Electro Plastic Poultry Netting and Kids

[redbuffalo]

We just finished our coop and are starting our run. We have 11 chickens who have been free range during the day. So far, we lost one chicken to the neighbors dog and one hen to a wild mink. So we need fencing that is weasel and dog proof. I have been looking into the electroplastic netting and electric fence and I am concerned as I have two little boys, 4 and 6 years old, and just wonder if the fence is such a good idea with kids who may encounter the fence. We also live in upstate NY and have lots of wet weather. Does the wet ground make the shock of the fence worse? Any recommendations for fencing would be hugely appreciated

 

[Omran]

Quote:
I would NOT put an electric fence if have kids, what you can do is building a nice run with welded wires like 14 gage 1"x2" wire and you make sure that around the run you have to burry some hardware cloth then other preditors can not dig undernieth the fence. Look at my run below, Thanks God I have no problems with preditors trying to brake in.

 

[twentynine]

Two little boys and an electric fence!!!!!!

Ahhhhh! It takes me back 45 years. My younger brother and I were at my PawPaw and MawMaw's, staying there a few weeks because my father had gall bladder surgery. I was 8 my brother 5. Long story short I dared my brother to pee on the electric fence, little brother, being little brother dutifully unlimbered and let it go. I have never to this day heard some one scream like that. That was the one and only time I ever got a whuppin from my PawPaw. In case you are wondering my brother did later go on to father a child.

Your kids and all kids will be fine around an electric fence. They may hit it ONCE but no damage will be done. Except maybe the fence will gain some respect.

Wet ground. I have never used electro-plastic fencing. I have always used a regular fence charger and either aluminum or stainless conductor wire. I extremely dry conditions the fence may not deliver a good zap because of resistance, so a second ground conductor should be run seperated by a few inches from the + conductor. Contact across the two will deliver the zap. In wet conditions, if the conductor wire comes in contact with wet grass it will ground out, and become useless. To answer your question directly yes if the conductor wire is hot (not grounded out) and you are standing in a pair of wet tennis shoes when you come in contact it will deliver a good jolt.

From what I can gather an electro-plastic fence does not carry the charge that a regular electric wire fence does. Some one recently told me that you can not use a regular charger on an electro-plastic fence, it will not work.

 

[momonpillowhill]

We have had electric fencing for 40 years and the only time we had a problem was when my wet hair touched the fence( bending over to get through it's for the horses I have very long hair) and I got the shock of my life all the way to my toes!! Seriously, we have 7 kids 4 grandkids, dogs, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys, you name it the only thing that had a problem was the goat, didn't phase her and never kept her in! Kids lear fast, so do dogs!! Won't leave any marks and they only ever touch it once!

 

[jvls1942]

as an older brother also, I have to agree with twentynine....what fun is a farm without younger brothers,city cousins and friends and an electric fence???

If a dog, cow pig or horse can learn to respect an electric fence, 4 to 44 years old humans should be smart enough to learn also..

 

[Schroeder]

I use 100 ft of the electro plastic fencing around my garden with a battery powered (4 "D" batteries) charger. It has a low and high setting. The low setting is designed to get your pets used to it, and disuade all but the most determined intruders. My 11 week old puppy has touched it twice and ran away yelping, but she has been fine. I have touched it and it is not something you would choose to do, but it isn't terrible. I only turn it to the high setting when the sweet corn is getting close to mature. I've never had a problem and we have lots of wildlife.

 

[kajunchicken]

Most kids and predator's usually will touch it only once and then the fence gains instant respect from all who have touched it. It's a DC shock little to no amperage ( it's usually measured in miliamps, less than 1 amp). Amperage is what kills. never hook up household current to a fence to make an electric fence. Someone will die and someone will go to jail for negligent homicide or even 2nd degree murder or worse. Always use the cattle fence box.

 

[CMV]

My 4 y.o. daughter has been around electric fences half her life and is still around to tell the tale. Your sons will test the fence ONCE and probably only once. My daughter likes to feel the tingle of the fence on the small charger, but the fences on the big charger she won't touch. She has seen me hit it accidentally on enough occasions- resulting in me screaming my head off- that she has no interest in testing it herself.

 

[Seven Trees]

We used electro-netting for our goats (and even a cow when the grass wasn't too tempting). The holes were a bit too big for chickens, but they stayed in it most of the time. We used it to let them graze in the yard when we didn't want them digging up flowers & such. If they got chased or spooked bad enough, they would pop through, but getting fence with the right sized holes should help.

I remember the same kind of stunts at grandpa's farm. We'd line all of us cousins in a row, hands on the shoulder of the person in front, then have the front person touch the fence. Woo! 8 kids on one zap

We use a charger rated for 25 miles of fence on our one acre. Lots of cross fencing so we want it strong enough to keep the cows & pony where they belong. I touched it near the charger once and got a zap hard enough to raise a welt!

It's flagged hard and inside our stock panel perimeter, so neighbor kids don't bump into it.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Put up the fence and TEACH the kids to not touch it.

It's not like it will kill them

Some one recently told me that you can not use a regular charger on an electro-plastic fence, it will not work

Any charger will work​