For our fences, we have chosen to build so that we can house any of our livestock without changing the set up. Therefore, we use 48" field fence (the more expensive roll is worth the money for the extra stoutness). We always concrete our wooden corner posts. And we always run to lines of hot wire - one about 12" off of the ground and one at the top of the fenceline.
The main reason for using hot wire is to keep animals from pushing on your fenceline. Even the strongest fence will not hold up to a 600-pound pig rooting up from the bottom or a 1200-pound horse leaning over the top. We find that running two lines with the field fence is enough to deter any of our livestock...goats, pigs, or horses. And it doesn't really bother the chickens or ducks. I've only seen one of them get zapped. I think that their feathers keep them pretty well insulated.
Start by placing your insulators. We use 6" standoffs as we don't want the animals on the fencing. You can attach standoffs to either the front or the back of t-posts - something that is very helpful when you have a shared fenceline and must run hot wire on both sides. Don't forget to get nail-on standoffs for the corner posts. We also use the "donut" type insulators on the corners as the hot wire can be pulled tight without fear of the wire slipping off.
I have found that measuring off of my body works well for placing standoffs. I place a foot next to the t-post and judge it against my leg, making note of where it hits. I do the same for the top standoff. I then can repeat this with every post, measuring against the spot on my body.
Once the insulators are in place, begin threading the hot wire, starting at a gate opening. This is really a two person job. If you are using tensioners or donut-style insulators, you need to have one person
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