Electric fencing??

[LtDanFan]

we are going to be re-doing our coop in the spring and converting a shed to a double decker coop while keeping one of the current two smaller pre-fab coops because the girls seem to prefer laying in those nest boxes and its easy to confine them if we need to separate the some for one reason or another (or for integration purposes). Plus i like giving them a choice of where to sleep or where to go if it weather gets nasty. So that will mean we keep the same perimeter of the entire yard (about 25 x 25 so a total of 625 sq feet) with an innner small run of about 50 sq feet (door is usually open but i like the idea of being able to close it if i need to segregate chickens for one reason or another). Around this entire 625 sq ft yard is a 4 ft poultry fence, a 2 ft walkway all the way around and a 6 ft outer fence.
I have medium sized birds and adventurous pullets which like to roost on the inner poultry fencing and i will find them regularly “exploring” the walkway between the inner and outer fences.
A couple months ago we had a problem with raccoons and lost a couple of birds. Since then, We have been more diligent about locking them up right at dusk as long as they are in the coops, they can self select which of the two coops they want to spend the night in and we have put locks on the nest box lids so tiny coon hands cannot lift the latch and get in.
Questions are these:
1. if we put up electrified (livestock) fencing, will this keep the chickens off the fence (and hence inside the inner yard)?
2. Will this prevent (or at least lessen) the raccoons ability to get into the inner yard and coop?

At this point, the poultry fence is sagging in several places due to its status as an unintended roost and needs to be replaced anyway. I came across electrified livestock fencing on a roll and was wondering if this would work. I don’t want to overly shock my girls but i do want them to stay inside their protected yard and mostly, keep raccoons out.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

dan fan,
Fencing will raccoons out if done properly, the fencing has to be off the ground so as not to "ground" itself if you going to electrifying the fence. Can you post pic's of your set up?

 

[FarmerGirl101]

I can't speak to electric fencing and its efficacy but I know that some do use them. I also would encourage you look at automatic coop doors. We use the Chicken Guard Pro Door Kit personally. I lost my entire flock to a racoon and this gives me peace of mind as it closes every night on time and I don't need to be home. This could be a good option for at night.

 

[DobieLover]

if we put up electrified (livestock) fencing, will this keep the chickens off the fence (and hence inside the inner yard)?

You can't put a charge on livestock fencing because it will go straight to ground with every pulse.

Will this prevent (or at least lessen) the raccoons ability to get into the inner yard and coop?

You need to put hot wires down low, at raccoon nose height. They need to have some part of their body grounded when touching a hot wire or they won't be the conductor in completing the circuit and receive a correction jolt.

Can you post pic's of your set up?

Excellent request. We can offer better help when we have a better idea what you are describing.

Chickens generally don't perch on thin wires. Their large bodies make it nearly impossible to balance. They like to land of a solid surface.

 

[McChooky]

If you only have 2 ft between the 2 fences you won't have room to install the roll of electric poultry fencing unless you take the inner fence down.Coons can climb a 6 foot fence so you need to install a strand of electric fence on top of that and cut any trees over the run

 

[DobieLover]

Coons can climb a 6 foot fence so you need to install a strand of electric fence on top of that and cut any trees over the run

The only way that will work is if a ground wire is up near the strand that the coon would also touch. Songbirds land on hot wires all day long and nothing happens to them. Because they are not also touching ground and completing the circuit.

 

[LtDanFan]

dan fan,
Fencing will raccoons out if done properly, the fencing has to be off the ground so as not to "ground" itself if you going to electrifying the fence. Can you post pic's of your set up?

Took these this morning, i hope they are helpful.

 

[kattabelly]

You can't put a charge on livestock fencing because it will go straight to ground with every pulse.

Guessing they mean electric poultry/livestock netting like this, not the actual livestock fencing that's made of thicker wire.

The very bottom row isn't electrified as it's meant to be touching the ground.

 

[DobieLover]

Guessing they mean electric poultry/livestock netting like this, not the actual livestock fencing that's made of thicker wire.

The very bottom row isn't electrified as it's meant to be touching the ground.

Livestock fence is livestock fence.
Poultry netting is poultry netting.
I run three sets of 164' electrified poultry nets jumpered together to contain 1/3 acre of my land for my flock.
Some people think that you can hook up a charger to any metal fence.
Some people also think you can run a wire from the fence and insert the wire directly into the hot prong of the outlet in your barn and get a functional electric fence.
They are both mistaken.

 

[McChooky]

The only way that will work is if a ground wire is up near the strand that the coon would also touch. Songbirds land on hot wires all day long and nothing happens to them. Because they are not also touching ground and completing the circuit.

Thanks for pointing that out! If they run a hot on top they need to run a ground too!