we are watching, and they are too

The electric wire runs on the property. In the winter little is hooked up, the perimeter fence and an area for pigs. The winter herd of cattle is small enough that not a lot is needed. 

And now, with a total of 4 big pigs and a full herd of stockers, the electric fence runs all over the property. When Homer fills buckets in the morning with the poultry ration, he does not want every other animal running over him to see. A slight adjustment to the wire allows him the time he needs to get buckets filled and into the back of the truck. 

And while the cattle watch him, he can watch them. He checks on how they are doing: eating, resting, cud chewing, how filled out, how their eyes and ears look and the quality of their poop. 

All looks good. 

Yesterday when I stepped into their paddock to top off their water, a snake jumped in the grass. A dark snake with light stripes running the length of its body. When Homer had picked up a board lying in that area, he had expected to see voles, as they love a spot like that on the field, under cover. Instead there were just the two snakes, well fed. 

The electric fence scares me. I touch by accident and it makes me see stars. Same with the livestock I guess. We all avoid it. Most of the time it works, only occasionally does it fail. Never a good day when that happens.