Electric Netting Charger

[BF2014]

So I'm looking for advice on a charger for approx. 80 feet of poultry netting. I've read there's a bit of resistance when it comes to the netting and ground contact aka grass, weeds etc.
I was looking at a Patriot Solarguard 155 (found a new one for a really great price), seeing as I wont have available power at the pen location and its solar operated. Would this be sufficient power for a 20x20 pen? The netting is the taller, I believe 48" high net.
Also, what about predators willing to dig under? (I don't know that I will have this issue but you never know what lurks in the dark lol)
Will predators digging under be an issue when using electric netting? I'm using netting so that I can easily move the pen as needed.
Thanks for any advice

 

[BF2014]

Any suggestions from anyone lol?

 

[beetandsteet]

I did a real quick web search on this energizer, and I don't think it would work well The general rule of thumb that I've heard is minimum 0.5 Joules for poultry netting, and this energizer is about 0.15 Joules. Joules means energy output, how much it's going to be able to push the current down the wire.
Poultry netting should always be energized at 4000 Volts plus, and it'll be harder to do that when you have a weaker energizer, and grass contacting the lower strands of the net, pulling voltage away. Also, keep in mind that a poultry net relies on a ground circuit. That is, to receive a shock, the animal has to contact the ground. Chickens and their predators are usually pretty lightweight (except coyotes, dogs, etc.), so there needs to be a high voltage to push the amps through them and to the ground, and give them a shock. Too little voltage can allow predators to push under the net without receiving a proper shock.
As for predators digging under, I don't think you'll have a problem with that as long as your fence is working. Predators will nose around the fence first, and hopefully get a shock which tells them in no uncertain terms to stay away. Also, if you're moving your pen fairly regularly, that usually helps throw predators off.
What brand of poultry netting are you buying? The best stuff to buy is Premier's Poultrynet, they are superior and have fabulous customer service. Cheaper nets can have a much higher resistance, and need a higher power energizer. (note, don't ever buy a continuous output energizer, they will melt the plastic strands in the net and cause a fire)
I use a HotShock 5 for my Premier netting (164 feet). It is plugin, but Premier sells a solar kit for this energizer. One last piece of advice--if you live in an area where the soil is hard, buy single spike posts. If you live in an area where the soil is soft, buy double spike posts. Be prepared to buy a few additional posts as sometimes the fence sags when the ground is extra wet. I just cut notches in PVC pipes and used those as temporary support for a sagging net.
Hope this helps. Electric netting is a great tool.

 

[BF2014]

Thank you for the reply!
I get everything your saying and you have clarified some things for me.
I will look for a more powerful charger designed for netting and the pvc idea was great too.
Thank you

 

[beetandsteet]

Thank you for the reply!
I get everything your saying and you have clarified some things for me.
I will look for a more powerful charger designed for netting and the pvc idea was great too.
Thank you

No problem! I hope you have good luck with your electric net.