electric fencing for chickens???

[chicksnducks]

Hey have any of you chickie experts used electric fencing for safeguarding your chickies?
let me know how it worked.....or not....
I am planning on fencing around my barn so that my chickies and ducks can have space to semi free range. Someone shared with me their electric fencing setup and it seems like a great idea, but I wanted some advice from experienced chickie ranchers....
thanks,

 

[thunderkitty]

I am also interested in this topic, especially after figuring costs for regular fencing which would actually be more! We are looking at the electric poultry/goat netting. I saw it on this site: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....rce=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_content=30621 for a mere $130. Our fencing alone will cost this (and then some) not counting posts!

 

[Motherhenandflock]

Sorry, my first thought is: fried chicken.

Couldn't resist.

 

[chicksnducks]

The electric netting will limit you to 150 feet.
We have quite a bit of room so I want to use a good portion possibly two sections so I can rotate the chicks...
I was told that you can fence about two acres for about $150....
I will let you know if it works out.
anyone else use electric ...to keep the prediators out ...

 

[Motherhenandflock]

We just go with the traditional chicken wire, 2 inch opening, but next time I'd go with the one inch.
One problem came to mind with the electric: would you cover the run? Young chickens can fly right over the 6 ft. fence I have. And hawks can swope almost straight down.
And critters can dig down to get inside the run. Buried fence helps with that.
But with electric, I know it can't touch weeds or anything like that or it will not "connect" or work.
Maybe the holiday has others away from the forum. Someone else can help, maybe this evening or tomorrow.

 

[FrozenChicken]

I used an electric fencer around my chick pens to ward off predators. I used a $60 horse fencer and ran on wire around the exterior of the fence about nose high for a cat. Never had issues with a cat but my dog just touched the wire and was instantly trained to stay clear of the fence.

 

[zoooteacher]

We have a small egg and veggie farm and we use electro-net with good results. We keep our hens on pasture - 50 to a "pen", which is pasture enclosed with one length of electro-net and one portable coop that we drag behind a tractor. There are always one or two girls that squeeze through to free-range during the day (feathers are good insulators!) but we haven't had any predator losses thus far. We like kencove 4 foot high poultry netting, and use a marine deep-cycle battery and simple fence charger from the feed store.

 

[chicksnducks]

I am wanting to surround my existing barn so that my chickies and ducks can "free-range" without worrying about our dogs or other preditors.
Thanks for answering. I appreciate any info I can get....