Losing Chickens With Electric Fence

[DyingPhoenix]

Only time will tell I guess. The cam will be out every night!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Some vermin have a thick coat of hair or else fur and depending on the weather or else the power of the fence charger this fur or hair acts like an insulator to keep the target of the fence isolated from the shock. Using barbed wire is a good way to help with this because the barbs on barbed stick out and thus may get the fence wire closer to the target of the fence while enhancing the electric potential of the fence charger with a more robust wire.

I have a long history with GHOs going back to the 1950s and for the life of me I can not imagine a GHO dragging a chicken underneath a structure from which the GHO could not make a speedy retreat.

 

[123RedBeard]

I hope you can figure out what is getting your chickens, and how to defeat it! I think it more than likely was the owl (s)

Here is a little constructive criticism ... on your fence ... I think if you could at a very minumum pull the tops of the corner T-posts in, and securely brace them to the wooden posts, then you can pull/stretch the hot wire tight and straight.

Better yet, the T-posts will bend some, I would also get the ground wet, and take a 8-10 pound sledge hammer, and drive the base over closer to the wooden posts, even only an inch would help, then pound a rock in the gap you created in the dirt/ground.

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I really doubt that a critter would be able to "learn" that only a few wires were full power "hot" ... and to step over them while climbing ... one zap, and they don't usually try a second time!

I also doubt that a critter was able to get around or through the hot wires three nights, without getting zapped! Even with fur as an insulator, not likely it would be so lucky to miss all the wires, on multiple nights.

While a cat may have been able to jump over the whole fence, clearing it in a single bound, most critters will first checkout the fence with their nose ... and would have been zapped, and would in the future give a very wide berth to the fence.

 

[happyfrenchman]

If you have any carcass left, (you had two if I understood correctly), put the other one out and tie it down in front of the camera. You will get your owl pictures.

 

[DyingPhoenix]

Well, crap. I just got up this morning and checked my setup. Last night I tied a carcass by the leg and left the cam on it. Nothing touched it and no pics. Will keep trying.

 

[centrarchid]

I know that story. If raccoon, then it could have been zapped on way out making return trip less likely.

 

[DyingPhoenix]

Update.

No bait was taken so I could get cam pics. So tonight I left the bedroom window open and didn't stuff all the birds in the coop. Live bait is best I suppose, and I'm an extremely light sleeper. I heard a commotion just now and ran out in the rain.

It's an owl... A great horned owl. And it actually punched through the netting, ripping a hole along the edge and was momentarily trapped before it ripped it's way back out! I ran in there and could only stand there hiding my face as it thrashed around over my head and then was gone.

I checked everyone and no one is hurt, but now they are shoved back inside and locked up. They are plenty old enough to go roost and a few do but most still insist on sleeping outside in a pile. Carrying each one to the coop every single night sure is a chore when you have over 30 to do it for, which is the reason they started getting picked off in the first place.

Now.. I'm not sure what to do about the netting. I'm thinking I will double or triple it. What I'm currently using is deer netting.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Ooh. At least you know now. So, it had not ripped through the netting before?
My chickens are in a run with aviary netting over the top. But, I don't think my run is big enough for an owl to swoop in. Unless they don't care about space? My chickens go into their coop every night though.

 

[happyfrenchman]

Wow.... what a great tale...... great job in getting an answer. live bait is always the best I guess....I imagine Mr. GHO did not enjoy it's experience with the netting.... and then you showing up.....

 

[DyingPhoenix]

Ooh. At least you know now. So, it had not ripped through the netting before?

The run wasn't covered before I just put the netting over it after I suspected it could be an owl. And no, he seemed very angry to be interrupted lol.

I've seen what a great horned owl can do to a person. Years ago fishing with my dad as a kid there was one stuck in fishing line on a stump out over the water. Dad swam out and threw his shirt over it and carried it back to shore. There was another guy that was fishing near us and as they tried to get the line off it's feet, the owl's head came uncovered and it latched on to the guy's arm with its beak. It was like those old B movie horror scenes only it was real.

That's all I could think about as it was thrashing around all over right above me in my underwear standing in the mud and rain with sandals on LOL. It was probably horrified at the sight!

Now, after that experience, I would hope it won't come back but it probably has fuzzy little baby owls to feed so I gotta beef up the top of the run. I think I'm going to try more netting first and if I have any more episodes, I'm going to use wire instead.