Alternatives to Bullets

[JackE]

Awww, cute picture! Maine winters are pretty challenging so I expect they'll be happy staying in and dry. So the fence is permenant in your situation. Probably easier to leave it up then take it down and store it? Hmmmm....whole new world this chicken business...they are wonderful little creatures but clearly they are on everyone's menu...except mine, lol.

Well, if you wanted to, the fence is easily taken down, and put away for the winter. The big thing is, from what I've read from Premier,is to NOT roll the fence up around the posts. That makes for a tangled mess. Another thing if you are putting away, is to make sure mice can't get to it. Seems they like to chew/eat the de-energized fence. It is, to me, much easier to leave it up.

 

[Catnip5]

Just remember when working near the electric fence to turn it off (or unplug it!) you will probably only need to get "bit" (shocked) once to remember!

The bottom strand is not "hot" ... So that can be in contact with the ground and grass, and held down with stakes if you wish ... But wet grass or brush will short out the "hot" wires, and render the fence useless ... As you can see in the previous pictures that Jack has put out some kind of weed/grass killer to solve that problem ... Some choose to just mow a short (height wise) path nearby, and move the fence every couple of weeks ...

Have a good ground(s) rod is also important, a damp location near the fence is best ...

ETA:
Don't forget to order a "gate kit" too ... It will make your life so much easier! (I sure like spending other peoples money (OPM)!) and less "Shocking"!

Ground rod...need to investigate along with the "gate kit"...no idea, all new to me. Ya, and turning it off would be something I would definitely forget when working around it or mowing.

Is there a certain amount of voltage that is ideal? I'm thinking about 300 ft enclosure as a starting point...

 

[JackE]

If the fence gets shorted out due to high grass or snow, it is not permanently damaged. Just clear the issue, and the fence is back in business. Good thing to have is a fence tester. Makes checking the fence quick and easy. Another thing you can get, is this little tell-tale that Premier sells. It's hooked onto the fence, and has it's own ground wire. If your fence has over 5000Vs, you can see it flashing. It works really great at night, you can just look out the window, and see that the fence is working. But in the daylight, you have to go right up to it, to see the flash. Sunlight makes it difficult to see from a distance.
Premier sells ground rods, or you could go to TractorSupply, or Lowes to get one.

The gate kit is a nice add on. It saves you from having to turn the fence off everytime you want to go in, or out. I have one, I like it. But, a problem I ran into last winter, was on the bottom of the gate post, there is a plastic cap. I ended up removing it, because it kept getting frozen into this little pocket that the gate sits in. But other than that, nice thing to have.

I have the Kube charger that Premier sells. It's powered up by 110VAC. It puts out in excess of 8000Vs. Maybe more, but that is as high as my tester reads. It's been on practically 4yrs, it's a good one.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Undoubtedly this fox has a den nearby given the 3 trips a day, morning, noon and evening that I've seen him in my yard. Yup, it's either enclosed secure run or electric fencing. Dogs are out for me as they couldn't stay out all day here unattended and the road is a hazard. Unfortunately being enclosed is going to be the only way they can stay safe. Free ranging is unfortunately proving too dangerous, even under direct supervision. Hadn't seen a fox in 3 years here...now he/she is here every 3 hours.
Electric fencing seems complicated...need to study up. They'd get more room with an electric fence though...I'll search through the forum and see what the options are. Is it something a single gal can install I wonder? Thanks for the feedback - and yes, headless chickens are disturbingly awful. Poor dear Lana...

Hi again, electric fence is super EASY! Not complicated at all. I put mine up myself. That'll keep furry predators out, but I don't think it'll keep chickens in? Might get "fried chicken"! Yikes! Might need both enclosure and hot wire. There are so many adorable creative chicken houses and runs on the internet and pinterest. Lots of folks convert a garden shed. Here's one idea for an immediate solution until you can build something cute. Pre fab dog kennel panels, Costco, HD, Lowes TSC and a playhouse. On the brite side, you won't need to hunt for your eggs! Be well,


If you're creative...

 

[123RedBeard]

When the fence is "shorted out" or "grounded" ... Just turn it off, and trim brush away what every is causing the problem ... If it is a fallen branch, I'd just kick it or use another stick and QUICKLY fling it off ... It will not trip a breaker in your house! These fences do not have a constant on feature, they work on "pulse's" ever few seconds, they send out a "jolt", but a very high jolt of electricity ...

