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.
