"Invisible Fence" for chickens

[momileigh]

I need to keep my chickens out of my neighbor's yard. We have an "invisible fence" for our dog (not that brand name, but same thing, buried cable around the property, he wears a collar that shocks him if he tries to leave the yard). If I got very small collars for the chickens (the kind used for cats or chihuahuas), do you think that would work to keep them in our yard?

Please keep in mind that I recognize that if this works it still will not keep predators away from them.

The collars are expensive but I'm desperate. I've got unfenceable property and we're addicted to 100% foraging chicken eggs. Google has revealed nothing to me about anyone trying this, successfully or otherwise.

 

[aoxa]

No. That would not work. Why is it unfencable? I took green fencing and stapled it up all along my property. It need not be straight. I stapled it to trees.

Here is my property line. The fence is invisible since it's green and is in the little woods there. It wouldn't work for chickens because 1) the current would probably be too strong 2) they wouldn't understand the meaning of it. 3) You can't do it to cats, so I doubt you can do it to chickens.

 

[momileigh]

Why don't your chickens fly/hop over the fence? What about your driveway, do you use a gate across it? Tall enough that your chickens can't get over it?

I think that if a 3-lb chihuahua can handle the shock with no safety issues, a chicken could too. And they *do* work for cats, they sell cat collars for this system.

I do worry about the chickens not being smart enough to figure it out. My dog figured it out very quickly, but I've heard conflicting reports about the intelligence of chickens. I've seen plenty of references to actual electrified wire being used to contain chickens; seems this would be approx. the same. Maybe if we also put a visual aid like a string around the boundary until they learned, the way you do with dogs?

 

[aoxa]

Why don't your chickens fly/hop over the fence?  What about your driveway, do you use a gate across it?  Tall enough that your chickens can't get over it?  


I think that if a 3-lb chihuahua can handle the shock with no safety issues, a chicken could too.  And they *do* work for cats, they sell cat collars for this system.  

I do worry about the chickens not being smart enough to figure it out.  My dog figured it out very quickly, but I've heard conflicting reports about the intelligence of chickens.  I've seen plenty of references to actual electrified wire being used to contain chickens; seems this would be approx. the same.  Maybe if we also put a visual aid like a string around the boundary until they learned, the way  you do with dogs?  

Usually they use electric fencing to keep predators out, not so much chickens in.

Mine don't jump the fence if they can't land on anything before hopping it. One of my roosters goes around. Only one. I have 150 chickens.

They don't go on the road. Don't ask me why, they just don't.. They seem to know that nothing yummy grows on pavement.

Cats will stay in? I can't imagine. I have an existing underground fence, but it goes unused.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Usually they use electric fencing to keep predators out, not so much chickens in.
Mine don't jump the fence if they can't land on anything before hopping it. One of my roosters goes around. Only one. I have 150 chickens.
They don't go on the road. Don't ask me why, they just don't.. They seem to know that nothing yummy grows on pavement.
Cats will stay in? I can't imagine. I have an existing underground fence, but it goes unused.

How do you trick them into thinking they can't land on the fence. I have that same green meshy fence and 2 of my leghorns just laugh at my efforts. They land right on the mesh.

SO jealous of your yard. Space? Real trees? These are my dreams. I love that you stapled the fence to the trees. That is totally my style.

 

[momileigh]

I went out and looked at my yard again, and there's just no way to fence it. Way too much space between trees, terrain very uneven, lots of brush underfoot. Even the cheapest fencing material would cost a fortune to cover this much footage, and I'm sure the cheapest would not stay put for long with the deer jumping over it. I could dump thousands of dollars into trying to fence it, and then I think my birds would just go right over it. Either this shock collar thing has to work, or I'm going to have to end up building them a small run and say goodbye to foraged eggs. :-(

 

[aoxa]

How do you trick them into thinking they can't land on the fence. I have that same green meshy fence and 2 of my leghorns just laugh at my efforts. They land right on the mesh.

SO jealous of your yard. Space? Real trees? These are my dreams. I love that you stapled the fence to the trees. That is totally my style.

I don't teach them, they just know. If you ever watch a hen jump a fence, you'll see her land first before going over. Mine know there is nothing to land on, because I've never owned a fence that did.

Some of the chicks land on the mesh that I cut around the silkie pen. I don't care if they get out of that. They have never bothered to go over the fence to the neighbour's yard Except Gigi. He's like "Heck yes french fries!" They feed him leftovers. Hope he doesn't tell the others to just go AROUND the fence

And stapling it to the trees was the best idea ever Saved us so much in labour. Have you ever hammered in fence posts? Spare me.. Lol We can't handle that. The fence goes for 250 feet. We spent roughly $200 to do the fence line.

And thanks! I love my yard, and they love it to

 

[aoxa]

I went out and looked at my yard again, and there's just no way to fence it.  Way too much space between trees, terrain very uneven, lots of brush underfoot.  Even the cheapest fencing material would cost a fortune to cover this much footage, and I'm sure the cheapest would not stay put for long with the deer jumping over it.  I could dump thousands of dollars into trying to fence it, and then I think my birds would just go right over it.  Either this shock collar thing has to work, or I'm going to have to end up building them a small run and say goodbye to foraged eggs.  :-(

You should build them two runs and rotate so you always have grass. That way you do have eggs from foraging hens.

That's all I can suggest if you can't fence in the yard, or if you can't speak with the neighbour.. Are you sure they mind? I thought mine would, but they loved the chickens coming over.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I went out and looked at my yard again, and there's just no way to fence it. Way too much space between trees, terrain very uneven, lots of brush underfoot. Even the cheapest fencing material would cost a fortune to cover this much footage, and I'm sure the cheapest would not stay put for long with the deer jumping over it. I could dump thousands of dollars into trying to fence it, and then I think my birds would just go right over it. Either this shock collar thing has to work, or I'm going to have to end up building them a small run and say goodbye to foraged eggs. :-(

Chicken tractors? It is sort just control free ranging.

 

[lokua]

If you can afford a whole bunch of shock collars a few rolls of chicken wire and a bunch of posts should be no problem. Even better would be a portable electric fence to move around periodically. That would offer some predator protection at least. My birdhave never gone more than 500 feet from the coop. I worry much more about a random animal coming into the yard then the birds "running away".