Hoping for some tips from any electric fence pros!

[VA Lady]

New to chickens and after losing one of our 4 pullets to a raccoon we've added an electric fence around the coop. I'm hoping we've got it pretty much there now but I still have a few things I'm unsure about and would love it if anyone has some thoughts/answers... First, there are 4 wires to the fence and it's approx. 21 inches high with the bottom wire around 4-5 inches from the ground. I'm wondering if that should be high enough for any predator that might come along (raccoon, possum, bobcat, coyote, dog)? Next I'm concerned about some small trees nearby. Should I be worried about something climbing and then jumping from a tree, over the fence and into the coop? I'll add some pics below of the set up - if anyone has any other thoughts to offer it would be appreciated - thanks!

 

[Tala]

I'm not sure, but I think you will probably need a higher powered fence charger.

How many ground stakes do you have and how deep? How dry/sandy is your soil?? The better ground, the better the shock

 

[happyhensny]

That looks great. We just lost 34 birds in 1 night to at least 2 coons that we saw. Zap fence is in the budget for this summer. Let me know if you have any issues or especially like specific points about your set-up. Thanks!

 

[magistradomina]

I am no expert on electric fencing but you might be worried about hawks etc. if there are any around your area.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
it looks like the chickens stay in the enclosed tractor part of the setup, right?

 

[VA Lady]

Quote:
it looks like the chickens stay in the enclosed tractor part of the setup, right?

As of right now they stay in the enclosed part unless I'm out with them keeping watch. I try to let them out to run around a couple times a day. I'm hoping once they're grown they'll be big enough to be a little safer from the hawks...

 

[VA Lady]

Quote:
We checked it with an electric fence tester and it went right to the highest reading (5,000). We have a low voltage light on it that blinks if the power isn't high enough too (no problems yet but thought it would be a good safety/back-up). Right now we have one 6 ft rod for the ground and had a couple others but with the readings we were getting didn't use them yet (the ground, particularly in the shady area where the coop is located, is pretty moist clay).

 

[wannabe_goatmom]

Is the coop pretty secure when you aren't out there? Raccoons can and will dig under an electric fence. They got all 45 of my neighbors chickens. He was unlucky enough to get pics on his game cam

 

[VA Lady]

Quote:
I think we have it pretty secure now. There's hardware cloth buried and attached to the frame it's on and that's attached to the coop. The coop is sturdy and screwed tight with extra latches on all the doors. I don't think a raccoon could get into it right now but they were going up to it and trying to get in and upsetting the chickens so hopefully the fence will have them keeping their distance at night. If someone figures out to dig under it I guess we'll need to bury hardware cloth around it too. I am worried though about something that would be strong enough to break the coop apart... What are the odds of a bobcat or coyote either jumping the fence when it's on at night (or during the day when it's off) and destroying the coop? Also, does anyone find the need to keep their fence on all the time? Sorry for all the questions - I'm trying to make sure we do right by the girls!

 

[carolinasculpture]

Hi! We just got the same fence to persuade the neighborhood dog and the random stray that they don't need to bother trying to get into the coop/run set up we have at present. Will let you know if we learn anything!