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Most likely, they didn't get grounded. Dry soil and thick fur are good insulators. Charges work so well on horses, because of their four metal feet. What brand/model charger are you using? I run long distances on my fences and would like to have as much zap available as possible. That's the main reason I use a plug in model. The battery and solar models just don't push the voltage needed for long distance.
I did have a coyote get tangled between the hot wire and barbed wire one day. He hasn't returned for another look at the chickens.
The predators in my area that I've actually seen include bobcats, lions (had to eliminate that one), bears, coyotes, raccoons, kotimundi, ring tailed cats, foxes and stray dogs. The Mexican Grey Wolf is returning to our area, but they haven't become a problem, yet.
No problem with hawks. I think the hawks will only kill a meal they can take with them. If they don't kill and run, something eats the hawk.
Well we share the similar predator list, and for us you can add snapping turtles and alligators (who can be a BIG problem especially since they are still a protected species here in FL)...the bobcats, generally, avoid our immediate area as they have ample prey available in the surrounding woods and fields without having to get to close to humans, but obviously this is not always the case. The coyotes, however, are a very different story...the will stare you down and dare you to run them off. There are two hawk nests and a bald eagle nest not far from our ducks, but (knock wood) so far they have not been an issue..they (the hawks and eagles) return every year to nest but I guess, there again, there is ample food supply so they ignore the ducks.
I have always said that in a predators eyes, the prey becomes smaller as the food supply diminishes...for example, an alligator will not attack a calf if there are enough fish and turtles around, but once the smaller prey is gone, that calf looks like a whole lot smaller to them.
Regarding our fence energizers, ours are Zareba, (we have a few- the two he went through were a 10 mile and a 3 mile) and I see I mistyped the voltage. More accurately, they are10,500 and 9,000 volts (not 50.000), 50K (police taser voltage) surely would have stopped him (and the cows, horses, goats and me!). Hey that gives me an idea...maybe I should attach a taser to the wire!
All of our fences are closed circuit, which increased the 'zap' substantially. And believe me our fences are weeded and WELL grounded...Anabelle (one of our cows) seems to like the zap from the fence and used to penetrate them until we added 2 ground wires and closed the circuit to ensure she got the full impact.
Fur is a good insulator, true, but here in FL the ground is so damp all of the time. This happened right at the end of our rainy season, so the ground was very, very saturated. Wet foot pads conduct perfectly. (believe me I know, I have had the thrilling experience with rubber boots and double gloves on!)
Now the possibility does exist that he climbed a tree and jumped over the fence(s), as I have seen them jump far and high. But when I finally caught up to him, he went for the fence and was definitely being shocked without reaction to the fence (he did react to the 45, however).
I guess it really depends on a lot of factors, but after this experience, I would not rely on electric fence as a deterrent to these predators.
The sprinkles seem like an option...motion controlled so a burst of water sprays when he approaches. If you squirt the cat with a hose, he will run...so it is probably worth a try, but I would say the only real way to guarantee protection is to have the poultry completely enclosed (sides, top and bottom...predators, particularly cats, will dig under a fence as well).
so in the meantime I need a cheapish fix. Was thinking to put nails on top or barbed wire. I attached a pic of the setup so you can see what I am working with. The soccer netting has been great for hawks and eagles but this is a first for a friggin' bobcat to be walking around the top of it.
