Electric fencing questions

[WilderSkye]

We ordered a Starkline fence which will be here next week.

1. If the fence is not near the coop/run, and you need to put the chickens in there daily, is it possible to train them to go with me to the fenced area and them walk in? Our will I need to put them in as they won't cross the open gate of an electric fence that has zapped them? Will I need to carry them over there and back to the run when ready to be put up? We will put shelter, etc in fenced area.

2. When you first put them in there, do you just put them in, it is electrified, and let them figure it out? Is it that easy? We used to keep cows and horses in electric fenced areas when I was a kid, but I have no idea how my dad accustomed them to it.

3. It is 164' long, so whatever area that will configure to can they have the whole area right off? Or should we slowly increase size? They are 10 weeks old.

We had planned to totally free range them but realized if we valued our garden and other areas of the yard, we needed to contain them exactly where I wanted them to be in.

Any tips helpful.

 

[DobieLover]

Why wouldn't you just install the fence so that they can access it from their current coop/run? They will want to go back to their coop to lay eggs when they get old enough and may want to get back to the coop for shelter.

Did you order extra support poles? If not, you will need them. I put an extra post between every post in the net. It will keep the hot wire from sagging over uneven terrain and grounding the charge.

Where will you install your charger and ground rods? What voltage/joule rating did/will you install?

As for acclimation, I just let my original flock loose in their new pen. I would do the same for 10-week olds. My head hen was the first to get a zap. She screamed and ran back the run and sulked for about an hour. She is the only one I ever saw get a pop. The others learn very quickly from the one(s) that get a zap to keep their combs/wattles away from the fence. If they brush up against the fence with their feathers, nothing happens as their feathers are excellent insulation from the charge.

If you manage to teach your flock to willingly walk over to a pen and just go in without being transported and placed there you could probably get yourself a slot in Ripley's Believe It or Not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

1. If the fence is not near the coop/run, and you need to put the chickens in there daily, is it possible to train them to go with me to the fenced area and them walk in?

I've never tried that. I put mine adjacent to the coop/run with a pop door they could use as they wished. I'd consider moving them back and forth as too much work, even if I could train them to actually make the walk. I consider Dobie's comments about going back to the coop to lay later important to consider.

I don't know why you want to put it that far away. I see two possible ways to achieve that. Use a crate on a wagon to move them back and forth or build a tunnel between the two. To me the wagon is a twice a day regardless of weather or wanting to visit relatives or eat out with friends. Really ties you down. Grass or weeds would need to be controlled in a tunnel plus would it block you from getting from one point on your property to another? Would it block roads or paths? Probably impractical.

Another option would be to put a coop inside this netting and leave them out there full time, day and night.

2. When you first put them in there, do you just put them in, it is electrified, and let them figure it out? Is it that easy?

It can be that easy if you let it. Or you can really make it complicated.

3. It is 164' long, so whatever area that will configure to can they have the whole area right off?

I'd let them have the whole area. I see no benefit to restricting any of that area.

 

[RoyalChick]

Weighing in. I have only ever seen one hen zapped and that hen has long since passed, and yet all the current hens seem to understand the fence.
I cannot imagine how the carrying them back and forth would work. The fence is easy to configure, could you make a passageway from their run to where you want them foraging? Mine is right outside their run so I just open the door and they all rush out which is super easy.

 

[Jener8or]

I'm not sure how far away your proposed fenced-in ranging spot is going to be from the coop, it might not be practical, but I've seen people make chicken tunnels.

I'm sure you can find or come up with many ways to do it. I don't know if this method or materials are a good way, but just an example.
"Chunnels"

If you are worried about predator-proofing the "chunnels," you could run poly wire on some step-in posts alongside it and even connect it to the same netting and energizer.