Electric wire help!

[ChickenCanoe]

Are these electric fencing always 'ON' all the time, eating up electricity thus a higher electricity bill? Or do they just turn on when something touches the wire?

They are always on but don't use electricity until current flows. It is like your house outlets are always hot but don't use electricity until you plug something in and turn it on like a lamp, microwave, phone charger, etc.. The potential is always there.
There can be some leakage current if vegetation touches it.

 

[The Phantom]

Look at this setup again.

View attachment 1426587 View attachment 1426589

The white tape is the hot (+) wire. It is fully insulated from the ground. It makes an entire loop around the pen, but again, is insulated from the ground. It is connected to the hot wire (red clip) on the charger. As long as nothing is touching it, nothing happens.

The green wire clip is connected to the steel post, which is buried in the ground. The ground (litterally the ground you stand upon) then becomes the negative (-) counterpart to the hot wire. The two of them exist peacefully and nothing happens until an animal comes along and while standing upon the ground, touches the white tape. The animal now acts like a switch in the line and the current then flows from the hot wire to the ground through the animal, which feels it as a violent, painful, electric shock.

So you won't be burying anything. What you want to do is attach a hot wire (like the white tape) to insulators surrounding your pen and at the least, along the top of it. You can add as many as you like, including another like it along the base, where it will zap any animal that tries to rip it's way in or dig it's way in. All that matters is that the animal must also be standing on something that is connected to the ground. Literally the ground for a hot wire running around the bottom, or the fence the animal is climbing on for a higher up hot wire.

Ok. Still a bit confused, but here are some pictures of my pen and the red lines is what I would like to be a hot wire. Since the pens are on the gound would that shock something that touches on top? How many separate wires can you run? How would you set my pens up? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Even if it shocks on top...... wouldn't there be a chance of the predator falling inside the cage?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is the purpose of electrifying the top rather than at the bottom of the pen? Is that for raccoons dropping in from the trees?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It won't work exactly as you have the red lines drawn out. It needs to be a single continuous run from the controller and back. You don't want to run wires in parallel (connected together at multiple points.

 

[The Phantom]

Thankyou!!!

BTW, I don't normally suggest anyone trap coons as a routine matter (some do, but I don't). BUT, once a coon has had success, they may not give up so easy and it may help to snuff that one so it can't come back. For coons who have been bad, in addition to an electric fence. Belt and suspenders, so to speak.

This thread goes about what you are up against with coons, and as for traps and trapping, explaining how to do it. Best trapping option for coons is not a live trap, but a dog proof coon trap.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coons-believe-it.1170361/

We shoot all the raccoons around here. Have shot 6 in the last 2 nights.

You can also run the wire above ground on insulated posts.

You won't be zapping the raccoon on the building, you'll be shocking them before they climb on the building or into the pen. Unless the raccoons can climb down from trees onto the coop, or they can fly.

Ok.

Even if it shocks on top...... wouldn't there be a chance of the predator falling inside the cage?

There is netting

What is the purpose of electrifying the top rather than at the bottom of the pen? Is that for raccoons dropping in from the trees?

They jump onto the wire and climb up. They only have a 2x4 to walk on up top. That is where I would put the wire. I could see them jumping a wire on the ground.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/back-yard-coop-and-run-with-electric-fence.73635/

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thankyou!!!

We shoot all the raccoons around here. Have shot 6 in the last 2 nights.

Ok.

There is netting

They jump onto the wire and climb up. They only have a 2x4 to walk on up top. That is where I would put the wire. I could see them jumping a wire on the ground.

That's why you need to run multiple lines about a foot apart. Raccoons don't jump up very far. They won't know the wire is hot until they get zapped so they will touch it.

 

[Howard E]

OP....you have a lot going on there. In addition to numerous pens, you have trees adjacent to them. Coons can use the canopy of the trees like an above ground skywalk. Going over many of the tops of the pens. So even if wired, they may be able to get past it.

Rather than running wires around each pen, can you enclose the whole group of pens with hot wires? Several strands of hot wires starting inches from the ground and moving up. Perhaps 2 feet or more high. A perimeter surrounding the whole ensemble that they can't get past?

The issue remains the tree canopy. You need to be able to establish an "island" of your pens inside this zone of protection. If coons can go over the hot wires using a tree canopy, they will defeat you.

 

[Ben&Gens House of Hens]

Bc wildlife website has some good recommendations re electric fences that I followed.