand Max-Tight Panel for Strong Containment
The name says it all. OK Brand puts a heavy emphasis on creating a panel that stays tight and rigid. The strength of a panel fence isn’t just in the wire itself, but in its ability to resist being pushed, bent, and manipulated into a U-shape by a determined animal.
This focus on tension and rigidity is crucial. A loose, flimsy panel is more than an eyesore; it’s an open invitation for a pig to start working on it. The Max-Tight design ensures that when properly installed, the panel acts as a solid, unyielding barrier. This is especially important for containing larger breeds known for their strength, like Berkshires or Large Blacks.
Think of it this way: the panel’s job is to distribute force across the entire structure and onto the T-posts. A panel that maintains its tight, grid-like form does this effectively. One that bows easily concentrates all that force on a single weld or wire, which is how breaches happen.
SpeeCo Combination Panel for Multi-Species Farms
For the typical hobby farm, specialization is a luxury. You probably have more than just pigs. This is where the SpeeCo Combination Panel, or "utility panel," becomes an incredibly smart choice. These panels are designed from the ground up to be a multi-species solution.
The design features graduated spacing that is tight at the bottom for hogs and sheep, but gets progressively wider toward the top, making it suitable for containing calves or goats without them getting their heads stuck. This means one stack of panels can serve your entire operation. You save money, simplify your inventory, and reduce storage needs.
The tradeoff is that it isn’t perfectly optimized for any single species. A dedicated hog panel might have slightly better spacing for farrowing. But for general containment and rotational grazing on a diversified farm, the practicality of a combination panel is unmatched. It’s the ultimate pragmatic choice.
T-Post and Clip Essentials for a Secure Hog Fence
You can buy the best 4-gauge panel in the world, but if you hang it on flimsy posts with baling twine, you don’t have a fence—you have a suggestion. The panel is only half the system; the posts and clips are what turn it into a fortress.
Always opt for heavy-duty T-posts, at least 6 or 6.5 feet long. You need to drive them deep enough to be immovable, with at least 1.5 to 2 feet in the ground. Space them no more than 8 feet apart. Any wider, and you give a pig too much leverage to bow the panel between posts.
Finally, use the correct T-post clips. Don’t improvise with wire. The clips are specifically engineered to hold the panel tight against the post, preventing the pig from creating a gap to push through or getting its snout under to lift the panel off the post. Secure each panel with at least five clips per post. This isn’t a place to cut corners; it’s what makes the entire system work.
Ultimately, the best hog panel is the one that matches your specific needs—the size of your pigs, the type of pasture, and your budget. The real secret the old-timers knew wasn’t about a single brand, but about understanding that a strong fence is a system where the panel, the post, and the farmer’s diligence work together. Get that system right, and you can spend more time enjoying your pigs and less time chasing them.
