Electric Fence - Help Please!

Karianne

Chirping
Mar 14, 2022
48
102
86
Michigan
Hi all, I'm having a problem as I would like to let my chickens free-range more often, but I have a major racoon / coyote / dog / hawk? problem and I have no fencing. I'm in Michigan and I live rurally surrounded by woods / swamp and farms on the other side. I have about a 3-4 acre area cleared of trees with pasture, needs to be something portable got no power out there.

I think I want to do a small / medium sized electric fence area and move it every once in a while just for the chickens. Does this really keep dogs and coyotes out and chickens in? I have free ranging large dogs that cannot have access to them (and strays). I also regularly see hawks? Eagles? I don't know, but they have huge shadows! Can these carry off an adult Wyandotte? Any tips for this? Is it safe to put the electric fencing around medium to large size apple trees, or in the periphery of the woods, or does this invite predators? I'm lost, but I would like to buy something asap. Anyone recommend a specific product that I can get asap, set up easily (even for a dummy like me with pain problems?!). Thank you!
 
I'm thinking solar powered, but you'd need a battery storage as well, or just plan on running a 100-ft extension cord. You could look into "portable chicken tractors", or "chicken run on wheels", things like that.

Something like this, maybe? No electric needed.
1658338814509.png


or this:
1658339117157.png
 
I'm thinking solar powered, but you'd need a battery storage as well, or just plan on running a 100-ft extension cord. You could look into "portable chicken tractors", or "chicken run on wheels", things like that.

Something like this, maybe? No electric needed.

Thank you! I already have a chicken tractor, but I don't like keeping them in there all the time. I don't want to risk their safety, but it would be nice if they could enjoy a bigger area. I've considered a run extension, but I really don't know :confused:
 
Properly installed electric netting and electric fence (two different things) are very good at keeping dogs, fox, coyotes, bobcat, racccoon, possum, skunks, mink, and such out. They do not do anything about flying predators. Unless they are feeding babies in a nest flying predators often do not carry their prey away, they eat it right there. So flying predators are a risk.

It sounds like you have adult full sized fowl. Until they are 7 or 8 weeks old my full sized fowl chicks can get through the holes in my Premiere1 electric netting for chickens. After that they are too big. While they can fly over the netting, mine don't. When I have several immature cockerels in there, one may get trapped next to the netting and go vertical when they are having their fights. Some of those come down on the wrong side of the netting and do not know to fly back in. I've had one hen get out, I think she got trapped next to the fence by an amorous rooster. I found that a lot fewer of the cockerels get out if I set the netting up with no sharp corners. 90 degree corners or shallower are OK sharper than 90 degrees allowed more to get trapped. One time I made a long narrow corridor for them to get to a wider area. That wasn't good either. When I reconfigured it back to a wider rectangle the escapes stopped. Remember, this was immature cockerels, not mature hens.

I don't do electric fences but if they are set up correctly they are extremely effective too.

Electric netting and electric fences require maintenance. If grass or weeds grow up into them they short out the circuit so they don't work well. I've had dead leaves or freshly cut grass wash up against the netting and pile up there in a rainstorm. That shorts it out too if it is wet.

I don't have any experience with solar power to power the netting. You might call Premiere1 and chat with them. I found them very helpful when setting mine up.
 
How many chickens do you have?

I can't imagine any sort of electric fencing (only) that would keep all predators out and chickens in. It's normally a string or two of electrified wire that runs along the top and/or perimeter of your real fencing or enclosure.

Regardless, raptors won't mind the electrical wire anyway, and yes, they can carry off full-grown wyandotte chickens or just eat what they want on the ground. We have all the same predators you mentioned, and I'm battling an issue with a fox right now. I can't let my birds (more than 50) out to range at all right now. They have a very large fenced run, so they're safe from coyotes dogs and foxes, but never safe from raptors or raccoons without a cover over the top. I've been lucky. I think our 8-ft tall run fencing makes it difficult for a snatch-and-grab eagle or hawk, but not impossible. A couple of years ago, I did shoot a raptor (won't tell you what kind 🤐, not an eagle) INside my run that had a chicken in its grips. Raccoons get into the run nearly every night, but so far not during the day.

I think your tractor is still the best bet; you'll just need to move it around frequently. Or keep a larger flock with several roosters, and accept that you'll have to share with Mother Nature from time to time.
 
@BarnyardChaos

If I had an electric fence for chickens it would consist of a metal wire mesh fence to keep the chickens in and hot wires on insulators to keep the predators out. The kind of fence you are thinking about is to keep horses or cattle in. It doesn't stop any predators or chickens.
 
Properly installed electric netting and electric fence (two different things) are very good at keeping dogs, fox, coyotes, bobcat, racccoon, possum, skunks, mink, and such out. They do not do anything about flying predators. Unless they are feeding babies in a nest flying predators often do not carry their prey away, they eat it right there. So flying predators are a risk.

It sounds like you have adult full sized fowl. Until they are 7 or 8 weeks old my full sized fowl chicks can get through the holes in my Premiere1 electric netting for chickens. After that they are too big. While they can fly over the netting, mine don't. When I have several immature cockerels in there, one may get trapped next to the netting and go vertical when they are having their fights. Some of those come down on the wrong side of the netting and do not know to fly back in. I've had one hen get out, I think she got trapped next to the fence by an amorous rooster. I found that a lot fewer of the cockerels get out if I set the netting up with no sharp corners. 90 degree corners or shallower are OK sharper than 90 degrees allowed more to get trapped. One time I made a long narrow corridor for them to get to a wider area. That wasn't good either. When I reconfigured it back to a wider rectangle the escapes stopped. Remember, this was immature cockerels, not mature hens.

I don't do electric fences but if they are set up correctly they are extremely effective too.

Electric netting and electric fences require maintenance. If grass or weeds grow up into them they short out the circuit so they don't work well. I've had dead leaves or freshly cut grass wash up against the netting and pile up there in a rainstorm. That shorts it out too if it is wet.

I don't have any experience with solar power to power the netting. You might call Premiere1 and chat with them. I found them very helpful when setting mine up.

:goodpost:

This.

My electric poultry netting from Premier 1 has been very effective so far. My only loss has come from a hawk when a neighbor has lost 2 flocks to raccoons and stray dogs.
 
Thank you everyone for all the help! I think I'm going to go for the electric netting as seems to be widely used. Quick question if anyone knows, can I put pigs in the same area as chickens or will they eat them? Is that a stupid question? 😂 :confused:
 

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