Electric Poultry Fence

[EricaD]

Our fence is great. The only cons I can think of are that it won't protect from aerial predators (we strung scare tape back and forth between the posts, criss-crossed, in the areas where we didn't need to be able to walk around in). But the biggest problem we had is that our chickens just kept flying over it! Since we didn't want to clip their wings (we had 20 at the time), we ended up building a huge chicken wire run and now use the netting around the outside of that to keep out 4-legged predators (and covered the top of the run with strips of bird netting.) The run is 6' tall and the chickens could still fly over it if not for the netting!

Sadly we lost our rooster and a hen that flew over the netting in the early days, to a coyote, but no losses since we built the fixed run (we let them free range when we can supervise).

 

[Island Roo]

I forgot that I promised pictures of poultry netting on rough terrain.

Connected to the run. You can see a with string from the top of the run that supports a netting post further down the hill




A couple extra fibreglass posts support the netting in a dip on keep the bottom close to the ground.
The post on right that is bent is tied to another fence.


A green t-post keeps this corner tight. The netting runs up the hill to the right. A couple of tent pegs hold the netting close the ground here.


Looking up the hill. T-post on the right

 

[Suzierd]

Looking to set up a poultry fence Prefer solar, saw this offer and was wondering what you all thought? This would be for a small flock 4 to 6 chickens. Do I need all this stuff? What would be a good offer? I know nothing about setting it up thanks for any thoughts.
Can I add a solar charger to this battery?


a/c electric fence charger - 1 joule. small spool of galvanized electric fence wire, 200ish t-post insulators, 20 5' fiberglass posts, 50ish fiberglass insulators/wire supports. 150-250' heavy gauge galvanized fence wire (suitable for h-brace supports), 'Premier' 20b battery powered electric fence charger. 100' of 4' electric poultry netting. Make offer.

 

[Suzierd]

Looking to set up a poultry fence Prefer solar, saw this offer and was wondering what you all thought? This would be for a small flock 4 to 6 chickens. Do I need all this stuff? What would be a good offer? I know nothing about setting it up thanks for any thoughts.
Can I add a solar charger to this battery?


a/c electric fence charger - 1 joule. small spool of galvanized electric fence wire, 200ish t-post insulators, 20 5' fiberglass posts, 50ish fiberglass insulators/wire supports. 150-250' heavy gauge galvanized fence wire (suitable for h-brace supports), 'Premier' 20b battery powered electric fence charger. 100' of 4' electric poultry netting. Make offer.

I'm assuming I don't need the electric fence wire, or t -post insulators, right?

 

[ocap]

the poultry netting that I have thought of buying comes with posts and insulators is 160 feet long and either 40 or 48 inches tall. either ground through the earth or every other wire is a ground/negative your choice depending on how much moisture in the earth in your area (Missouri can use either). you will need a way to charge the system and the number of joules depends on the length of fencing, 12 volt if you want a solar system or 110 volt if you are going to use a/c current through your home electrical plugs. I will look for these systems on the BYC advertisers to see what I find. I am going to need some kind of stronger post and insulating system for the corners but the photos I have seen get by without that.

 

[ocap]

http://www.strombergschickens.com/p...l-Energizer-Batteries/Electric-Poultry-Fences
http://www.strombergschickens.com/p...ry-Fence-48-Inch-High/Electric-Poultry-Fences

I think this is all you need, my opinion( but is not worth a cup of coffee), do your own checking

 

[centrarchid]

I am using the electrified poultry netting made by Kencove Farm Fence, Inc. Price is comparable to Premiere but Kencove is American made which is important to me.

http://www.kencove.com/

 

[Fliese]

I've read through this and have found it very helpful, but I was wondering what those of you in snowy climates do to keep the snow down. I live in ND and we are moving from the city to a farmstead this fall. I have 9 hens (laying) who currently live in a run in the back yard, which is built over 18" paver stones to prevent digging. I think that we'll have more predators to deal with there (raccoons, coyotes, foxes, weasels) than we do in town.

Here's the deal, though. We have to move the hens over quickly- as in, we'll have less than a week to build the run and move the birds/coop over. We have long-term plans for a secure (buried) run, but that'll take a lot of time to set up and it's just not reasonable to expect to be able to pull it off in a week, or even before snow flies.

I was thinking that doing a step in electric fence might be the answer, as it's reasonably affordable and fast to install, but someone mentioned that the snow can be an issue. How would you recommend keeping it clear of snow? Do you have to blow it out from both sides of the fence every time it snows? Can any snow/grass be touching it or will they just ground out the thing so foxes can walk right in? I had been thinking of putting it in a clearing in the wooded area, to protect from wind and snow (which are both bad here), but maybe that's inviting trouble and it should just be set up in the pasture.

This will be our first time living in the country, for either of us. I'd hate for my overlooking something simple to contribute to flock loss. Any suggestions or help?

 

[ocap]

wish I could help. This will be my first winter with electric poultry netting. It is doing fine with the bottom strand touching grass. My silkie bantams have gotten through the fence, not the large fowl and the silkies are learning to not touch but the feathers are not a conductor so the charged twine has to touch skin. I got shocked three times while installing, I must be a slow learner.

 

[Fliese]

I'm starting to think that maybe the right thing would be to do a non-electrified fence to keep the birds in and a few strands of electrified wire at 6", 12",18", and 24" or something. Then if the snow grounds it out, I can disconnect the lower strands? I don't know if that would work, and what would I do if the snow got deeper than that? Maybe I should be planning on blowing out along the fence. Annoying, but less annoying than a dead flock.