Help with electric fencing?

[WadeMD]

I found some woven stainless wire (near where you find picture hanging wire, etc) in Lowes. Its a relatively small diameter/gauge wire (read: fairly cheap) in a roll. Its outside, so I can't go look, but you get the idea I hope. You can then get clamps specifically made for looping wire and connecting the two ends together.

My plan is to have higher tension wires connecting the shorter distance, with lesser tension wires making the longer stretches. That make sense?

I'll take a picture in a few weeks to show it better!

 

[goosedragon]

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NO! Their feathers give some insulation from electric current (as does the fur of preditors) The big risk is if they grab the wire in their bill or mouth some times they will freeze on it and end up dead. The bill is very close to the brain.

 

[goosedragon]

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Partly true it depends how that net is wired. Some net here in the US alternate + and - Wires horizonally If the bird manages to touch one of each they will get zapped and that is what makes it effective for climbers.

 

[goosedragon]

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I would not because everytime you have a heavy rain the water is going to run off the mesh. If you have a steady stream to the ground it will short the system out and you will not have the electric feature anymore.

 

[SillySilkyMom]

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A picture would be great! Thanks.

 

[priss]

My fence is working great. The foxes haven't been in the garden since the first few days. The ducks have learnt that when it's not clicking it won't hurt and I just went and got a bunch of garden netting and put over the top. So far so good! I hope yours works out too SillySilkyMom!

 

[SillySilkyMom]

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What are you using to electrify the fence? Battery, household current, or solar? I'm still in the research phase. The fencing itself is not too expensive but the accessories are a bit pricy. Just trying to get the biggest bang (or should we say jolt?

) for the buck.

 

[priss]

A big battery that we can recharge in the house. We haven't had it long enough for it to need to recharge yet. Sometimes the jolt is a biggee and sometimes it's only small. We only have fox issues here, looks like the first few jolts have been enough. I have no idea though if you need to keep rotten coyotes away...

 

[WadeMD]

I bought a solar unit for mine as well as 165' of the 4' netting (graded so the gaps at the bottom are small and get larger as it goes up). It is alternated + / - in the wires to prevent climbers. That will be outside of a standard 1"x2" welded wire fence. Which will sit on top of a hardware cloth anti-dig barrier.

I don't plan on having the racoons, skunks or foxes get into my run! The idea is that I won't have to lock the birds up each night in their shelter, it can remain open and their pen will be secure. At least once they are adults.

 

[goosedragon]

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Wade, I suspect you already know so this addition is more for readers. You need to get in the habit of checking the battery that your solar unit is charging, some of the solar units are boarderline and won't keep the battery up during a extended rainy period. you also need to check the wires often (i did it daily) to be sure that they are still live and have not shorted out. BTW if one of your sets of wires are connected to a true earth ground (some are, others not) you can train preditors to avoid the fence by baiting the non earth wires where the bait is in easy reach. Usually two good zaps are enough to convince them to stay away. (I learned this trick from people that use electric fence to protect their gardens from deer.WITH THE POWER OFF they would put alum. foil with peanut butter on their live wires, and turn the power back on. When the deer would sniff or lick it they would get zapped and learn to stay away.