Electric net fence injured chicken!!!

[ecogirl2206]

Thank you for the post link! I'm thinking about 4x4 PT posts at 4 corners b/c the site will basically be permanent. But those posts look like what i need short term. Also putting down landscape fabric and putting rocks over it, hopefully that will keep chickens from shredding. They'll have over 60 sq feet per bird so I'm hoping the rock edge/ landscape fabric isn't super interesting...not sure though this is all new to me!

I'm not breeding chickens so I'm not worried about passing on genes. I can only have hens where i live. So the roosters are going! I'm going to post a "pullet or cockerel" post on my 8, 10+- week old chickens!

 

[Howard E]

Also, a chicken hung up in electric poultry netting that is not touching the ground is not getting shocked. Same as a bird sitting on a high voltage power line does not get shocked. Both you and it would both get shocked if you tried to untangle it when the fence charger was on and you were standing on the ground to close the circuit.

A hot, charged fence is only a potential shock. The current flows from the fence to the ground when a connection is made through a material that will conduct a charge. When something touches both at the same time, it works just like a light switch that allows the current to flow. Grass, etc, will make that connection. So will you or a chicken or a predator. But you, in rubber knee boots, may not feel it. Lady I'm married to walked into a super hot fence once, but lucky for me, was wearing thick, puffy flip flops at the time, so was insulated. Otherwise, I would be dead right now. And not from the shock, but from blunt force trauma from the beating I would have gotten.

On your landscape cloth, unless it will conduct electricity, an animal standing on it will be insulated from the shock, so they may not feel it. Depending on how wide the landscape cloth is, a coyote, dog or fox may have their front legs on the cloth, but perhaps back legs standing on the ground. If so, they might get it.

Paper feed sacks or even newspaper might work to keep the weeds down, yet still serve up a jolt especially once they have gotten wet.

On your ground rod, most instructions for how to install those are vast overkill. At most, a foot of so of rebar, or even a rusty steel T post, driven in the ground a foot or so will do it.

With poultry netting, the posts they hang the stuff on do not conduct electricity, so it many cases, you can brace the corners to keep them from sagging in with a tent stake and piece of plastic twine. Guy it out like you would a tent pole or flap.

 

[ecogirl2206]

And yes, due to a lot of hawks, I am planning on building 1/2" hardware cloth covered run/coop. This netting was supposed to be a daytime- while i'm out in the garden working expanded zone, but I'm trying to make it work full time short term until I can get the real run/coop built!


How do you guys attach netting to top to keep hawks out without the whole thing collapsing??

 

[lazy gardener]

@Howard E as usual provides excellent info. Tent pegs would be a great option for stabalizing fencing on the bottom. (only attached to the non charged black line.)

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also putting down landscape fabric and putting rocks over it,

Landscape fabric also REALLY stinks at keeping stuff down long term. Dirt eventually piles up and weeds grow happily as if the fabric weren't there... even if you put rocks or gravel on top.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Like said I'm sure a lot of people could make the same mistake. Glad your girls was OK!

 

[ecogirl2206]

OK, no landscape fabric! I checked on him/her this morning and no limp- so it must have just been sore from hanging from the leg. I'm so relieved its not broken.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm glad she's okay.
Keeping predators out is so important, and hopefuls she's not going to try that again.
Mary

 

[EggSighted4Life]

OK, no landscape fabric! I checked on him/her this morning and no limp- so it must have just been sore from hanging from the leg. I'm so relieved its not broken.

I had the same thing happen with one of my patio chairs once. Bird hanging by the leg upside down in the crisscross pattern on the chair back. It's surprising the kind of situations they can get themselves into sometimes.

I use hot wire to keep my stags in their pen. I tested it myself so I would KNOW how it feels. A simple peck of the net probably won't zap them since it is intermittent and I'm not sure beaks conduct electricity. I have even had them step on it without any response. But once they get their waddles or comb (or foot), they run the other direction and use caution in that area. Yes it's just a visual barrier. More than that it is a MENTAL barrier, my e-wire is only a foot tall in one of my pens and works like a charm. Let them try it, they will learn quickly. Go ahead and try it yourself to... take your shoe off and stand on the ground. Maybe use the back of your hand instead of your palm. First time with my shoe on I thought meh, that felt like a pinch or flick... but MAYBE to the nose. Then I took my shoe off. It was dusk and that thing LIT me up! I saw the spark and all. It was startling, and now I respect the fence, lol. But I am NOT scared of it.

 

[azygous]

One thing left out of our discussion on this thread is baiting the hot wire or electric netting to achieve maximum effect on a predator so they will be sure to "get the message". It also increases the effectiveness of keeping the chickens off the electrified barrier.

I bait my hot wire with small dabs of peanut butter. For predators that have a lot of insulating fur on their bodies such as bears and raccoons, the bait invites them to "taste". When they get a taste of 10,000 volts with a wet nose or tongue, the result is a predator that will not likely return. I've watched with great satisfaction a bear stroll up to the hot wire with my chickens on the other side, take a taste of the bait on the hot wire and do a rather graceful 180 twirl, running off at amazing speed, never to return.

I've also watched as a rather bold hen took a taste of the bait and do the exact same, but maybe not as graceful 180, never to mess with the wire again.

 

[ecogirl2206]

Wow, i would have never thought to bait it, seems like its kinda asking for trouble but then again i see how it could work!