Electric fencing, do you really need it vs non electric fencing

[Merrymouse]

I want my chickens to free range behind their coop which is wooded. I've been thinking about this for years and this is the year Im going to do something about it. So, do you all think regular fencing like the Premiere one No Shock Hen pen fence will work good enough if I only let my chickens out during the day and they are cooped in a secure run and coop at night? I would go for it and spend the big bucks to get the regular premiere one electric poultry netting but my area is rocky and full of trees, stumps and sapling. So my concern is it would constantly short out from the bottom part of the fence coming into contact with saplings and ferns etc. Also, I must admit Im a bit intimidated by the set up and use of the electric fence. Also its pretty heavily wooded so I don't think a solar powered energizer would work. Do they have other options? I do have electricity in my coop and I want to run the fence right off the coop. Ill upload a pic of my property so all you experts can let me know which option would work for me. Help me get this project done, its been on my mind for at least two years! Thanks so much.

 

[Mtnboomer]

My adult birds free range through woods and fields with no barriers whatsoever snd they put themselves to bed each night in a secure coop. I then just shut the door and release them again in the morning. In 3years of this practice, i have only lost 1 bird (adult 12lb rooster) in broad daylight, middle of the day. We have plenty of predators from fox and coyote to Bobcats and bears, so lack of predators is not the cause of my success.
I give credit to my dog. He has no clue he's doing it but his presence alone and scent has kept the predators from roaming through our yard until after sunset when the chickens are safe in their coop. We did not have him when the rooster was taken.

 

[Molpet]

I have the hen pen and shock or not from preimer. Chicks can go through the hen pen so I was using it around the garden. Something chewed through it.

I like the shock or not. The chicks can't get through the 3/4" chick guard on the bottom. I have 2 solar fencers that I switch out this time of year and they get about 10 hrs of sun and go dead when its cloudy for days. If you have electric a AC one would be better, unless you have lots of power outages

If you have trees lots of Predators can go through the tree canopy. And of course hawks

 

[Merrymouse]

Here is the wooded area behind my coops

it needs to be cleaned up and it looks really sparse in the dead of winter but once all all the leaves saplings and underbrush fill in it’s pretty dense with vegetation. Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

Your birds will love it there! Free ranging is a risk for them, so do be ready to have losses, at least occasionally. Raptors will take only one birds at a time, and it takes roofing to prevent their attacks.
Any fencing that you want to use will require clearing a path through or around your wood lot, and keeping it cleared. For that effort, electric fencing or electrified poultry netting does by far the best, rather than installing something that is much less effective.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Going around the wood lot would be best, because critters can climb up a tree and pop into the fenced area easily in your lot.
Mary

 

[NatJ]

It looks like the no-shock fence is meant to control where the chickens can wander (keep them out of your garden, or off your porch.) But when I looked it up, the page says it will not stop predators.

So it all depends on what you want to fence to do--contain the chickens vs. protect them too.

 

[BDutch]

I want my chickens to free range behind their coop which is wooded. I've been thinking about this for years and this is the year Im going to do something about it. So, do you all think regular fencing like the Premiere one No Shock Hen pen fence will work good enough if I only let my chickens out during the day and they are cooped in a secure run and coop at night? I would go for it and spend the big bucks to get the regular premiere one electric poultry netting but my area is rocky and full of trees, stumps and sapling. So my concern is it would constantly short out from the bottom part of the fence coming into contact with saplings and ferns etc. Also, I must admit Im a bit intimidated by the set up and use of the electric fence. Also its pretty heavily wooded so I don't think a solar powered energizer would work. Do they have other options? I do have electricity in my coop and I want to run the fence right off the coop. Ill upload a pic of my property so all you experts can let me know which option would work for me. Help me get this project done, its been on my mind for at least two years! Thanks so much.

Great area for free ranging. For the chickens you don't have to clean it. You probably have a chicken missing from time to time if there are predators. But we can't predict if or how many losses you will have.

I had no losses at all in the past 5+ years, letting my small chickens free range a couple of hours during the day. I keep them locked up in a coop with secure run at night. In the morning they are free to step into a descent run with netting on top through a pop door with a chicken guard. When I am around the house i open the run door to let them free range.

My chickens flee when they see a dog and seem to know a neigbor cat is not a danger for them. They are good in hiding and can fly a bit. We don't have many predators here that hunt during the day. Just a fox now and then, and also hawks are spotted not far from here. But I always check if they get home because I know there is a risk when they don't come home.

If you choose to let them free range its important to choose a breed thats fit for this task. -> not white, heavy or pet chickens.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Please note that if you have a lot of hawks, I disagree with the experience that hawks will only take one at a time. My experience is they will kill multiples, up to several, before finally flying away if not spooked or the chickens can't or won't take cover. I've lost 4 in one day due to hawks. So make sure that if you don't have a top that you're taking other precautions.

 

[Molpet]

The pro to the net is it's easy to move to clear out the fence line every few weeks in the grass/weeds.
It's easier to follow the ground but short dips are a problem.
I had a limb fall on it, the ground was wet so the posts just fell over and no damage. The limb was 12 ft and bigger around than my thigh on the fence. I could just muscle it up and off.

Cons
It absorbs heat from the sun and the ground warms and thaws faster than the surrounding ground. The posts tip over in the mush.... and moles like to tunnel down the fence line tipping the posts.
I check the line every morning.


Snow will insulated the feet and they don't get grounded so no shock. But that's with any e fence