Complications Using Hotwire to Repel Predators

[centrarchid]

I am not using pesticides because in effort to go organic. That may need to be revisited but it it fun trying to devise ways to manage vegetation to impact bird and predator movements.

I like the fencing in a big way and I agree it saves lives. Predator density here is exceptionally high yet losses low. Losses that do occur are thoroughly documented for a purpose as intent is to produce chickens and support abundant wildlife in what will approach a native prairie setting. Growing birds on a monoculture lawn based almost entirely on cool season grasses is the normal I do not like.

 

[Trish1974]

Drop the "wow". 1 Joule is sufficient. Weeds not not burned in the classical sense. The approach is a common one in practical usage of electric fencing.

I was wondering what your voltage along the wire was so I could juice up my system; so I don't have to break my back walking bent over cutting long blades of grass along the bottom row. I wasn't being sarcastic if that is how you took it. I'm a big fan of electric fencing. I don't think I'd have a flock left without it.

I agree with Howard E's comment to Moonshiner; if your electric fence didn't do the job there must have been something wrong with the set up or charger. I currently run 1/2" polytape around my run, from 4" off the ground to 4' off the ground and average about 4,000 volts. Seems to be enough for the fox and coons, but definitely not enough to withstand a blade of grass from grounding it out.

 

[centrarchid]

I will check the voltage tonight. Normally I consider only as Joules. My lighter solar powered charger produces only 0.1 Joules and does not burn grass back but does push raccoons and foxes back. Same lighter charger also not effective with poultry netting because of all the shorts.

I have never used tape in a setting where it is expected to burn back weeds as it disperses current too much along contact point with vegetation. My tape was always at least a foot above the ground. Tape is valued more for visibility, especially will animals like horses and deer. Tap also does not cut up a panicking horse's legs. Tap has a harder time lasting near sickle mowers and even a weedeater.

Power wise, I suspect my setup is lighter than Howard E's which enabled by use of dogs as backup.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Id agree it didnt work for us so there was clearly an issue.
Im no stranger to electric fence. Im a hillbilly and have been around it my whole life.
Although I installed it I did have it professionally inspected and was told it would stop a bear.
Didnt quite believe that but it was nothing I wanted to jack with. It light you up. There is no way kids would be able to be touching it without harm.
I too am in a heavy predator area. Maybe out here theyre a bit tougher and hungerier idk.
With young kids what do you do though? How you gonna zap a 30 to 40 lb coyote through a layer of fur and send him screaming into the night but not harm a bare handed 30 to 40 lb child?
Turning it off all the time is a hassle and defeats the purpose of having it unless it is for night time use only.
We now have everything fenced with 4' goat fence. That has been a life saver for us and far better then electric. It has kept predators out and allowed us to keep our dogs outside 24/7 which is our best weapon against predators.
It also keeps our kids in the yard without worry along with our poultry and varies animals.
I have no plans to ever go back to electric fencing. Imo its not a great deterrent even when set up and working properly.
Glad it works so well for others but still not a fan.

 

[Howard E]

When the fenced area was smaller, I used a large gas powered string trimmer (Echo weedeater) to keep the grass and weeds down. After several passes grinding stuff down to bare dirt, you pretty much kill it anyway, so that is one way to do it staying organic without involving modern chemistry. But once I went larger......on new ground.......grinding 800 to 1,000 feet of the heavy stuff into the dirt was taking forever and I kept hitting the fence. So out came the sprayer. Effectiveness is the same and maintenance to keep it that way goes to nothing.

Also, with poultry netting, keeping that clear long term to keep it from grounding out is a really big job. Key words being long term. Easier to do if you spray an area to clear it, then keep it clear. Either that, or mow a designated area close and keep moving your netting fence. Really only matters for 7 or 8 months out of the year. In winter, grass and weeds mostly go dormant.

