Looking for a way to let mine free range in the woods - electric poultry netting?

[Scatterknit]

Hi all. My property is heavily wooded. Right now the girls have a coop inside a chain link dog run with a tarp roof but it looks terrible and I'd like to let them have more space.

I have a relatively open space to put them but there are still trees that would overhang, and a few that would be inside the perimeter. Does electric poultry netting work in a wooded area?

Does anyone have any other ideas for a chicken run in and around trees?

Thanks in advance!!

Leslie

 

[Genevajones]

We have a heavily wooded area as well but our girls free range. Thusfar we haven't had any trouble with predators. Ironically the only thing that's ever gotten one of our girls was a hawk when they went in the open yard and my neighbor's dogs.

They are quite happy and healthy and find all kinds of good things to eat.

That being said, due to crazy stunt deer getting into our open coop repeatedly and then freaking out and jumping THROUGH it, we are considering doing a solar electric fence. And from the info I've gotten, I see absolutely no reason you couldn't use it for a wooded area. Of course you night need to use a plug in unit instead of solar if you don't get enough sun.

Good luck!!! Tractor Supply has all of the supplies right now and at least at my TSC, they were very helpful.

Jenn

 

[Scatterknit]

Thanks Jenn! That's good to know! I love a good trip to Tractor Supply!
This is me, running through my local store. They hate it when they see me coming.

Does anyone know if leaves or pinestraw catching on the fence "grounds" it out? Or anything else I need to know for maintenance?

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Yes, I have 4 poultry nets from Premier chained together, enclosing about an acre. Coupled with a heavy duty energizer and the net will deliver a 7000 volt shock. Our property is heavily wooded and the only thing you have to consider is tree limbs falling on the netting and shorting it out. It is great for the summer. I disconnected it for the winter and kept the girls inside their covered runs, for most of the winter when we have snow they dont come out of the coop anyway.

I decided to get an electric fence when I saw a bear nosing about the chicken coop. He didn't do anything but I didn't want him to get ideas either.

 

[JackE]

I have 650' of Premier's electrified net/fence. I would think you would be fine with the netting in the woods. BUT, make sure you don't make any easy climb and jump over points, with the netting running between close trees. Because eventually, some, "Not your average bear" animal will figure it out, and climb and jump over your fence, using those trees. I had a big tree blow down, here, right across my fence. The fence survived. Just had to chain saw and remove the tree, and stand the fence back up. But, there was this remaining stump from the fallen tree, sticking up about seven or eight feet away from the fence line. I come out one morning, and there was my old friend, Mr. Fox, sitting on that stump, looking into the chicken yard. He was right there, level with the top of the fence. I think he could have made that jump. He may not have got out of the yard after he got in, but OH the damage he could have caused. I got out the chainsaw and cut that stump way back.

 

[Scatterknit]

Thanks! That's good to know about the limbs.

Rookie question - if something shorts it out is it ruined? Do I have to replace and buy new or just reconnect something? Just want to know what I'm getting into $$$ wise.

If anyone has a primer on what I need to know and what I need to buy before I go to Tractor Supply, please let me know. I don't want them realizing that I'm dumber than they thought.

 

[JackE]

Thanks! That's good to know about the limbs.

Rookie question - if something shorts it out is it ruined? Do I have to replace and buy new or just reconnect something? Just want to know what I'm getting into $$$ wise.

If anyone has a primer on what I need to know and what I need to buy before I go to Tractor Supply, please let me know. I don't want them realizing that I'm dumber than they thought.

I don't think TractorSupply has poultry netting. At least the ones around here don't. I bought my fence directly from Premier. Free shipping with orders over $100. High grass will ground and weaken the fence's charge, as will snow. Doesn't damage anything, just takes away from it's effectiveness. I keep my fence's perimeter clear with Roundup. It gets old pulling up and moving the fence to mow.

 

[Scatterknit]

I have 650' of Premier's electrified net/fence. I would think you would be fine with the netting in the woods. BUT, make sure you don't make any easy climb and jump over points, with the netting running between close trees. Because eventually, some, "Not your average bear" animal will figure it out, and climb and jump over your fence, using those trees. I had a big tree blow down, here, right across my fence. The fence survived. Just had to chain saw and remove the tree, and stand the fence back up. But, there was this remaining stump from the fallen tree, sticking up about seven or eight feet away from the fence line. I come out one morning, and there was my old friend, Mr. Fox, sitting on that stump, looking into the chicken yard. He was right there, level with the top of the fence. I think he could have made that jump. He may not have got out of the yard after he got in, but OH the damage he could have caused. I got out the chainsaw and cut that stump way back.

Thank you Jack! That's a good tip - I guess the good thing about this netting is that you can make the fence any shape you want and steer it away from problems.

I also haven't figured out what I'm going to do to about hawks, eagles and owls. We have a gorgeous bald eagle that likes to fish on our lake. I expect he's going to realize there's a new take-out Chicken Restaurant in town so I'm going to have to figure out how to keep predators from landing in the trees and then dive-bombing for dinner.

We live in predator central (Georgia farm country) and the coyotes are awful. This run is going to be behind my house in a section of our farm that's blocked off by chain link, wire cattle fencing/barbed wire and a big lake so I'm hoping I can keep the coyotes out of there.

We even had a bobcat but the neighbor got rid of it when it attacked his dog. I'm hoping he didn't have any friends.

Oh the joys of country life!!!

 

[ChicknCommander]

I would of blasted that bear

 

[fiddlebanshee]

I would of blasted that bear

That would have been both illegal and unnecessary. The bear was not bothering anyone, it was just curious and I prevented that it would become a problem by putting up the electro net, which also, by the way stopped a fox, who we have never seen again.