Fencing overkill?

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

I have predators.

Black bears to coyotes to skunks.

I am considering permanent fencing for a largish area as spring approaches.

Relative total cost isn’t significant for going with a 6-8ft fence vs the more typical 4-5ft I see in pics and real life. Taller seems better....

I would electrify.

Am I missing something, other than cost?

 

[rosemarythyme]

No such thing as overkill for fencing IMO. If the cost isn't significantly more for taller fencing, I'd go for taller.

 

[PopoMyers]

There can never be overkill. In the case of your predators, especially the bears, I've read to make sure the electricity is HOT!

 

[DobieLover]

I have electrified netting enclosing 1/3 acre. I have all the same cast of characters along with bobcats and nasty little fisher cats.

The net is 42" high and charged with a 10,000 volt/1.2 Joule output charger that has kept all the local ground predators at bay. The chickens don't attempt to fly over the fence but will the gates. Once they acclimate to their pen, they don't try to get out any longer.
To make the structure more permanent, I set locust posts at the corners and gates. I used high stand-off insulators to keep the netting from touching the posts.

It's going through it's third winter and still doing fine. I do have some damage to the net where I had to cut loose a young buck that got his antlers caught in the net. This is the only downside to netting. That poor buck suffered horrifically and ultimately died from having the netting wrapped tightly to his skull/face all night long while he lay struggling in near freezing water. I'll never get over that.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

I do have mountain lions too. But they haven’t bothered the chickens. There is ample game. I drove up on one last year, largest I’ve ever seen. Fattish too.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I have electrified netting enclosing 1/3 acre. I have all the same cast of characters along with bobcats and nasty little fisher cats.

The net is 42" high and charged with a 10,000 volt/1.2 Joule output charger that has kept all the local ground predators at bay. The chickens don't attempt to fly over the fence but will the gates. Once they acclimate to their pen, they don't try to get out any longer.
To make the structure more permanent, I set locust posts at the corners and gates. I used high stand-off insulators to keep the netting from touching the posts.

It's going through it's third winter and still doing fine. I do have some damage to the net where I had to cut loose a young buck that got his antlers caught in the net. This is the only downside to netting. That poor buck suffered horrifically and ultimately died from having the netting wrapped tightly to his skull/face all night long while he lay struggling in near freezing water. I'll never get over that.

oh that's awful. Could you perhaps have flappy flags about a metre from the fence to ward off deer? I think if something were moving in the wind they'd avoid

 

[DobieLover]

oh that's awful. Could you perhaps have flappy flags about a metre from the fence to ward off deer? I think if something were moving in the wind they'd avoid

I don't know. I can't put anything about a meter away as the wood line is there. I can always tie off orange surveyors tape along the length of the fence.
I think he had bent down to get a drink out of the "moat" that flows along the back of our property and got his antlers caught. I just don't know. There are images in my head from that day I wish I could burn out of my mind.