do I have a faulty Zareba® 5 Mile Battery Operated Solid State Charger

[cmom]

Curious minds want to know...

 

[123RedBeard]

Curious minds want to know...

Yup!

Did the OP ...
A. Buy the wrong tool for the job?

B. Hook it up wrong? (Too embarrassed to tell us?)

C. It really was a defective unit?

D. ???

Frustrating when "Paul Harvey" doesn't tell us the "Rest of the story" ... when searching old post ... many dead ends like this ... with no answers.

 

[aart]

So @Zwillingsmama didja figure it out?

 

[Zwillingsmama]

We exchanged the zareba and added a ground wire between the 2 hot wires since it is dry here during the summer. We got 7000v now all around and charging the battery with a solar. It works fine on dog and husband (lol he forgets the wire is there) but has no effect on the chickens - they walk unphased through it. Since it is mainly meant to keep raccoons out and it works on my dog we should be good.

 

[roosterhavoc]

We exchanged the zareba and added a ground wire between the 2 hot wires since it is dry here during the summer. We got 7000v now all around and charging the battery with a solar. It works fine on dog and husband (lol he forgets the wire is there) but has no effect on the chickens - they walk unphased through it. Since it is mainly meant to keep raccoons out and it works on my dog we should be good.

You can always add another wire or two close to ground level. In one section of fenced in pens I have 7 wires. I have a bunch of loose hens and only one for the past two years manages to get inside the wire. I’ve watched with amazement how she slows down and slips through chasing me for feed. My fence works and she sqwawks every time. She just figures no pain no gain I guess. Every other hen that touches it obviously goes nuts.

 

[aart]

I’ve watched with amazement how she slows down and slips through chasing me for feed. My fence works and she sqwawks every time. She just figures no pain no gain I guess.

Had a dog that would do this with the underground wire system, she'd tuck her head down and dash thru with a squeak....she wouldn't come back thru tho

 

[Howard E]

OP.....good you got it worked out.

As for crowd control with the birds, to brood my current flock, I setup this pen within my garden area.



Just one strand of poly tape, about 5" off the deck. Somehow, someway, some of the birds tangled with it (often they step on it to go over) and after that, during the entire time they were in there.......nearly 3 months, none of them ever ventured outside the border. Not sure if they all tangled with it, or just a few, and those few passed the word along to stay away from it. At one point, I turned the fencer off and even no hot wire kept them in for about 10 days. So somehow they figured out it was off, and went over. So I turned it back on and a couple got out, but they also got zapped, so within 24 hours, no more crossings.


This is the quick setup. Battery powered fencer. The only "ground" rod was the steel T post corner, which was the only steel T post in the entire setup. The other corners were just the white step in posts. With poly tape, there is not a lot of strain on the corners. Spacing of the posts were about 20' apart, but the ground is mostly level.

I have a similar tape guarding my patio from the chicken yard. Prior to the tape, birds would hang out on our patio waiting for someone to bring them treats. Once the tape went up, no more crossings. They respect it.

The regular fence....the one I rely on to repel dogs and other large furry beasts, is a 4 wire system.



Bottom wire about 5" off the deck, and the remaining hot wires about 5" apart. Top wire only 20" or so off the deck. Varmints tend to crawl under or through and get zapped doing so. Chickens trained to this wire never get out. Haven't had one cross it in over 2 years.

 

[Howard E]

Also note that within the area I allocated to the birds was abundant cover.



Sweet corn, rye grass, an aged compost pile, climbing vines and grass and clover for forage. So they had enough stuff to keep them busy, interested and removed incentive to roam. That also helps to keep them in. If I had bare dirt, not sure how well it would work.

 

[cmom]

Years ago my birds all had nice grass in their pens but here in Florida it's hot during the day, when I let them out they don't stay out long because there is more shade in their pens than in the pasture.

 

[llombardo]

OP.....good you got it worked out.

As for crowd control with the birds, to brood my current flock, I setup this pen within my garden area.

View attachment 1542605 View attachment 1542609

Just one strand of poly tape, about 5" off the deck. Somehow, someway, some of the birds tangled with it (often they step on it to go over) and after that, during the entire time they were in there.......nearly 3 months, none of them ever ventured outside the border. Not sure if they all tangled with it, or just a few, and those few passed the word along to stay away from it. At one point, I turned the fencer off and even no hot wire kept them in for about 10 days. So somehow they figured out it was off, and went over. So I turned it back on and a couple got out, but they also got zapped, so within 24 hours, no more crossings.

View attachment 1542610 View attachment 1542612
This is the quick setup. Battery powered fencer. The only "ground" rod was the steel T post corner, which was the only steel T post in the entire setup. The other corners were just the white step in posts. With poly tape, there is not a lot of strain on the corners. Spacing of the posts were about 20' apart, but the ground is mostly level.

I have a similar tape guarding my patio from the chicken yard. Prior to the tape, birds would hang out on our patio waiting for someone to bring them treats. Once the tape went up, no more crossings. They respect it.

The regular fence....the one I rely on to repel dogs and other large furry beasts, is a 4 wire system.

View attachment 1542620

Bottom wire about 5" off the deck, and the remaining hot wires about 5" apart. Top wire only 20" or so off the deck. Varmints tend to crawl under or through and get zapped doing so. Chickens trained to this wire never get out. Haven't had one cross it in over 2 years.

What are those things that seem to make the wire tighter called?