Please help with training calves for fence

[hitnspit]

Now I just bought 2 jersey calves. 1 is 4 weeks old and the other is 1 week old. Now I have them in pens in the barn right now. I would like to put them to pasture in the spring. How is the best way to train them to stay in the fence. is there anyway to do it in the barn before they go outside? I live right on a main road and it scares the hell out of me to think they may get out and killed. I have a few pastures but the best one is right next to the road. Any help would be wonderful. Thanks Oh I live in Vermont

 

[WildRoseBeef]

How solid is your fence? Is it possible for you to string up a temporary hot wire if you're that leery about them getting out on you? I honestly don't think you have much to worry about.

If you're going to check the fence for any broken wires, loose wires that need to have the staples pounded back in, that sort of thing, and get them fixed up you should be fine. By the time spring rolls around those calves will be a bit bigger they are less likely to go through a fence like they are now. But, even then we had some pretty small calves in our corrals (younger than what you have) and they could easily crawl through the 16" space between the ground and the bottom pipe of the steel panels we had, but never did. 'Course that's because they were with some cows, but still.

Just make sure you check the fence regularly (like once a week) along the road and keep an eye on them for the first few hours you let them out. They will walk the fence line a couple times before they decide it best to settle down and graze.