Electric wire instead of apron?

[Tomhusker]

I'm building a new coop and run and was thinking about critter security. We have coyote, raccoons and the occasional wandering dog to worry about.
I was going to add an apron around the run to prevent digging under it (coop is elevated) but had a thought come to mind.
Has anyone here tried using an electric wire around the bottom instead of an apron? I have a fence charger I could use.
Just thought I'd see if anyone has tried this.

 

[Folly's place]

Rodents will be too small to hit the electric wire, which will short out if too close to the ground and every blade of grass. The apron is still needed, unless you build a concrete foundation and floor. Wonderful, but more work and expense.
Mary

 

[cmom]

I have electric wire around my coops and pens. Since I put up the wire I have had some attempts to dig but once the predator touches the wire the attempts have been abandoned. There are some places where I dug a foot deep trench under sections of the fence and buried welded wire in the trench and hog ringed it to the bottom of the fence, more for my peace of mind. How big is your fence charger? Just curious. I use a 1.2 joule charger. This is the chick/grow-out coop. The predators know the electric wire is there.

 

[Tomhusker]

I have electric wire around my coops and pens. Since I put up the wire I have had some attempts to dig but once the predator touches the wire the attempts have been abandoned. There are some places where I dug a foot deep trench under sections of the fence and buried welded wire in the trench and hog ringed it to the bottom of the fence, more for my peace of mind. How big is your fence charger? Just curious. I use a 1.2 joule charger. This is the chick/grow-out coop. The predators know the electric wire is there.
View attachment 2129294

It's 2 joules. Good for 40 miles of fence. I may just use it on my meaties tractor.

 

[Howard E]

Helps to understand the nature and role of an electric fence.

For a run or coop......it is possible and economical to simply install a physical barrier......and an apron is a physical barrier. An extension of the upright vertical fence......just think of it as extending down to the ground, they out towards where the predator approaches from.......and it simply stops them from being able to dig their way under the fence to gain access. Way simpler and just as effective as digging a trench to bury the wire in a vertical orientation. Still can't believe folks actually do that.

The electric fence is different. It offers the ability to expand the zone of protection greatly .....far more economical that building a physical fence. So instead of having an area of say 10' x 20' for a run, you can have an area of 100' x 200'......and birds still maintain a high degree of safety.

The few places where an E fence would really help with a small enclosure would be with dealing with bears.......or as you have suggested, surrounding a moveable tractor......where aprons are not practical.

If I was a manager at TSC or similar store that sold chicks and electric fencers, I'd probably get fired on day 1. I'd set up a store demo of an electric fence charger right by the baby chicks, and encourage folks to touch it. It would be the weakest charger I sold, and have the joules and volts shown. Pretty sure I could increase sales of electric fence materials by a factor of at least 10X.

 

[Howard E]

I should amend my suggestion......if a run is made with flimsy chicken wire......an E fence around the perimeter of that would certainly help....as the chicken wire by itself is not an effective physical barrier. It only serves to keep the birds in.....not predators out.

 

[Tomhusker]

I should amend my suggestion......if a run is made with flimsy chicken wire......an E fence around the perimeter of that would certainly help....as the chicken wire by itself is not an effective physical barrier. It only serves to keep the birds in.....not predators out.

My run will be made with 2x4 welded wire, and 1/2 inch hardware cloth. I'm not talking about adding an electric fence, but rather a charged wire around the base, maybe 6" off of the ground. Digging critters tend to dig right where the run meets the ground. A hot wire at the base would (theoretically) discourage the digging.

Or I could be completely wrong.

 

[Howard E]

It would work, but there is a better use for a 2 joule charger. That would be like shooting a mouse with a 12 gauge. But if that is all you need to cover and you got the charger, it certainly won't hurt anything.

 

[texsuze]

My hens free-range during the day in a large fenced BarnYard which is connected to the barn, which is then connected to the Barn Pasture; think "figure-8" type layout, barn in the middle. Five-foot no-climb fence with electric tape running around the top of the entire fenced area (t-posts with those 'mushroom' type insulators to hold tape.

Along the bottom of the BarnYard only, I also have a single strand of hot wire on the outside of the no-climb, held by those yellow insulators that hold wire a couple inches out from the fence. Wire is about 7-8 inches above the ground.

Also along the bottom of the BarnYard I have a 2x4 field fence apron around the entire perimeter. Apron extends out about 12", held in place by rocks, growing grass, dirt over the years.

Only an armadillo has managed to find a gap in the BarnYard apron to enter/exit, going underneath the single strand of hot wire. The bunnies tend to dig holes where my apron sections are connected, but only in the Barn Pasture, hence, diligence is required to mend those areas. Lots of work? Yes, but so far, good peace of mind.

 

[cmom]

Helps to understand the nature and role of an electric fence.

For a run or coop......it is possible and economical to simply install a physical barrier......and an apron is a physical barrier. An extension of the upright vertical fence......just think of it as extending down to the ground, they out towards where the predator approaches from.......and it simply stops them from being able to dig their way under the fence to gain access. Way simpler and just as effective as digging a trench to bury the wire in a vertical orientation. Still can't believe folks actually do that.

Forgive this old lady. It was way easier to dig a trench in the sand and bury the welded wire. Nothing has attempted to dig where I buried the wire. There is a place where I did not bury any wire and a tortoise dug under the fence and got into a pen the other day. Here is an aborted attempt.