Having predator issues? Get an electric fence!

[Abriana]

For you city girls out there, I thought that you would like to see that if you have an electric fence around your place that it doesn't take a dog long to look at a herd of cows

That dog sure shot out of there in a hurry! Poor thing.

 

[Howard E]

That dog video makes for an excellent teachable moment. Imagine the scenario where it is harassing or attacking livestock.......or chickens.......and there is no electric fence. And assuming nobody is around, what is to stop it? Short answer is nothing. There is no deterrent factor at all. Dog is free to go as far as it wants to and do as much damage as it wants to. On the other hand.......it encounters that electric fence instead. That is exactly the response you want to see. A dog that was in the mood to cause trouble heading for the horizon with his tail tucked between his legs.
While that may seem cruel, if the alternative is a bunch of dead chickens, followed by a dead dog, I'd prefer to see the dog get zapped and then see him head for the hills. No dead animals and no drama. Dog learns a lesson and chickens resume pecking and scratching like nothing ever happened.

 

[Abriana]

I totally agree with that, I mean, I just feel bad for him!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I see the foxes and raccoons, but have only had one predator issue the entire year and almost a half I've had chickens, which was a hawk. I've only had one death due to a predator. I use an electric fence, and it keeps everything out. Where i live, foxes and raccoons are very, very abundant, and all the neighbors without electric fences complain of attacks. If you are having issues, it is worth it to invest in one of these! If you have small children, which is the reason i have heard most often when i suggest an electric fence and people say they can't, it really doesn't shock very hard. It just scares you a little, and once they get shocked once, they will stay away from it. I have never had an issue with small children getting shocked.

Ours pulses 8000 volts. It does a good job. Psychological barriers work.

 

[centrarchid]

I took a really good zap this morning. Walked into fence while admiring nature taking a couple good pulses to shins. Like chickengeorge said, other physical ailments were forgotten. I am going to stress visibility of the fence. Most of my zaps occurred when I was not paying attention and fence not contrasting well with background.

I use the Kencove line as well in terms of the netting. I got the darker stuff so it would not stand out as well to make eye sore. In some settings increasing visibility may be more important.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I took a really good zap this morning. Walked into fence while admiring nature taking a couple good pulses to shins. Like chickengeorge said, other physical ailments were forgotten. I am going to stress visibility of the fence. Most of my zaps occurred when I was not paying attention and fence not contrasting well with background.

I use the Kencove line as well in terms of the netting. I got the darker stuff so it would not stand out as well to make eye sore. In some settings increasing visibility may be more important.

The worst that I ever did was to try and step over an electric fence still dressed in my Sunday-go-to-meeting duds. I have long legs but they were not long enough if you catch my drift?

 

[Abriana]

Wrong!!! With electrified netting the lower two or three wires are not electrified. So it has about the same efficiency as the lower cost old-style electric fence used to keep cows in their pasture.

In dry weather I use to grab a-hold of my electric fence to alleviate some of my aches and pains.

By using multiple strands of high tension wire you can customize your electric fence if snow fall is a problem where you live and results in the fence not working. One word of caution, don't go wee-wee on your electric fence, that is a no-no!

The lower wires of my electric fence are electrified