Electric fence grounding question

[RenoHuskerDu]

There are so many good threads out here on electric fences that I decided to build one. NO MORE chickens on the back porch, in the garden, or in the crape myrtle beds.

We like to reuse primary material. I have 100s of yards of heavy steel electric fence wire left over from the previous owners, who ran cattle. I collect it off the perimeter fences and roll it up. It's galvanized so should last for decades.

Building my ground stake grid, I realized that I don't have enough copper wire on hand to connect them all ... so I used some of that big steel wire from the ground stakes to the power unit. I used a continuous run, no splices.

Do y'all think that steel will be a good enough conductor for my ground? I'm going to slather all positive and ground connections with copper grease.

I had to drive in three 18" stakes because (if you're from Central Texas you'll understand) the caliche down a foot or so is impenetrable even with a sledge hammer.

Here's an example of a useful thread on electric fences for chickens.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence.1292998/#post-21009419

 

[duluthralphie]

There are so many good threads out here on electric fences that I decided to build one. NO MORE chickens on the back porch, in the garden, or in the crape myrtle beds.

We like to reuse primary material. I have 100s of yards of heavy steel electric fence wire left over from the previous owners, who ran cattle. I collect it off the perimeter fences and roll it up. It's galvanized so should last for decades.

Building my ground stake grid, I realized that I don't have enough copper wire on hand to connect them all ... so I used some of that big steel wire from the ground stakes to the power unit. I used a continuous run, no splices.

Do y'all think that steel will be a good enough conductor for my ground? I'm going to slather all positive and ground connections with copper grease.

I had to drive in three 18" stakes because (if you're from Central Texas you'll understand) the caliche down a foot or so is impenetrable even with a sledge hammer.

Here's an example of a useful thread on electric fences for chickens.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence.1292998/#post-21009419

If your goal is to keep chickens in, you will be better off with hardware cloth or poultry netting...

If you goal is to keep predators out use electric on the outside of the netting. I have not found my chickens to really be bothered by electric fences. They hope over and under them...which is why I use the expensive electric netting...

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

If your goal is to keep chickens in, you will be better off with hardware cloth or poultry netting...

If you goal is to keep predators out use electric on the outside of the netting. I have not found my chickens to really be bothered by electric fences. They hope over and under them...which is why I use the expensive electric netting...

I'm following this guy's advice. Our goal is to keep the chickens off the porch and out of the garden. I hope he's right. Already spent $200 at Tractor Supply.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/quick-and-easy-electric-fence.1191333/

 

[JMotuzick]

The wire you have will work for the ground rods. I grounded the fence near the transformer, also a found rod fairly close as well.

As was said this will work great for predators but not at keeping the chickens in/out.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

So far, the chickens have not come on the back porch. The fence is working. Hopefully I'll have the same news in a week.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Hey folks, I want to report back and let you know how it's working. So far, only one chicken has gone under the fence. So I lowered it a bit.

No more poops on the back porch !!!!

It would appear that a low electric tape fence does work to keep chickens out. I'm about to extend the electric fence out to our veggie garden, so I'll keep you posted on that too.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Well, friends. It's been a month. The low electric fence around the back porch is working perfectly to keep chickens off.

Now we've expanded it to protect our garden. So far, so good.

View attachment 1719457

 

[Alaskan]

Well, friends. It's been a month. The low electric fence around the back porch is working perfectly to keep chickens off.

Now we've expanded it to protect our garden. So far, so good.
View attachment 1719453
View attachment 1719457

Very nice to have the update!

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

OK, ladies and gentlemen ... I'm going to have to eat a little crow.

There is that ONE HEN who found her way into the garden. She's the same one who leads the charge to dig up my wife's crape myrtles, and poops in the garage if we leave the door open. She's probably the one who pooped on the back porch, the only poops there in a month since I installed a low electric fence there. I had to lower that fence a bit because of her.
Here she is, surveying what mischief she can do next ... the BAD hen RIR.

She managed to go under the garden fence too. So I improved it. Check out the lower low strand, and the artistic cross wiring above it. I really want to see her get shocked on her beak one day, so she never comes close again.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Hi folks,

It's been a 2 months now and NO MORE CHICKENS on the back porch or in the garden. Yay!

You just have to be sure that your electric tape is low enough. Our fence is about one foot high on the top strand (see pics above). The only times we saw chickens get thru, they went under the bottom tape. So I lowered it. They like to step on stuff that they go over ... and it shocks them. Clearly, they remember that, in flock memory as it were.