Do Electric Poultry Fences REALLY work?

[mustangrooster]

Well there's not much to say about this question..

Other than do Electric Poultry fences really work?

I've heard of people who own them and they work like a charm. But I am looking to invest in them to separate some of the purebred chickens from the barnyard mixes for breeding purposes. When new coops and runs are built out here it takes more wire and wood to build the sides and sometimes you'll still find them flying over!

So im looking for something a tad easier.

EDIT: Don't get me wrong, The electric fences will be used as they're run and the fencing for they're coop in general. They however would still have they're nesting boxes and roosts etc.

-Mustang

 

[drumstick diva]

I don't think I would trust the electric fences. It may be more work but, You could put wire tops on the runs and then no one flies out

 

[MeepBeep]

The answer is they might work... They certainly don't offer any protection from overhead threats...

Stubborn domestic dogs and even some wild animals will simply plow them over, while coyotes, wolves, bobcat and the like can clear jump most fences rendering them useless if the animal is devoted to getting in... Also depending on the breed of the bird they might just fly out...

Depending on how well it's setup, small animals like weasels and snakes can many times go under without a shock or simply a mild shock as the lower strands tend to short out on contact with grass, in fact many times the bottom strand on poultry netting is not charged at all to prevent shorting out allowing small predators a window in...

I know that a lot of people proclaim it's the end all of protection, but fact is they are not, they have their flaws and drawbacks...

IMO those that claim the fence is nearly foolproof have simply not had a predator fully devoted to getting in, and the determination of the predators can vary drastically by location or even seasonal...

 

[mustangrooster]

I don't think I would trust the electric fences. It may be more work but, You could put wire tops on the runs and then no one flies out

I could, but I know for sure standing on a ladder with a role of wire in my hands adding it to the top of high fences would be harder said than done.

These are the electric fences im talking about:

@drumstick diva is that the fence you had in mind?


Another reason im interested in them is they're portable, and it would work well for my garden beds.

 

[aart]

Electric poultry fences are more for predator protection than confining birds.
Tho their floppy tops can help with confinement.

For breeding I'd go with wood and wire pens with tops.