Hot Wire Users... An experiment... are you up for it?

[feedstorechick]

I've got the Premier One poultry net fence and a Patriot PS 15 energizer with the solar panel. It works great for me. That energizer will turn back dogs, livestock, and predators.

The only problem I ever had was a raccoon who found a dip in the ground level and slid under the fence. I use plastic tent stakes to pull down the bottom (not hot) strand to fill in any gaps and haven't had a coon get in since.

If you have sagging or need to make a corner, you can use those step in plastic posts for electric fence to add more support to the built in posts.

Small bantams and chicks can run through the netting, so they have pens on the ground inside the fencing until they get bigger.

Guineas will fly right over it, but the chickens stay put.

The netting is portable and my coop is built on wheels so I can move it when they trample down all the grass. It takes two of us about 45 minutes to move the whole setup, and that includes mowing a strip for the new fence line.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

We have Welsummer (who have flown into the rafters of our pole shed but not over the fence), Ameraucanas, Sussex and Delawares. All stay within the 42" high electronet (see pic in feedstorechick's post, we have a similar set up). I do believe they need to be "trained" to the fence. I believe if I brought in a bunch of adult bantys or leghorns they would fly right over and teach the others to do so.

I guess I feel the original though of strands of electric wire might work if you started with young birds and were consistent with the appearance and voltage. I would not bank on it, as I also need predator protection with the chicken containment.

 

[mdbokc]

With all due respect, whoever wrote that "respectable" book that claims a single wire keeps chickens in, likely never had chickens stay alive very long.

 

[gsim]

I only have large egg layers. No escapees over my 6 ft fence, and I have 4 ft cross-fence inside of run to keep chooks off of new grass sowed in this Oct. They have not flown over it to get in to the new grass, but stare longingly into it all of the time. I let them in one day and could see that they would tear it out if I left them in there, so I coaxed them out with treats. They loved it whole there, but still have not tried to get in to it again. In spite of that, I know for sure that some of them could go right over it. I had my runt barred rock jump to the top of a 5 ft wire fence trying to ger OUT of my garden , and she perched up there until I came and got her down. (She has a bad leg)

She may be retarded too. Who ever heard of a chook wanting OUT of a working garden that bad?

I think it comes down to whether they WANT in or out bad enough. My run is large and has a large dust bath, 3 shade trees, and 3 perches so they are content. I throw live greens in there every single day too. They are never on store-bought feed only. That could make a difference. The 6 ft fence doesn't hurt either.

Mine often go out in the rain and spend a lot of time in it, and get really wet. (run has 5:1 slope and never mucky) I would hate to think of the jolt they would get in that condition from any type of charger.