The fence "chargers" (what put the electricity into the fence) come in different power levels measure usually in Joules ... And the manufactures usually recommend a certain size for a certain number feet length of fence ... If you go with the "mesh" style instead of a standard wire like a cattle fence they usually need a higher strength charger per foot, because you are running more than just a couple of strands of bare wire ...

Gate kit - http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=102851&cat_id=45

Or these just hook onto the top of a post at the end of a run of fencing ... http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=102852&cat_id=45

As far as chargers go, and in my opinion ... BIGGER IS BETTER ...
Plug in to house current ... http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=13707&cat_id=54
Joules
3 stored joules
2.3 released joules
1.9 output joules in moist soils
1.24 output joules in dry soils

Miscellaneous
Requires 6 ft. of ground rod in the ground
4.5 watts drawn per hour
48 pulses per minute
6' cord
2 prong plug
Simple. No fancy "bells and whistles."
Modular. Very easy to repair.

Should Power...
3 miles of 3 strand cattle fence
1 mile of 5-7 strand sheep fence.
15 164' sheep/goat nets and 7 164' PoultryNets.
All distances are dependent on amount of grass/weed load on the fence.

-----------------------

Compared to their plug in half joules unit - http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=127242&cat_id=159

HotShock 5
Peak output: 0.5 joules
Pulses per minute: 38
110 AC draw: 1 watt per hour

Should power 1 mile of 3 strand cattle fence, 1/2 mile of a 5-7 strand sheep fence, 6 of the 164' sheep/goat nets and 3 of the 164' poultry nets. All distances are dependent on amount of grass/weed load on the fence.

If you need to go solar powered ... That can be done too! But cost MORE, for less power ...

You can check your local "feed and seed" supplier for a charger if you would rather ... The charger does not need to match brand for brand, you just need to know how many joules you want, and if you might need to expand in the future ... Buy once cry once!

 

[chiques chicks]

I found an old 30 mile agricultural one for free. Solar panel was broken, battery was dead. Bought a lawn mower battery and a smallish 12 watt (?) solar panel, good as new.

Weeds are no problem, fence burns them off, seriously. The neighbors fence had a tree laying on it and some power still got through. I've hit them many times, since I grew up around farms. Nothing like hitting one while you are standing waist deep in a creek. Stings, but won't kill you.

The fun part is knowing when the power is hot (I can hear the charger clicking) and convincing my less agricultural friends "see, it doesn't hurt, not even sure it's on ".

 

[Catnip5]

That's a lot of ground rod isn't it? 6 feet? Is that straight down in the ground? I have LOTS of rock and ledge so even staking the fence will be a challenge in spots. Still, I think electric netting might do the trick and would be faster than building a run. Right now the girls are in a very small coop - too small for being locked up all day and in this terrible heat. After yesterday though I couldn't chance another free-range day. The shed will be outfitted this weekend and then they'll have a giant comfy space, at least indoors, until the fence/run is installed.

 

[JackE]

That's a lot of ground rod isn't it? 6 feet? Is that straight down in the ground? I have LOTS of rock and ledge so even staking the fence will be a challenge in spots. Still, I think electric netting might do the trick and would be faster than building a run. Right now the girls are in a very small coop - too small for being locked up all day and in this terrible heat. After yesterday though I couldn't chance another free-range day. The shed will be outfitted this weekend and then they'll have a giant comfy space, at least indoors, until the fence/run is installed.

You can get either a six foot rod, or get a couple three footers, that Premier sells. Where you are, with the ledge problem, you should go with the three footers. I got three, of the three footers, grounding my fence. Two was the recommendation, but three is better. You want a good ground for the fence.

 

[Catnip5]

Yikes, don't know how I'll get three foot poles in the ground vertically...that might be a bit of a challenge...research continues! I'm assuming 3 would need to be adjacent somewhat to each other Jack?

 

[JackE]

Yikes, don't know how I'll get three foot poles in the ground vertically...that might be a bit of a challenge...research continues! I'm assuming 3 would need to be adjacent somewhat to each other Jack?

I think they are supposed to be , like 4-5' apart. They can be spread out more, just so they are connected. What you could do, is to find an area in your yard, where you can drive the rods in. Then just run the wire from there, over to the fence controller. To 'bury' the wire, use a shovel/spade to make a cut in the ground, then just shove the wire down in there. Hopefully, your whole back yard is not ledge. I bought my wire from TractorSupply. It's a thick plastic covered aluminum wire, specifically for electric fencing.