Electric fence and chickens

[eggcited2]

My chickens are free range on over 5 acres. We do have about 3 1/2 - 4 acres fenced in for pasture and the hens are housed in it. They do like to hop up on the fence to get out of the pasture to roam in the yard.

The electric fence around the top of the pasture fence did not work, but has been fixed. Will it kill the chickens if they continue to get on the electric fence?

I have got to have the electric fence to stop my two horses from destroying the fence by leaning over it to get stuff on the other side. I also have two goats who like to "lean" on the fence and we had to fun a second hot wire mid way up the fence.

I have seen electric fencing for chickens (the woven wire kind of stuff) but did not know if it is less powerful than the normal field fence hotwire.

I just want to try to be prepared for when they get the wire plugged in and hot tomorrow.

It is not wire that is powered by battery, but has an electrical outlet plug in.

 

[centrarchid]

If using and industry standard fence charger, even one used for larger / harder to contain livestock; then you should be fine. They are not designed to kill or cause real harm. We used similar for containment of cattle, hogs and horses. The chickens got zapped only occasionally by no real harm was done. It was also aggravating to see the birds were not easy to shock because their feathers are such poor conductors.

 

[chfite]

The electric fencing is designed to "pop" the animal. In a similar way that you put a rubber band on your arm and pull it up let it snap against the skin. It is to get their attention, in a manner of speaking.

Chickens have good insulation in the feathers.

Chris

 

[lazy gardener]

I was under the understanding that if the animal is not grounded, (touching the ground) that the animal wouldn't get zapped. My electronet fencing won't give me a jolt unless I take my shoe off. When wearing rubber soled shoes, I can barely tell that there's a charge going through it when I grab ahold of it... but if my feet are wet, or if I take a shoe off to "test" it, it get's my attention then! (go ahead, call me crazy!)