Have You Used An Electric Fence w/Chickens?

[Barry Natchitoches]

Have any of you tried to restrict your chicken's with electric fencing?


I have a garden to protect from a free ranging wrecking crew that consists of one big, strong rooster and his three hens.


They LOVE to scratch the rich soil in my garden beds out into the walkways where it is no use at all. They love to drop fresh poop on beds I want to grow things like lettuce in, too. Personally, I prefer my lettuce with a dab of ranch dressing, not chicken poop.


I've used row cover in the past, but I'm wondering if a portable electric fence might be better. One that I could move to protect one bed for a week or two, then move to protect another bed later.


What do you all think?


Thank you in advance for your advice and insights.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You dont need electric fence to keep chickens out of the garden
Any type of net fencing will do that.

The electric charge is for keeping predators out

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, what Bear Foot Farm said. Totally no point in it... just use plastic mesh. Or if you only want to protect one bed at a time while seedlings get started, even a moveable hoophouse type cover with mesh on it.

You can thread stakes thru your plastic mesh so that the whole thing is easier to fold up or relocate.

There is no absolute guarantee that chickens won't fly over the fence but the same is true of electric fencing *too*, and as long as your fence is reasonably high (3-4') and the chickens have ample things to do elsewhere they will not generally go over.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[geebs]

complete waste of time.... They are too dumb to know to get off the hotwire...Sheesh....It is almost worth doing to hear you laugh!!!

 

[Uncle_Bubba]

I agree, just use a net or fencing of some sort, It should also help to keep the other critters out, rabbit deer ect