Keeping dogs away

[Howard E]

Christy:

An electric fence is the solution you are looking for. It is the very best defense you have against your neighbor's dogs.

My neighbors dog wears a muzzle when it is out and about, so has a history of being a bit mean. First day it spotted my birds, it headed straight for them....hit the fence, left with it's tail tucked between its legs and has never been back. About a month ago, I spotted it out in the yard with it's owner........birds were no more than about 50 yards away, running around in the open in full view. Dog was laying on the ground and didn't even look up.

 

[christy campbell]

Christy:

An electric fence is the solution you are looking for. It is the very best defense you have against your neighbor's dogs.

My neighbors dog wears a muzzle when it is out and about, so has a history of being a bit mean. First day it spotted my birds, it headed straight for them....hit the fence, left with it's tail tucked between its legs and has never been back. About a month ago, I spotted it out in the yard with it's owner........birds were no more than about 50 yards away, running around in the open in full view. Dog was laying on the ground and didn't even look up.

 

[christy campbell]

Thats what im gona do lol id like to have seen that dog with its tail between its legs i luv dogs but not when they r tryn to hurt my birds ibwill go to lowes n get me electric fence thanks

 

[Howard E]

Depending on the size of area you want to keep them out of.....maybe not Lowes......maybe a farm and home place like Tractor Supply? They will have a special section of just what you need.

 

[christy campbell]

Depending on the size of area you want to keep them out of.....maybe not Lowes......maybe a farm and home place like Tractor Supply? They will have a special section of just what you need.

130 feet what i need all around would cover it can u suggest a good brand to get ive never had to do this but im not going to let something happwn to my babys thank you ☺

 

[christy campbell]

I go to tractor supply all the time to buy feed i want a good brand thats going to work should i get battery or plug in style ???? I want to make sure them dogs no what hits them and what voltage thank u fer helping me

 

[christy campbell]

I love backyard chickens i finally found a place were i belong

 

[Howard E]

Christy:

There are two types of fences you can use. One is the poultry netting, which some farm and home stores now carry. But basic idea is this:

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

Buy the netting and set it up. Buy the fence charger and attach it, and problem solved. This is the most bomb proof option. Few who use the netting ever suffer losses from ground based predators.

But those tend to be expensive for the area you get covered and can be a pain to maintain, as the grass and cover beneath them has to be kept clear, else the fence shorts out and no longer shocks. The netting fences are also intended to be more or less movable, so temporary. Some use them year round, but not sure about the life of them if you do.

I have two types of poultry netting, but actually prefer to use a 4 wire system like this.......



This is assembled from components from a place like TSC. A fence like this may not look like it would work, but does. It keeps the chickens in and predators out. Forms a line that nobody wants to cross. Most predators, including dogs, try to crawl under or through it and get themselves zapped in the process. Works very similar to this:

So basic components of this are:

Fence charger: Most any brand will do. Some may be rated in joules......some may be rated as to miles of fence it will charge. Size you are looking for will be around 1 joule or 10 miles of fence. That should do it. AC powered ones can have some issues, but are the cheapest and work most of the time. Goal is to have fence charged up to at least 7,000 volts most of the time. Not many will want a second dose of that. That is how you get them to leave with their tail tucked between their legs.

Wire: I use 17 gauge aluminum wire. Easy to work with and will turn corners easy. One 1/4 mile spool will fence in almost 100' square with 4 wires. You can use poly tape or poly rope instead, but I prefer the wire. More durable and carries a charge better. Works the same way.

Steel T posts on the corners. Set them pretty deep and lean them away from the angle of the pull. You need the donut insulators to turn the corners. You can use the same type of wire to install the donuts.

I like the white step in posts to hold the wires up. I space them about every 20 to 25 feet. Because I'm working against other varmints too, like coons, possums, skunks, etc, I use the bottom 4 points on these posts. That puts the bottom wire about 5 inches or so off the deck. If your ground is uneven, you may need to space more of the white posts on the humps and use more steel T posts with clip on insulators on any severe dips. If you leave a gap varmits can crawl under without getting zapped, they will find and use it.

Lastly, if this is a bigger area, I like to use the ratchet tension devices to tighten the fence to take any sag out of it. These work well and are not expensive.

That is about it. After that, only issue with this (and all other fences) is to keep weeds, grass and brush away from it. I like to mow up one side and down the other to keep things short. You can weed eat under it or if a large area, use chemicals. Roundup if you don't mind that, or vinegar, salt and dish soap if you do.

 

[Howard E]

BTW, this is how I handle the dips. Set a T post in the bottom of it, use the clip on insulators upside down, so they are holding the wire down vs. up. Use the white step in posts on the edge of the dip. Done right, and you can follow some pretty severe terrain. If it is really severe, like a ditch, you can hang a loop of wire or even an empty beer can attached to a wire. Goal is varmints can't get past it without brushing up against it. They only need to touch it.



Below are the ratchets used to tension the fence. Set them on the corners like these are, or somewhere in the line. A really large area may need a couple sets of these. They cost about $3 each. Remarkably cheap in my mind for what they accomplish.

 

[christy campbell]

Christy:

There are two types of fences you can use. One is the poultry netting, which some farm and home stores now carry. But basic idea is this:

https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

Buy the netting and set it up. Buy the fence charger and attach it, and problem solved. This is the most bomb proof option. Few who use the netting ever suffer losses from ground based predators.

But those tend to be expensive for the area you get covered and can be a pain to maintain, as the grass and cover beneath them has to be kept clear, else the fence shorts out and no longer shocks. The netting fences are also intended to be more or less movable, so temporary. Some use them year round, but not sure about the life of them if you do.

I have two types of poultry netting, but actually prefer to use a 4 wire system like this.......

View attachment 1167455

This is assembled from components from a place like TSC. A fence like this may not look like it would work, but does. It keeps the chickens in and predators out. Forms a line that nobody wants to cross. Most predators, including dogs, try to crawl under or through it and get themselves zapped in the process. Works very similar to this:

So basic components of this are:

Fence charger: Most any brand will do. Some may be rated in joules......some may be rated as to miles of fence it will charge. Size you are looking for will be around 1 joule or 10 miles of fence. That should do it. AC powered ones can have some issues, but are the cheapest and work most of the time. Goal is to have fence charged up to at least 7,000 volts most of the time. Not many will want a second dose of that. That is how you get them to leave with their tail tucked between their legs.

Wire: I use 17 gauge aluminum wire. Easy to work with and will turn corners easy. One 1/4 mile spool will fence in almost 100' square with 4 wires. You can use poly tape or poly rope instead, but I prefer the wire. More durable and carries a charge better. Works the same way.

Steel T posts on the corners. Set them pretty deep and lean them away from the angle of the pull. You need the donut insulators to turn the corners. You can use the same type of wire to install the donuts.

I like the white step in posts to hold the wires up. I space them about every 20 to 25 feet. Because I'm working against other varmints too, like coons, possums, skunks, etc, I use the bottom 4 points on these posts. That puts the bottom wire about 5 inches or so off the deck. If your ground is uneven, you may need to space more of the white posts on the humps and use more steel T posts with clip on insulators on any severe dips. If you leave a gap varmits can crawl under without getting zapped, they will find and use it.

Lastly, if this is a bigger area, I like to use the ratchet tension devices to tighten the fence to take any sag out of it. These work well and are not expensive.

That is about it. After that, only issue with this (and all other fences) is to keep weeds, grass and brush away from it. I like to mow up one side and down the other to keep things short. You can weed eat under it or if a large area, use chemicals. Roundup if you don't mind that, or vinegar, salt and dish soap if you do.