Brands of Electric Fence?

[kiana325]

SO, we lost our first chickens the other day. Unfortunately, it was the two that we were most attached to, very sad. A fox took them at about 7pm. At the moment we are just keeping them in the coop (don't worry it's a significant size) unless they are supervised. I've got a small area (10x5, which is smaller than their indoor space) of chain link fence that I need to line with hardware cloth to fox proof it, but I had originally wanted them to free range and this experience has left me gun shy to let them back out again. I'm sure the fox will be back. That being said, the chickens were so happy free ranging. There are huge, beautiful, bushes right near the coop that they love foraging under and it's so shady and lovely. After looking at different solutions it seems that an electric fence might be a middle of the road solution that will still allow the chickens to get to their bushes, but will offer them some protection from the fox. What I'm wondering is, is Premier1 really the only choice as far as brands go? I haven't seen much else available.

 

[CMV]

I don't what brands are out there because I use the Premier fencing. It's the only brand available where I am at, but that may be different for you. I like it well enough to use it for the last 5 years. I have reams of it for a variety of different animals. It is effective as a second line of defense. It isn't really appropriate in my area as a poultry fence because it can't stand up to snow load in the winter. I have it surrounding my hard wire fencing. It works well for larger animals like pigs, goats and sheep, but birds can fly over it or slip through it in some cases. There are different grades for different applications, so you will have to research to see what is appropriate for you. I DO like it, and I wouldn't be without it. I just wish it was a little more sturdy and less saggy. The newer model fencing has addressed this, though.

Good luck.