Electric fencing, do you really need it vs non electric fencing

[Sallimom]

My experience with free range has, so far, been very positive. My chickens free range with my goats. They share a large enclosure with Premier One Solar energized Netting, but I open it so they can all move into larger pastures during the day. We have all the normal predators (except bears). I think the goats are a deterrent for the hawks, like a dog would be. I hear them in the trees above, and even see them, but they have yet to attack.
At night, everyone comes in; chickens go in a secured coop and goats in a secured barn. Then the fence goes on.
I can usually find variety of animal tracks outside the fence, so I know they are out there.
I think the hawks, have decided the chickens are just not worth the risk of encountering a larger mammal while the ground predators are deterred by the electric fence.

 

[Chickenclaude]

I have used a roll of deer fencing. It’s strong, invisible (7’ x 100’ for $100)and you can wrap it around those trees instead of fencing. I have dogs too. But they have invisible fence collars so their roam is confined. I think of it as giving me precious moments to get them inside rather than a deterant because the canopy is still open. They are free ranging when I am outside w them only. Otherwise they are in a movable pvc tractor. It’s really whatever works for you.

 

[mag7mm]

I have had my chickens and ducks free ranging for 5 plus years surrounded by forest. Every morning I open there coop to let them out and every evening close up the coop for safety. I have never lost a bird yet that has stayed in the coop overnight. I believe a good rooster and a family dog will push back most predators for the daylight hrs. I have now also added two male cats to the group outside for rodent control and they have taken to the birds like family. The cats actually sit on the roost in the coop with the chickens. The only issue I've had is owls at night grabbing baby ducklings if the mom takes them too far away.

 

[timmysparky]

Your birds will love access to that area! I've done so many things to keep away the predators , fencing, confinement, armed guarding(me with a shotgun). In the end the result was always the same, birds will be lost. With that being said my best times were had with a few simple things; 1. A good guard dog 2. A predator evasive breed of bird 3. A lot of birds 4. Some good old fashion good luck! No matter how much you spend there will always be some crazy way some thing will get your birds. Just keep the next generation in the brooder and do your best to keep the obvious predators dead. A guard dog is second to none and the breed is key. Brown leg horns will literally fly away if you look at them wrong while a buff brahma will lay down and just about to over if you run up on her. Cackle Hatchery has some really great predator resistant breeds that I've personally had great luck with. The main thing to watch for is the damn fox, if you have one, or more, that get a taste for your birds you will have to sit there with your shotgun until it comes close to get a bird. I've yet to kill one but a good close encounter with a 12 guage has always made such a impression that I never see them again. I always think about the phrase," live free or die." Those chix love to be free so much they will go out and free range no matter what the stakes are. I get it tho, i would too. So i just let them out and do my best. Good luck

 

[floydp97]

I did not go through the answers of everyone’s posts, however I will give my input as far as Premier1 Fence goes. I love it and have used it for over 10 years. I have several. I will attach the link to the one I use, which is the tallest they offer with the smallest holes. I charge it, nothing gets in, nothing gets out. My area also backs up to woods and I like the fact that you can move the posts and pretty much stick them in wherever you want - or can due to rocks - and create whatever shape area. Our ground is very rocky so I like this flexibility installing this fence. I work with the dips as best I can, and where something doesn’t completely reach the ground I stick a larger rock through the hole to hold the bottom of the fence down. The very bottom line is not a chargeable line. I am in upstate New York and leave these fences up year-round, otherwise when it started getting nicer in the spring and I want to let them out, or just a nice days in general, my ground would be too frozen to try to remove and re-stick the fence. I keep a roll of the black/yellow/metal tensile wire for repair when needed, and to run from these fences and my horse fence to keep all charged. https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/permanet-19-68-3-electric-netting?cat_id=139

 

[zadok]

I want my chickens to free range behind their coop which is wooded. I've been thinking about this for years and this is the year Im going to do something about it. So, do you all think regular fencing like the Premiere one No Shock Hen pen fence will work good enough if I only let my chickens out during the day and they are cooped in a secure run and coop at night? I would go for it and spend the big bucks to get the regular premiere one electric poultry netting but my area is rocky and full of trees, stumps and sapling. So my concern is it would constantly short out from the bottom part of the fence coming into contact with saplings and ferns etc. Also, I must admit Im a bit intimidated by the set up and use of the electric fence. Also its pretty heavily wooded so I don't think a solar powered energizer would work. Do they have other options? I do have electricity in my coop and I want to run the fence right off the coop. Ill upload a pic of my property so all you experts can let me know which option would work for me. Help me get this project done, its been on my mind for at least two years! Thanks so much.

