Electric fence experts?

[mominoz]

I just wired my day yard (it's for geese and my runner ducks-hope this is the right section, because it is a fence/bird question?wasn't sure where to post it). Anyway. I have 2 x4 welded wire 4 ft fence and I put a wire about 8' from ground and one above fence about 6-8" to discourage things from digging and climbing day or night into the day yard and the attached night aviary(a carport covered in 2X2 wire and 36" of 1/2" hardware cloth and an apron around it.
Now the question that occurs to me before I hook it to my low impedence horse charger(which is next to it on the horse electric braid fence)I was just going to wrap a wire onto the horse fence. BUT.... I realised---If they put their beaks thru the fence they might be able to contact it in a few spots....
If they did this, would it cook them? It does pulse the charge, so you can get a release,

 

[Mahonri]

Don't know if it would cook them, but I'll bet they don't do it again.

 

[azelgin]

Mine get zapped all the time. Doesn't kill 'em. Some seem to be slow learners too. The feathers insulate them most the time, so they don't always get shocked. I think that's why it takes them a while to relate the shocking experience to the little yellow string (I use electric twine).

 

[TexasVet]

I'm using a Flock Shocker, and it's killed several of my birds. I didn't think it would do that, because it's designed for chicken yards, but it did. They were all a couple of months old, so not big birds. To fix the problem, we added a photoelectric cell to the system. Now it turns on at dusk and turns off at dawn. Haven't lost a bird since.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com

 

[Big C]

Have a 5 mile high joul pulse fence charger around our coops and runs at 3 inches, 6 inches and 3 inches above the 7.5 ft coop wire.
It covers about 1/2 mile of wire and will definately cause involuntary urination and temporary blackouts in a human (forgot to shut it off one time) but does not bother our flocks.

 

[azelgin]

Quote:
This surprises me. You would think they would have designed it to be non-lethal. I've had 2 week olds get trapped between the hot wire and the run netting on mine, without any deaths. Ours is online 24/7. The charger is a Parmak SE4. 2 joule. The standing voltage runs about 20,000. It will burn you through your clothes. No dead chickens, yet. Lots of ticked off dogs though.

 

[patandchickens]

Mostly what kills chickens, electric fence wise, is when they get stuck and can't get away from being repeatedly zapped to death.

Unfortunately I'd say that sticking their heads through a mesh fence to contact a live wire on the other side *could* sometimes give you that situation, since if they do not jerk back in exactly the right direction after the first zap the jig may be up.

The risk is not large, so you might decide you can just live with it and tolerate the possibility of occaional losses.

Or, you could attach some patches of smaller mesh wire (or even plastic fencing) that they cannot stick their heads through, to cover and protect the few spots where this could happen. It doesn't have to be predatorproof, just keep them from sticking their heads out in just the wrong place.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[dsedler]

Is there any way you could buy the extender posts for the electric fence? Like these. http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_44112_-1______14345%7C14359%7C14362%7C14364%7C44112?listingPage=true&Special=false

This is for the wire or rope on T-Posts, but I know they have them for tape and wood posts. IT extends it out 5" instead of the 2" regular ones. I don't know if it would get it far enough away to completely eliminate the risk, but might give you a better chance.

I am also using a low impedence solor charger for mine. I'm betting that the ducks would be able to get their heads back in during one of the pauses in current. And the shock only gets stronger if you keep holding on to it. So if they get shocked, pull back and get shocked again, it still shouldn't be too bad of a shock. I just let my girls out for the first time tonight and the cat decided they looked good through the hardware cloth and walked right into the electric fence. It got her pretty good, but didn't hurt her other than her feelings maybe. I haven't seen her move that fast in a long time.

Bet she doesn't try it again anytime soon.

 

[MIKE555444]

I have landscaping timbers used as post for my large run and i'd like to put an electric fence along the top of the post....

I'd also like to find some mounting brackets that would hold the electric wire away from the wooden post without buying a whole "electric fence post" at every contact point.

 

[Chickie Mamma]

Mine fried a baby mole a couple weeks back. I was cleaning the duck house and the live wire is running under it as I have a mesh bottom and tray for the ducks. I instinctively went to grab the mole (size of a gerbil) and got a nice zap. I have a cheap one from TSC. It works though. I have never had a chicken come in contact with it, and after seeing what it did to the mole, I made sure they can't reach it.