electric fence

[RonB]

cmjust0
My son worked as a apprentice electrician for two years. I know there is a formula for figuring out how many amps you are drawing. the electrician at work and my son both said running my H.W. tank and the electric charger that I have AND a 60watt bulb in the coop would draw 17.5 amps. Both recommended that I didn't put anything else on the breaker.
So I guess thats how my original question started. I would like to go bigger with the charger to put out more. but don't dare draw too much that I trip the breaker. If my wife has to take a cold shower in the morning, my chcikens will be in the freezer!

I know all of you are right when you say the chargers don't draw much power. I just want to play it safe. If this charger puts out 2,000 volts and thats enough to scare off a raccoon then I'm fine . thats why I asked if anybody knew if 2,000 would do the job
Thanks again

 

[panner123]

Have your son look at the breaker box, I bet there is room for another breaker. He could install one for you in no time. You could put in a 30 amp breaker there. This would solve your problem. I am not sure, but I think all chargers draw the same amps. Check that out, you might just be able to get a more powerfull charger and not have to do anything to the breaker box. If you want to live on the dangerous side, as I did, run an extension cord to the charger. I did this for almost two years, until the DW pulled it up in the snow. She couldn't figure out why she was getting a shock when feeding the one run. Has it was there was a little nick in the cord by that run. After I put in a new wiring stsem, she checked the insurance policies for an increase. Heck it was only 120 volts.

 

[Brodes]

So............ when you are talking about sizes of openings in wire to keep raccoons from killing your chickens you have open coops right? Our coop is nearly complete and I have tried to make sure that there are no gaps in the walls and roof for anything to sneak in and they have a run for the day time that has welded wire into the ground and everything else but the will not be there during the night.
I would also like to add an electric fence basically for any dogs that come around when we are not home and for the nighttime so that the coop defences are not challenged. If I need to worry about them ripping down doors and the like to get inside then I need to consider a it more what I have done and what may need to be done.

M

 

[RonB]

Brodes
My coop is inside a barn. I sectioned off the south-west corner with plywood and chicken wire. I doubled the chicken wire, then after reading all the post on here about dead chickens. I went over all the chicken wire with welded 2"x4" wire. most of my coop is wood. it is 7 1/2'x9'. If a raccoon gets in it, I will start buying day old chciks as FEED and start raising raccoons !

I have two outside runs. the one the chickens come out of the coop into, is completely enclosed it is a 7'x12' chain link old dog run. it has a little door in the side that goes into a 12x14 ft run with NO top. in this run they can get under the barn in an area about 10x19' and 2' high.
as of last night I now have electric fence all away around my outside runs. both top and bottom
you can buy electric chargers and fencing on craigslist. BUT check out websites first. alot of them have sales and are cheaper.
Hope this helps a little

 

[RonB]

panner123
I have alrady asked my son if we could up the breaker to a 30amp. he said NO. would need bigger wire. I live in a park model 40 ft trailer. I do have 220 coming into it. and it is wired correctly. but my power comes from the house next door
my landlord has a "zareba" model A10M 10 mile. that I just hooked up and it seems to be working fine. I took a reading on it. got 7,000.:

I'm not going to run it in the day when I'm home. hopefully I will be ok when the H W tank and the charger are both running

 

[Tala]

Quote:
I have not found this to be true for anything larger than a squirrel. Believe me, I've touched my own fence more times than my dog, cats, and wild animals combined. The only thing that couldn't get off/died were squirrels who had the bad luck to grab both the chainlink and the hot wire at the same time. The rest of us (me, the dog) jump off it like we stepped on a landmine.

But you know, I don't have kids myself, so whatever floats your boat.

 

[RonB]

ok, its been two days since my first post. I have tried a larger charger with good results must be staying under 20amps. with my small one I was getting 2,000V. with the larger (barrowed one) I get a 7,000V reading Now do I want a constant charge or a plusing one?? for a raccoon

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Now do I want a constant charge or a plusing one??

Pulsing is always better.
ParMac is a good brand that's not too expensive​

 

[panner123]

Quote:
Pulsing is always better.
ParMac is a good brand that's not too expensive

I agree 100%. If a small child or animal gets on a constant charger, they can get hurt real bad, if not killed. The plusing one gives you a second to get off, but constant one will hold you to it. This is the reason some that work with electricty would rather work with a hig voltage than 110. If you brush up against a wire the high volts will push you away, while the 110 will hold you.

 

[RonB]

panner123 & Bear foot farm

Where my coop and run are, there is no chance of a kid touching it and any animal that does come around is an animal that shouldn't be there. My GSD got zapped by the fence that keeps the cows in. she won't go near it now. and my coop is on the other side of that. But I will take your advice and go with the pulsing one. I am borrowing a Zareba bulldozer #4465. It puts out 7,000V. I think thats what I will go with.
Thanks for your help