Electric poultry fences and Coons

[HeatherEmme]

Hi y'all!

I'm new to raising chickens. So new in fact that I haven't even gotten my first chick yet. My coop is on order as is my electric poultry netting. While I wait I'm working on getting myself up to speed on predator proofing. I've bought new locks for my coop since the one I ordered doesn't have sufficient locks and i'm covering the factory chicken wire with 1/2" hardware mesh which I will also add to the bottom of the run and bury to keep out diggers. I *plan* to have my chickens spend their days out in the confines of the electric fence foraging and when I get home let them out to free range if possible. I also plan to install overhead netting to deter hawks.

I'm wondering if an electric fence will be sufficient to keep out predators like foxes and coons? Can they jump the fence? It's 48" high.

They'll be shut up in their coop at night and the entire coop will be inside the electric poultry netting, but I'm worried about my *plan* to leave them out while I'm gone all day. I'll only have 4 hens - no rooster so, one attack would decimate my entire flock.

TIA =)

 

[JackE]

I have the electrified poultry netting from Premier. I would say it's one of the best things I have done for my chickens. I got the fence after two daytime fox attacks. I've now had the fence up for just over a year, the chickens are out every day, and they have had no further problems. The foxes are still around, but they can't get to the birds. Animals usually always check out things with their noses first. And that is not a good thing, when they nose up to a 7000V fence. After that, they don't even want to come close to the fence again.
Raccoons are mainly a night time threat. They rarely come out in the day. Before I put up my fence, I would find there little dirty hand prints all over my coop. I trapped and "Relocated" several of them, in my attempts to trap the fox. But they are not a real threat as long as you have a well built strong coop.
Right now I have 400' of the netting. I liked it so much, and the girls have been good, so I just bought another 200' of it. I'll be setting that up this weekend.
Jack

 

[centrarchid]

Producer of meat birds I know works to keep fence hot and birds from roosting near it to deny raccoons. Additionally he has a great-horned owl that comes in and gets stragglers. Losses he deals with I would not tolerate but he still makes money.


Raccoons and great-horned owls biggest concern and they can be controlled with additional management effort.