Electrifying existing wooden fence

[Ahab]

We're planning to keep ducks, and thought they'd winter well in our vegetable garden, which is enclosed by a board fence 5 feet high, if we keep the ducks inside a secure night coop and let them out only in the daytime. The local predators are foxes, coyotes, and especially raccoons.

Does anyone know the mechanics of electrifying a board fence? Would a run of tape about eight inches off the ground work? (The raccoons routinely scale the fence the day the sweet-corn ripens, but I'm far more likely to dispense a dose of 12-gauge fever in the middle of a warm summer night than when it's 20 below and there's snow on the ground.)

How would you handle the tape across the gate? (The current gates are wooden.) What happens when the electric fence-tape is buried beneath the snow? Would I need several runs of tape up the fence?

The garden is beyond sane extension-cord reach, so we'd probably use some sort of solar- or battery-powered charger; we have a couple of solar panels kicking around the house that can handily recharge a 12-volt deep-cycle battery.

Thanks!

 

[panner123]

There are many sites that can help you plan and design an eletric fence, here are 2 that I use.
afence.com and redsnap.com

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

What happens when the electric fence-tape is buried beneath the snow?

It shorts out and doesn't work

Also, a battery will lose most of its power if frozen, so Id be surprised if a solar set up will do a good job in the Winter​

 

[BlackBart]

How would you handle the tape across the gate?

You can buy handles. Browse the site below.
http://www.ferrisfencing.com/index.html

 

[Ahab]

Quote:
It shorts out and doesn't work

Also, a battery will lose most of its power if frozen, so Id be surprised if a solar set up will do a good job in the Winter

Thanks, all, for the info; a two-hour Google search was informative, but less specific to my particular case.

Given the shorting problem and the lack of battery power, I wonder if a winter-time solution might be a couple of closely spaced strands of barbed wire above the top board. Predators won't be digging under in the winter, at any rate. But they'd have to be grounded themselves to activate a line of electric tape atop the fence, so that would seem a nonstarter.

Fortunately, 'coons around here (Maine) are pretty much asleep from December into March, which coincides with the snow season. Barbed wire strands above the boards would like stop foxes and coyotes. Or so one would hope.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

a couple of closely spaced strands of barbed wire above the top board.

That will work better if the wires are angled out from the fence at about 45 Degrees

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...ecurity+fence&hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1​