How do you bait an electric fence?

[Finnie]

I’ve read some discussion lately about baiting hot wires and electric fences to make sure the predators get a good zap to teach them to stay away. I’d like to know some details on where to apply the bait. I’m planning to use bits of foil with hamburger or bacon grease on them. Do I need to make hundreds of little greasy foil bits and put them all over everywhere? Or is it as simple as a couple dabs per each side of the fence?

My husband seems to think I don’t need many, because whatever comes around will smell the grease and be lured to wherever I put it. So maybe I should space them 10-20 feet apart?

I want to put some of it down at chicken and duck beak height, so they will learn to stay on their side of it. They used to respect the fence without it being baited, but after a few years, the fence sustained some damage and then the birds started walking between the wires and ranging farther and farther afield. Now that I have repaired the fence, I want to retrain them to stay inside it. (It is 5 strands of hot wire on T-posts and step-in posts.

I also want to bait it at coyote, fox and dog nose height. I know all of those could just jump right over it, but I am hoping to bait them and shock them into running away before they figure out to jump over.

Do those of you who bait fences have to constantly renew the bait? How often? Thank you to anyone who can give me some pointers on how to go about the baiting process.

 

[cmom]

I have never baited my wires. The predators know the hot wires are there. Most predators first explore with their noses. I have heard a few over the many years I have had my wires up test them. I think the adults teach their young that a bird isn't worth getting zapped for.

 

[cmom]

My fencing is all grounded so if anything touches the electric wires and the fence they will know it. My wires are 10,000+ volts. At least 7000 volts is adequate for most predators. I do test them with a fence tester every day. I also have all of my pens covered with good heavy duty netting. So far no issues and it's been up for many years.

 

[Finnie]

Do those of you who bait fences have to constantly renew the bait? How often? Thank you to anyone who can give me some pointers on how to go about the baiting process.

It’s been a couple weeks. Nobody out there that has baited a fence? What about you, @Howard E ?

I did learn one thing from Google. One person uses peanut butter on foil (I think they were excluding deer from their garden with electric fence.) They said the wind would blow the foils along the wire to the t posts, and then the foil would hit the metal post and ground out the charge. So they were securing the foils in place. It looked like a lot of work. That’s why I’ve been procrastinating it. I’m just not sure if a few per side will do, or if I need to put on a ton of them.

 

[cmom]

As I mentioned previously, I don't nor have I ever baited my electric wires. There has been a predator test them now and then and I guarantee once they do they don't test them again. That's why I put them up so they will get zapped if they try to get to my birds. Lesson learned hopefully.

 

[Finnie]

As I mentioned previously, I don't nor have I ever baited my electric wires. There has been a predator test them now and then and I guarantee once they do they don't test them again. That's why I put them up so they will get zapped if they try to get to my birds. Lesson learned hopefully.

I know you don’t bait yours. So far, I haven’t baited mine either. But I’m interested in learning how to do it. I know for a fact that foxes and/or coyotes have jumped right over mine without touching it. (Tracks in the snow.) I think in my case it would help if I could get these foxes and coyotes to walk up to it, sniff it and get zapped. It might not work, but I feel like it’s worth a try.

 

[cmom]

It will be interesting to see what others do. I'm curious too. They can't jump over my fences because I have good heavy duty netting covering the pens to protect the birds from aerial predators. I see plenty of predators on my game cameras. Good luck...

 

[avjudge]

I haven't gotten around to doing this for my poultry net, but I have baited my horse/llama fence. My fences are electric rope (mostly rope with small embedded wire) so I baited it at the gate where I make gate loops & connectors of solid 14 gauge steel wire so the bait would be sure to have a good electrical connection to the fence.

I used cat food cans (3 or 6 ounces) but tuna etc would work the same - open with a can opener (don't pull the tab) leaving a 1" or so hinge, then use the food but don't wash the can. Bend the sticking-up lid in half and loop it over the wire. Stinky cat/dog food or tuna will attract carnivores, and if you did it right so there's good contact then the whole can is "hot" (you can use your fence tester to confirm that).

I can't say anything about the wildlife, but I saw a definite change in behavior in our dog - after I did this he would not try to go through the 5-strand fence at all!

I got the idea of using cans from the Wellscroft fence people, but decided there was no need to waste the can contents when the empty can was plenty stinky: "6) Bait: Wellscroft highly recommends baiting the fence. Before turning on the fence, hang a partially opened tuna can from the top conductive strand where it intersects a post (to support the weight of the can). Be sure to punch a couple holes in the bottom of the can to allow water to drain. If necessary, place an additional bait cup at an appropriate height for your predators."
https://www.wellscroft.com/support-center/product-support/instructions

Oh, and I didn't do the top strand on my llama fence - I did maybe a foot or 18" from the ground as I was trying to discourage coyotes. I'd bait the top of fence when doing the poultry fence, though, for the bears - and still bait low for the foxes.

 

[Painted Calls]

I've heard of some people hanging strips of bacon on them.

 

[cmom]

Good idea. Now I recall there is a post somewhere on BYC where the OP used canned fish or cat food and hung the can by the lid on their electric wires so that the can would be hot.