Thank you. They are like family to me and I want them to be as safe as possible. Would the hotwire have to be a few inches away from the rest of the fence (the chicken wire fence), or can it touch?
Yes, it would have to be at least a few inches away. Otherwise, the chickenwire will ground out the electric wire. Make sure you use insulators with the wire supports for the same reason. You want all available voltage, going to those wires.