Electric Racoon Net Fencing???

[BluebirdHomestead]

Has anyone used this around their coop and run as an extra barrier of protection? Thoughts?

 

[DobieLover]

View attachment 1963350 Has anyone used this around their coop and run as an extra barrier of protection? Thoughts?

I have 42" high netting enclosing 1/3 acre with my coop and run inside the pen. Nothing has gotten into the pen except a hawk. And a deer knocked a section over one night.

 

[aart]

I believe @Howard E has used short e-fence.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I believe @Howard E has used short e-fence.

Ah I’d love to hear how that’s working out

 

[aart]

Ah I’d love to hear how that’s working out

He'll be along in time, when he sees the tag.

Meanwhile you could peruse his articles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/author/howard-e.402320/

..and his thread topics:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/81357844/

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know how tall that is. It's going to take more than five minutes to set up the entire system, that's misleading. You'll need to set up the energizer, install a good ground, and hook up the connections. If your soil is very rocky it may be a bit more challenging just to set up the fence. I can't see enough about it to see details. It would probably be a good idea to guy-wire the corners to keep the net taut and the hot wires up off the ground.

I can't tell how big those openings are. Fur and feathers can insulate from shock. If those openings are big enough that they can walk through without touching it with bare spots like nose, tongue, or the bottom of their feet they may be able to walk straight through.

If you can get it installed properly I'd expect that to be an excellent barrier against raccoon, possum, skunk, badger, wolverines, mink, and probably bobcat, critters like that that don't really jump that well. I don't know how effective it would be against fox, dog, or coyote. I think it would give some deterrence to to canine as they tend to sniff as they go but maybe they would just jump in the heat of the attack, especially if chickens were wandering around in the day.

I don't know how well it will keep chickens in. Again, how big are those holes. Baby chicks can walk through my electric netting until they are about 8 weeks old. Their down and feathers insulate them. Nothing will get shocked if they are not grounded when they touch a hot wire. Baby chicks can just hop up and go through an opening without being grounded.

Chickens can easily fly or maybe just hop over it, doesn't look that tall. The question is, will they want to. Some flocks can be kept in with some really low fences, others will escape some pretty high ones. To me that is an unknown. Will they want to get out?

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

I don't know how tall that is. It's going to take more than five minutes to set up the entire system, that's misleading. You'll need to set up the energizer, install a good ground, and hook up the connections. If your soil is very rocky it may be a bit more challenging just to set up the fence. I can't see enough about it to see details. It would probably be a good idea to guy-wire the corners to keep the net taut and the hot wires up off the ground.

I can't tell how big those openings are. Fur and feathers can insulate from shock. If those openings are big enough that they can walk through without touching it with bare spots like nose, tongue, or the bottom of their feet they may be able to walk straight through.

If you can get it installed properly I'd expect that to be an excellent barrier against raccoon, possum, skunk, badger, wolverines, mink, and probably bobcat, critters like that that don't really jump that well. I don't know how effective it would be against fox, dog, or coyote. I think it would give some deterrence to to canine as they tend to sniff as they go but maybe they would just jump in the heat of the attack, especially if chickens were wandering around in the day.

I don't know how well it will keep chickens in. Again, how big are those holes. Baby chicks can walk through my electric netting until they are about 8 weeks old. Their down and feathers insulate them. Nothing will get shocked if they are not grounded when they touch a hot wire. Baby chicks can just hop up and go through an opening without being grounded.

Chickens can easily fly or maybe just hop over it, doesn't look that tall. The question is, will they want to. Some flocks can be kept in with some really low fences, others will escape some pretty high ones. To me that is an unknown. Will they want to get out?

Yeah you make lots of good points. I’ve been doing research over the last day and think the chicken netting (electric) from premier1 might be a better route. The raccoon fence is only 18” and I was mainly going to use it as an extra layer of protection at night around the coop. But if I’m going to spend the money, I may as well get something that’ll keep the chickens in too and I can use during the day as well to create a little “free-range” area outside of their run.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Something i did not mention, electric netting does not work that well in snow. The soil has to be the electrical ground. A wet snow might short out the fence or a dry snow might insulate the critter from the ground. If you talk to Premier ask them abut it.

The netting is still a deterrent. Once a critter is bit it avoids the netting. It's a pretty satisfying sound when you hear a dog yelp when it touches the netting with its nose and you see it disappearing in the distance never to return. The dog is not hurt but it will no longer be a problem. Other critters react the same way. If new critters show up in the snow there is a risk but your established predators know better.

I use Premiers 48" tall netting. It works.

 

[hayley3]

Something i did not mention, electric netting does not work that well in snow. The soil has to be the electrical ground. A wet snow might short out the fence or a dry snow might insulate the critter from the ground. If you talk to Premier ask them abut it.

The netting is still a deterrent. Once a critter is bit it avoids the netting. It's a pretty satisfying sound when you hear a dog yelp when it touches the netting with its nose and you see it disappearing in the distance never to return. The dog is not hurt but it will no longer be a problem. Other critters react the same way. If new critters show up in the snow there is a risk but your established predators know better.

I use Premiers 48" tall netting. It works.

I just bought the netting and also bought the Gallagher S40 solar charger. Buying the charger was confusing because Premier says it needs .25 volts and the packaging for the charger says it is .4 but .26 output. Hoping mine works when I go to set it up.
I did set up a non-solar charger before but it didn't seem to work that great with polywire but may have been my ground rod.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just because you caught it in a trap, doesn't make it the killer of your chickens.

Just noticed this in your signature. Very true and worth highlighting.

For the critter to get zapped the circuit has to be closed but you can't have a short in the set-up, even a partial short. I don't know how that polywire was set up. It could have been different issues.

If it was your ground rod it could have been the material the rod was made of, any connection in that circuit, or even the soil may have been too dry to carry a current. I have a frost-free spigot in that area and often rinse garden produce down there. I toss the rinse water around that rod so it stays damp enough. I don't know if that was necessary but it was convenient. I also had a hardy kiwi growing in that area so the water helped with that too.