Electric Fence Question..

[LoLoGarrett]

So unfortunately, we lost another 3 girls this week. I believe we lost it to a Hawk this time, so up went the overhead aviary netting, which was not easy to do! Got caught in several times and no directional tabs on netting that is 50' x 100'. We have a single strand electrical wire going around just below the last rail of our 5 rail fence with the metal fencing attached. I am not sure the one strand is going to do the trick for these critters. We are backed up to a large creek and open fields, so we are always going to have predators coming over the bank to our coop. This is going to be our life and the Raccoon that hubby trapped last night will not be the last one. Yes, I am very unhappy with the Raccoons killing my chickens, but being the animal lover that I am, it makes me even more miserable knowing that we have trapped the second one this week. Not even sure it is a Raccoon every time, I know the Foxes and Weasels and now a Hawk have all joined in. The netting should keep the Hawk out and hopefully make it more difficult for the land predators to climb over. Thoughts on the one strand of electric wire? I really think we need more! I would rather give them a good shock to keep them away. My heart cannot take the trapping and shooting! After all, they are doing what nature does.

 

[darkbaysfordays]

More strands couldn't hurt, especially since it'll all run off the same fence charger. Sorry to hear about your girls!

 

[LoLoGarrett]

More strands couldn't hurt, especially since it'll all run off the same fence charger. Sorry to hear about your girls!

 

[LoLoGarrett]

Thank you. I had one that ended up with a broken foot and a hole in her breast area. She made it through the night, the night before last. I had run off to the store to buy supplies to help heal her and when I came home she had passed away. So out of my 8 that I just got last week, I am down to 5.

 

[cmom]

So sorry for your loss. I have netting covering my pens, concrete under the gates, electric wire around the coops and pens and in some places I dug a trench along the bottom of the fence and buried some welded wire and attached it to the bottom of the fence, all due to losses from predators in the past. In most places I have three wires but behind the coops in some places one wire. My bottom wire is around 6 to 8 inches off of the ground and then around 8 to 10 inches above with the next wire and then another wire above that. So far nothing has gotten into my pens.

 

[LoLoGarrett]

So sorry for your loss. I have netting covering my pens, concrete under the gates, electric wire around the coops and pens and in some places I dug a trench along the bottom of the fence and buried some welded wire and attached it to the bottom of the fence, all due to losses from predators in the past. In most places I have three wires but behind the coops in some places one wire. My bottom wire is around 6 to 8 inches off of the ground and then around 8 to 10 inches above with the next wire and then another wire above that. So far nothing has gotten into my pens.
View attachment 2164293

Awesome! Thank you for the info! I am also going to go out and get pin wheels to put up! Just spoke to sheriff's office about the trapped Raccoon and that is what she told me to add, as it has been working for her chickens! Willing to try everything! Our Sheriff's office is the animal control around here. Just as an FYI, so no one thinks I was trying to get the bugger arrested! LOL

 

[cmom]

This is what one BYC member put up near her coop.

 

[LoLoGarrett]

This is what one BYC member put up near her coop.
View attachment 2164335

That could be fun!

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Awesome! Thank you for the info! I am also going to go out and get pin wheels to put up! Just spoke to sheriff's office about the trapped Raccoon and that is what she told me to add, as it has been working for her chickens! Willing to try everything! Our Sheriff's office is the animal control around here. Just as an FYI, so no one thinks I was trying to get the bugger arrested! LOL

Why would pinwheels work?
Maybe the movement?
The pinwheel would be an easy deterrent!
Sorry for your loss, how is it working out now?
I lost 3 hens to a fox and one survived another fox attack. We free ranged our birds for 8 months without incident then Spring came and all the critters challenged us.
I got a 14 stripe squirrel making their way into our secure run!
I used hardware cloth and buried it- but those buggers can dig 2 feet down and have 20 foot tunnels.
I understand the sadness of killing wild life- predators but I look at this way- time and investment in raising the hens makes me very protective.

I am looking at electrical fencing too! I had 7 hens down to 4 and bought 7 more pullets.
If I just keep buying more chickens and stop naming them.

 

[cmom]

Since I put up my electric wires around my coops and pens, nothing has penetrated. A few have been zapped by the wires so now they steer clear of it. The predators know it's there.