Electric Fence for Chicken Protection

[Chicken Heel]

I have electric wire around all of my coops and pens. My bottom wire is about 6" off the ground. I use the poly rope wire. We have a lot of predators here, coyotes, fox, bobcats among others. We are rural with several acres but I have nice large pens for my birds that are covered for protection from the aerial predators. I also have concrete under the gates and in some places welded wire buried under and attached to the bottom of the fence. I have some electric wire along the bottom of the gates too. Once a predator touches the wire they don't test it again. I use a 1.2 joule fence charger. Good luck and have fun...View attachment 2125179View attachment 2125186

Those are gorgeous birds in your photo.

 

[Chicken Heel]

They are pure Rhode Island Red cockerels in a bachelor coop and pen.
Other cockerels. This hen was a champion at a show.
View attachment 2125419View attachment 2125423

Once again, beautiful birds. My first large breed rooster about 50 years ago was a RIR but not of this outstanding quality. At around 18 weeks of age I put him with a flock of around 8 older hens and he promptly got his butt whooped. But within a week he was king of the roost.

 

[Happy Helper]

Thanks Chicken Heel, I had thought about using a paint ball gun to give those dogs a little color.

 

[Happy Helper]

The paintball would maybe work a little but it requires sitting around waiting for them to come around.
We do have a video of the dog in our horse barn on the day we lost 4 chickens. The chickens in the barn had run away but he was still snooping around. He probably then went into the chicken coop and killed 3 young ones in the coop and found the other hen wandering around the yard. This happened a week after they had killed around 8 chickens. I think now we will put additional cameras around the chicken coop.
We can again confront him and ask that he contain his dogs. It would be easy for him to put in a dog fence and the problem would be solved. His dogs also killed all the neighbors chickens.

 

[Chicken Heel]

In my experiences, most dog problems are related to the people that own them being irresponsible. It definitely sounds like the case here. The dog will not stop killing chickens so losses will continue.

 

[Happy Helper]

It is definitely the dog owner's fault. I grew up on a farm and never encountered dogs that would attack chickens. Our dogs are perfectly fine with them and don't bother them. The other dogs in the neighborhood also never attacked the chickens.
The only thing I can do is let them out later in the day and just be out there and baby-sit them until they come in at night. I'll get me a glass (or two) of wine and a book to read.

 

[Happy Helper]

Earlier in my post, Howard E gave me some good advice. I'll bet he could answer your questions. I don't know much about electric fencing but I don't think it would work for me. I have woods on one side and I have been told that if the wire touches any branches, etc. it will short out. We have a drive that goes around the chicken coop and barns so it is almost impossible to put up a fence since it would interfere with the driveway.
We have predators that come out at night also, skunks, coons, fox. The chickens go into the coop at night. I don't think they would survive a night outside. The dogs are my most aggravating problem that I have not been able to solve.

 

[Howard E]

Hmmmm......not sure what your question is???

As for going through woods, etc, it can be done.....works best to clear a pathway......enough to have a clear pathway on both sides of the fence. Serves two purposes: you don't want any weeds, shrubs, brush touching the fence to ground it out.....and want an opening so predators and birds recognize it as a boundary.

Perimeter of 240 acre farm across the road is fenced with single strand of wire fence. It is powered by ancient ParMak 30 mile fencer......AC.....and not on a GFIC outlet. It is grounded out all over the place, yet still serves up a good shock without going south, as it is an AC fencer. A battery powered one wouldn't last more than a few days with that level of weed load. It is basically the only thing keep in a herd of over 100 cow/calf pairs and some bulls.

Downside of going through woods for chickens is if there is a connected tree canopy over the fence. If there is, coons can go over the fence through the trees.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Let me guess that the neighbor would also really get pissed if the marauding dogs succumbed to lead poisoning.

You mean the high velocity kind? Works every time.

 

[Howard E]

When shooting the neighbor's dog, you never know if killing the dog is the end of your problems, or just the beginning. Kinda depends on the neighbor.