Help with electric fencing?

[priss]

Hello guys,
More advice needed if it's okay. We are looking to redo the duck run in anticipation of the evil foxes coming out in force this spring. Foxes and hawks are the only predators we get round here. My husband has seen some electric fencing net that takes our entire run budget. All they have at the moment is chicken wire. Would you guys recommend electric fencing? Will it keep everthing out? At night they are locked up in their hut. Would they be okay with just the electric fencing and not additional fencing? Aaand my three ducks are a little bit thick, will they fry themselves?
Thank yoooou for any help. I don't want to blow our budget on something that a fox could potentially get through. I know we'll need some kind of top net for the hawks.
Here is the netting he wants:

http://www.hotline-fencing.co.uk/catalogue/line.aspx?lne_id=23194bf6-afe3-4966-adb1-9bfdcb575710

Any advice at all on previous experience with this kind of thing would be great. Has anything gotten through? I looked it up in the history of the forum but am not sure about the netting v the fencing. It seems fencing can be hit or miss but I was hoping the netting would do the trick.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Doog says thank you for any help that can keep him safe.

 

[ranchhand]

Hi priss!

I've never tried that type of fencing, but a friend in Scotland has. I will send her the link to this thread, perhaps she will have better advice.


ETA, LOVE the pic of Doog!

 

[WadeMD]

I am planning on running a solar powered electric fence around my duck run as well (we have racoons, foxes, coyotes, skunks...) which is about 14'x24' in size. You can set up one that runs on batteries for cheaper than the solar option (or even a/c powered from the house if close enough). They aren't too difficult to install.

As for hawks, I am going to be running wire across the open top of the run in 2' spacing, creating a grid. That way it will not be unsightly, but will keep out any flying predators (hawks and owls both). Its a trick used in many places that seems to work, so long as the spacing isn't too wide. It is also cheap.

My biggest concern is the groundhog that just woke up from hibernation in the back yard. It might destroy my garden!

 

[Highlander]

I have it and it seems to work very well. I can only speak for keeping out dogs and foxes however as we don't have raccoons and possums here. One piece of advice I can give you is if you are buying the type that needs a battery rather than running off the mains, get two batteries so you can have one on while the other is charging and vice versa. I unplugged mine to charge it and that very day I lost over 20 birds to a fox. So clearly it does the job when it is working! The only other problem we have had with it is we have had deer run into it from time to time and can't get out. They make a mess of it and it needs to be repaired. Other than that I would highly recommend it. Good luck!

 

[priss]

Goundhog? Cuuuute!
I would love to know how this netting does up in Scotland. Thank you.
Good point about wiring the top. I will take that into account. I've only ever seen a bird of prey once but once is all it'll take right? Those birds are not having my Doog!

 

[priss]

Twenty birds. Ohh I'm sorry about that, how awful. I'll tell the husband we'll need two batteries. We live in a little village. There are no deer here! Our back garden is enclosed by other people's gardens on all three sides. It's just the fox grrrrrr. The ducks don't run into the netting though do they? I worry about mine not being so smart.

 

[Dances with Ducks]

We use electric around our pen and it has stopped the foxes and raccoons. The fox won't come in our yard anymore but the raccoon still do come in the part that is farthest from the duck pen. It is a different set up though than what you are looking at, just three lenths of wires with ground wires between strung above a slatted fence so the duck don't touch it. I don't know if I need to worry about the ducks toughing it but I did worry so we arranged this set up. The slatted fence also keeps the ducks in the pen since the wires wouldn't have done that. How high does the fence you are looking at go? You also need to consider digging.
I have also put up fish lines in a similiar configuration as WadeMD described to stop hawks.
You might be able to make out a bit of it in this photo.

 

[priss]

That picture gives me a good idea of how well the electric works. Thank you for that. We'll have to dig down and put bricks out to stop them going under. I can just make out something little and feathery in your picture too, very cute!

 

[Highlander]

Quote:
they will do it once or twice, but they learn pretty quickly not to go near it - the chickens did anyway. It won't harm them, they just don't like it.

 

[priss]

Okay so the electric netting company are saying that ducks won't get shocked by it. Only predators. Can we believe them?