45pro
In the Brooder
- Nov 25, 2017
- 44
- 21
- 44
I am building a new run that's attached to my old shed and turning it into a coop. That being said I hear all different kinds of things being used to keep chickens in and predators out. My major threats are stray dogs, opossum, raccoon, and maybe fox. Before I knew what I was doing we had 3 chickens in a run with just chicken wire. That lasted about a year before a neighbors dog managed to get loose and went straight through it and killed all the chickens. The new coop that I'm building I'm trying to keep looking as good as possible since I live on the edge of a housing division next to a lake, i want to keep everything nice and orderly as to not be an eyesore, so I'm steering clear of hardware cloth and instead have built a run wrapped with 2x3 black coated welded wire. This stuff literally dissapears as you can look right through it and not notice it. Now i know this isn't 'ideal' or as good as hardware cloth, but it is what I'm doing and I know it will keep my chickens in and most harmful critters out. All that being said even though the welded wire is 14 gauge, I don't expect it to last long with a determined dog. That's why I'm going to put up an electric fence with wire every 6 inches along the bottom 3 feet. TSC recommended the 2 mile (smallest) solar powered low impediance electric fence,(I do not have power out there). I assume with all that i should be able to keep all predators that they will face out correct? The question I am wondering is, if a chicken happens to stick his head out between the wire and gets hit with the fence, will it learn to keep away or is it just going to kill It? If it will kill it im thinking of running a 18" span of chicken wire around the bottom on the inside to keep them from poking their heads out if I HAVE to. I'm really only wanting to do this as a last resort.
So will i be ok keeping out my local predators with my 2x3 welded wire and electric fence, and what kind of risk does the electric fence pose to my chickens? Can they handle being zapped and learn not to mess with it, or would it be goodbye chicken?
Pic of electric fence tsc reccomended me, and my half built coop/run.
So will i be ok keeping out my local predators with my 2x3 welded wire and electric fence, and what kind of risk does the electric fence pose to my chickens? Can they handle being zapped and learn not to mess with it, or would it be goodbye chicken?
Pic of electric fence tsc reccomended me, and my half built coop/run.