Electric fence.

[nes]

We're getting a 5 acre capacity electric charger (sorry not sure of the voltage) for our 4.8 property, it's also going to do some cross-fencing.

Our chicken run has a galvanized non-coated wire running around the top of the posts, should I get a separate (smaller) charger for the chickens or hook it into our main line?

What sort of voltage with give the coyotes a good zap with out frying my chickens?

 

[7L Farm]

I put an electric fence around my garden & it didn't stop the chickens from entering my garden. I think their feathers protect them from being shocked. But they can get shocked if they hit the wire with their feet.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

A 5 acre unit is on the low end of the power scale, esp if you plan to fence 4.8 acres. These ratings are very optimistic under best conditions and text book installations with no weed cover. By guessing I am thinking you are looking at a 0.20 joul unit.

Most people I have talked with it say to deter preditors even on a fairly short fence you need 1 joule minimum and something like 5000 volts on the fence as installed. There is a lot you can do with the fence install to maximize the effect of your unit, but you still won't over come a weak controller.

I have watched broiler chickens get zapped without harm and only moderate flaping and squaking by a 10,000 volt fencer that you would not want to touch.

 

[nes]

Thanks CVF

What if the chickens touch the field-wire fence & the electric?
(say they flew up & against it).

I was concerned we might need a larger unit in general! Especially because we've got lamb/goats, so I guess I'm looking into a 10 acre unit & we'll link it all together then

.

(Hubby is an electrician, so he's got all the tools to test these things)

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

If a chicken flys into a wire, no effect, it needs to be contacting both a live wire and ground. Also units fire about once a second for just a few milli seconds, so it is poossible for things to run/fly through fast and not get a shock.

If you run alternating hot and grownded wires in your fence it will be a better fence as it won't be a reliant on the conductivity of the ground under the fence and back to your ground rod(s). Don't skimp on ground rods, without good ground even the best fencer will lack punch.

I think you may want to step up another notch or two yet on the fencer. Something more in the 25-50 miles of fence 1-2 joule range is going to give the kind of snap you want to keep cayotes away from the lambs. If you have dry or rocky terrain or heavy weeds you will be glad for the extra power.


Here are some real world terting results from different fencers.

http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/eng3060/$FILE/752.pdf

Just read you have goats, they are tough when it comes to fencers and it takes a well designed and fairly powerful fencer to convince them. Sheep have thick coats so also require more than you would think power wise. Just in case you had future ideas.

 

[nes]

All the little guys are bottle babies so I'm not too worried about them wandering off, but we have kept one wire at nose level just in case they think they are getting through the fence (plus we have field-wire perimeter).

Thanks so much for all the fencing info, very very appreciated!

 

[TedJan92_in_Idaho]

Go with a heavy duty charger. You will not regret it. Get one for a 20 acre + area

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What sort of voltage with give the coyotes a good zap with out frying my chickens

With a "5 acre" charger, you'll be lucky to get any voltage at all.

And if it's a "continuous" charger, as I suspect. it's dangerous

we've got lamb/goats

Anything less than 3 Joules isn't going to work for sheep or goats, and the fence itself needs to test at at least 5000 volts​

 

[bryan99705]

Go larger on the pulse charger (higher the juole the better or a minimum 10 mile+ system) maybe even a solar charger system but try to go with a system that they touch one wire and they get zapped

(the two wire system requires double contact and is more suseptible to shorting out).

To set it up clear / mow the perimeter where you're running the fence, be sure there is no way to climb around it (trees with low overhanging branches, climbable buildings etc) look into using step-in pre-insulated posts, set the bottom strand about 4' off the ground(not the grass), set the second strand about 4" above the first, then run 2 more strands evenly spread with the top wire as high as the posts will allow. Read the section about the ground rod and keep the ground rod area damp for the best results. The yellow polystrand fence wire is really user friendly.

Don't worry about the birds getting shocked. I had a fence last year that was so hot it almost rolled my 500 pound hogs

and caused a goat to do a back flip

but the chickens walked right thru it to steal out of their trough, a few got shocked but all they did was squacked and walked right back thru. If you need to contain the birds inside a hot wire, for their safety, throw some deer netting on the EF to keep them from walking thru. (goats and sheep will probably touch it occationally but they learn fast and it does not injure them)

Done right, don't worry about hot wire on the top of the run. But if you insist, run a insulated wire to the run top and hook it into the same charger.

Make sure you walk your fence about once a week and after storms to insure it's not grounding out on a branch or trash.

 

[Gullygarden]

To contain chickens and keep dogs out you can use electric mesh. i have a solar charger that works great.