My experience with these goes back at least 50 years. We were around some scary hot fences back then......when I was a kid. If a dog is smart enough to learn to avoid them, 99% of all kids are too. Having said that, I would not allow really young kids under 5 or so to be around such a fence to touch it.....on purpose or by accident. That is mean bordering on sadistic.

Lastly, the difference between an electric fence and a physical fence is night and day. A physical fence is just that. Most predators encounter physical fences all the time and learn to pass through, over or under them as easily as wind and water. Electric fences are different. They meet out a healthy dose of pain the animals do not comprehend or understand. As such, this type of fence establishes a border they are reluctant to even test, let alone try to cross. But to get to that level of deterrence, they have to feel it......once. That one time should teach a violently painful lesson they do not want to repeat.

 

[GardenTillers44]

We have a smaller area (4,000 sq.ft.) that we use a highly visible Premier 1 Poultry Mesh for the perimeter. We get 8,000 volts which is enough to keep out the dogs, cats and send the raccoons and other critters packing. We don't have to worry about children, but the 8K will certainly get my attention. As far we know, there has not been a breech in over a year since we installed it. We mow under the fence once in the spring and spray apple cider vinegar in a foot wide run along the fence. That kills the weeds and grass under the fence, and leaves a mowable perimeter. Although cheaper than vinegar, I'm not a fan of roundup if I can use something else.

 

[Howard E]

I tried white vinegar and while it did burn the weeds down, it did not kill them. The same weeds and grass simply sprouted back from the root. Perhaps ACV works better and even more so if you keep at it? That would be far and away the better option if it does. I have also heard you can include 2 cups table salt per gallon to more or less prevent any growth from coming back. I should try that.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is what we use to keep weeds/grass knocked back:
1 Gallon Vinegar (have used ACV or White)
1 Cup Salt
1 Tblsp dish liquid

You need to spray liberally on hot day after dew has dried, prefer no rain at least whole day. Yes, you do need to reapply periodically and stay on top of it. It does help if the grass/weeds are mowed first.

Things like Poison Oak/Ivy soak, then reapply every couple of days for a week or so. Then revisit.

If at all possible I try to avoid Roundup. I know the stuff works, but for me, I prefer to find alternative methods if I can.

 

[centrarchid]

The level of discomfort imposed on critter is not all that much. If it were not for the surprise component, then more zap would be needed to repel most critters. As a kid, also about 50 years ago, getting zapped kept me aware of fence location but did not cause extreme avoidance even though I likely took a bigger jolt than a young bull might suffer and he would also respect fence more after than I would.

The zap through thick coats also not always that big if at all. Larger LGD's in thick coats are hard to zap properly when they touch only with their coats. Coyotes and fox in winter coat also likely to be similar. Key is to get nose of leg zapped quickly so animal learns to avoid close proximity to the fence where the unpleasantness might be repeated.

It appears to me we get too emotional about the impacts of the shock. Sometimes it is as apparent pleasure of seeing a pest having a bad time for trying to get it meal. Other times we make it appear more dangerous than it actually is.

 

[GardenTillers44]

"Wyorp Rock, post: 18686783
This is what we use to keep weeds/grass knocked back:
1 Gallon Vinegar (have used ACV or White)
1 Cup Salt
1 Tblsp dish liquid
You need to spray liberally on hot day after dew has dried, prefer no rain at least whole day. Yes, you do need to reapply periodically and stay on top of it. It does help if the grass/weeds are mowed first."

I checked with my wife and her ACV formula is similar to this. The salt gives it some extra punch, especially on a hot, dry day right after mowing and the dish soap helps the solution stick to the plants. She insists that ACV works better than white vinegar. I set the mower to the lowest setting and scalp the fencerow, then we apply the solution with a pump-up garden sprayer. If we start to see any green up, we'll hit it again before we need to mow. We usually get 6-8 weeks between applications if needed. We have used this solution for years around the house instead of roundup or other glyphosate products.