I stay with my chickens as much as possible an shut them back up after couple hrs. I have a lot of feral cats an hawks an such

 

[zadok]

Your birds will love access to that area! I've done so many things to keep away the predators , fencing, confinement, armed guarding(me with a shotgun). In the end the result was always the same, birds will be lost. With that being said my best times were had with a few simple things; 1. A good guard dog 2. A predator evasive breed of bird 3. A lot of birds 4. Some good old fashion good luck! No matter how much you spend there will always be some crazy way some thing will get your birds. Just keep the next generation in the brooder and do your best to keep the obvious predators dead. A guard dog is second to none and the breed is key. Brown leg horns will literally fly away if you look at them wrong while a buff brahma will lay down and just about to over if you run up on her. Cackle Hatchery has some really great predator resistant breeds that I've personally had great luck with. The main thing to watch for is the damn fox, if you have one, or more, that get a taste for your birds you will have to sit there with your shotgun until it comes close to get a bird. I've yet to kill one but a good close encounter with a 12 guage has always made such a impression that I never see them again. I always think about the phrase," live free or die." Those chix love to be free so much they will go out and free range no matter what the stakes are. I get it tho, i would too. So i just let them out and do my best. Good luck

I feel for the other animals as well an will not kill or shot if I can intervene or chase them away

 

[fsauwphoto]

I have let my 40 chickens and 10 guineas free range along with my 14 goats and cattle. The birds and goats have about 1 acres just for them and also access to the cattle's 3 acres. All of it is electrified with 4-5 strands electric ( along a road there is the 5 strands )along with barbed wire for the cattle's area , but welded with 2 strands(top and bottom) electric for the 1 acre goat and chicken run. The house and lawn around it has an invisible fence for my 2 dogs, that are not chicken friendly. The chickens and guineas go thru the electric fence, like it is not there, in the cattle pasture and they roam all over my neighbors wooded property so that is very similar to your property. The only chickens and guineas ( 4 in total over a 2 year period) I have lost were to my dogs( the one today made our supper stew and was very good). We do have predators including bear, coyote , fox, owl, racoon , opossum and hawks but none have bothered the birds. The hawks like to sit on the telephone pole at the edge of the chicken pen but so far have not taken any of my birds. There are fruit trees which my birds hide under when the hawks fly by. I think what has been the biggest deterrent to predators at night are solar powered motion activated lights all around the chicken pens. As someone else has said the goats may also help by their presence.
Given my experience thus far , I would not suggest putting any type of fencing thru your woods. I have to constantly check my fence as the charging unit says it shorting out, as I have lots of trees with moss along the fence especially in the cattle pasture. The chickens will all come back to roost at night so what you really need is predator proof coop.
I have used the electric Premier electric fence as a temporary fence to subdivide my pasture but the love sick goats( and likely any predators ) don't respect it like they do my welded wire with electric strands added.
There's my 2 cents for what it worth.

 

[fsauwphoto]

"I stay with my chickens as much as possible an shut them back up after couple hrs. I have a lot of feral cats an hawks an such "

The only chicken I ever lost to a hawk was 35 years ago at a different farm than now . I was talking to my neighbor at our fence with the chickens scratching around us . A hawk hit a chicken 10 feet from us and then took it , hopped over the fence and then after several tries with some great effort flew off with it . At my present farm luckily I have not lost any more chickens to hawks.

 

[JetDoc750]

My adult birds free range through woods and fields with no barriers whatsoever snd they put themselves to bed each night in a secure coop. I then just shut the door and release them again in the morning. In 3years of this practice, i have only lost 1 bird (adult 12lb rooster) in broad daylight, middle of the day. We have plenty of predators from fox and coyote to Bobcats and bears, so lack of predators is not the cause of my success.
I give credit to my dog. He has no clue he's doing it but his presence alone and scent has kept the predators from roaming through our yard until after sunset when the chickens are safe in their coop. We did not have him when the rooster was taken.

What breed of dog do you have? Did you raise it from puppy or later? What training does it have? our 15 year old border collie is afraid of the birds and will not go out into the yard with them, mostly due to her being challenged by a rooster last year.