Most secure run?

[blucoondawg]

Wire will contain chickens well enough if it is multiple wire with a close spacing. That netting won't contain chickens well either should they decide to fly over it. I've found chickens given a large area to range won't test the fences anyways unless they are banties or light breeds like Leghorns that like to fly and can easily fly over fences. Wire would work fine for me since it's not a big deal if a chicken wanders out sometimes it still gives them a safe area to get back in to where predators won't get them

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yeah, when I was adding it up, all the wood and everything adds up fast!! I never even considered electric netting as an option! That's a great idea!!!

I'll have to look into that. Leaning towards either the hoop rhing or, now, electric netting. Although after the incident with the hawk yesterday I am scared to have a run that open. Although maybe I could have a partly enclosed run and then do this around a bigger part of the yard so they could have more areas to roam without actually being free range? Although it makes me a little nervous blocking their access to the woods since that's what saved the one chicken I am sure, she lost a lot of feathers but was able to dive into the woods and escape.

Also, slightly unrelated but do you think it would keep a dog in? I know it's probably not that physically strong and certainly not that high if it wasn't electrified but do you think the voltage keeps them in? We have been wanting to fence in the yard but with almost 3 acres that gets expensivefast. Though probably half of it is woods but even 1 1/2 acres adds up, it's a big yard. So we haven't done it yet. We were thinking of fencing just the back but maybe this electric netting would work so we could do the whole yard. He's on a rope now when he goes out and he gets his leg caught a lot

Oh and also I think I mentioned something to my dad about a strand of hot wire around the hoop coop and was worried it would fry the chickens??

And speaking of fried things, the horse place I used to ride at had electric fencing for some of the pastures but it was the think (like 2 inch??) Wide fabric mesh stuff and I touched it once or twice and that stuff hurts!!! I was fine though. But I am terrified I would touch it and get hurt.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oops, sorry, missed some new answers. Going back to read

 

[ShrekDawg]

Here's some pictures not that great we got dumped on again last night with snow this spring has been crap

There's a couple more of the inside again not the greatest

It looks nice and the pigs definitely look happy!!

This is not the beat pic but I call this run fort knox. since the picture was taken Ive added a steel covered roof. The bottom half is scrap roof steel (Im glad my hubby and dad are into scrapping) buried 12+ in. Top half is recycled chain link. Boards are rough saw hard wood rejects from a local saw mill (free).

I love it!! Looks really secure and looks nice too!

Yes, the wire is cheaper.  But wire alone will not contain the chickens.  You would have to have some other kind of fencing, chickenwire, hardware cloth, whatever, to keep the birds contained.  My point is, you can surround a much larger area, for less $$$, with poultry net, than building a wood framed hardware clothed fence/run that covers the same footprint.   I have no experience with bears. But I've read that they don't like receiving an 8000V blast to the face, anymore than any other animal.  I like the idea of "baiting" the fence for improved results.  

Wire will contain chickens well enough if it is multiple wire with a close spacing. That netting won't contain chickens well either should they decide to fly over it. I've found chickens given a large area to range won't test the fences anyways unless they are banties or light breeds like Leghorns that like to fly and can easily fly over fences. Wire would work fine for me since it's not a big deal if a chicken wanders out sometimes it still gives them a safe area to get back in to where predators won't get them

I think either way whether it's the wire or netting it's probably still a lot cheaper than hardware cloth, which i think i can rule out at this point, and probably keeps predators away. I was worried about them flying over too but with a large enough space like you said they probably wouldnt.

But you cant put it in woods right?

 

[JackE]

But you cant put it in woods right?

You could, but you would have to run it so some smartalec pred doesn't just shimmy up a tree that is close to the fence, maybe go out on a limb, and hop over. What I have done with my chickenyard, is give them things they can get under, or hide in. Behind my coop is a small clump of small trees and brush. The chickens love that. They can also get under and hide, and dustbath under the coop itself. Further out and away from the coop, I have placed some old pallets on top on some cinderblocks. These, along with letting the grass grow tall in that area, provides a nice place to duck under if need be. The chickens also seem to like getting on top of them in the morning.

 

[JackE]

Wire will contain chickens well enough if it is multiple wire with a close spacing. That netting won't contain chickens well either should they decide to fly over it. I've found chickens given a large area to range won't test the fences anyways unless they are banties or light breeds like Leghorns that like to fly and can easily fly over fences. Wire would work fine for me since it's not a big deal if a chicken wanders out sometimes it still gives them a safe area to get back in to where predators won't get them

I'm agreeing with you. Again, my point being, there are cheaper options than building some wood framed, hardware clothed cage. Not saying my way is the only way. But I like what I got.

 

[blucoondawg]

You can run electric fence in woods if you want you just have to maintain it, it can't have a bunch of grass or brush on it or it will short out to ground and not shock as well or not at all if it's sorted bad enough.
Yes an electric fence will contain a dog if the fence is set at the right heights where the diff will encounter the shock, the diff could run right through a electric fence easily if it wanted it since the fence is more of a psychological barrier than strong physical barrier however once shocked a couple times the dogs will want nothing to do with the fence and aren't likely to go anywhere near it. Once they are accustomed to it being the they wouldn't even new with it if you unplugged it because for all they know that fence hurts no matter what.
Electric fence shouldn't hurt a chicken its high voltage low amperage and it pulses it's not a steady shock. Chickens are also well insulated be feathers, they won't even get shocked unless they get it in the comb or maybe a leg or if they're out in the rain they will get bit.
Yes there are different types of material most common being galvanized steel as it's cheap then there's aluminum which is more expensive but a better conducted also more prone to breakage as it's not as strong as the steel I honestly wouldn't bother with it, then there's the ribbon type people use for horses and there's rope type which is a colored small diameter rope with thin metal stands in it to conduct the electricity.
For fencing your entire area 3 acres or whatever you've got there I'd go with a galvanized steel wire, 5 or 6 strands as a perimeter fence that should most definitely keep the dog in. Once that is in you could easily run smaller paddocks off of it to make smaller grazing areas or whatever you like.

Electric fence works very well this is the first time I've really used it myself, it goes up very quickly and easily it's easy to maintain and the dogs learned immediately they want to l nothing to do with it. Everyone said how it is hard to contain pigs and they need to be trained to the fence, I didn't set up a training pen I just turned them loose in there,a few if them ran through it right away the first couple times they fit zapped but they ran right back in to be by their friends and after a few hours they wouldn't touch that fence unless accidentally and then they learned not to run through cuz they're just gonna get nailed again running back in.

 

[blucoondawg]

I'm agreeing with you. Again, my point being, there are cheaper options than building some wood framed, hardware clothed cage.  Not saying my way is the only way.  But I like what I got. 

ya hardware cloth and treated lumber adds up fast that's for small backyard coops as far as I'm concerned. I'm way to cheap to make large runs that way

 

[JackE]

I'm way to cheap to make large runs that way

I hear that, me too.

 

[0wen]

I eventually want to go with electric netting. Within 5 or 6 years I'm moving to a larger property so my situation here is semi-permanent until then. I'm only on a few acres currently and have a couple of breeds of chickens I try to keep separate (for breeding). I also have several bantams and/or light weight LF that are flyers that I'd wager on testing boundaries and just now starting to work on some breeding projects and can't afford losses of my small(ish) flock to predation. I like your woods coop @JackE and hoping to put a few of them up on my new farm.

That being said, I've been going back and forth on garden fencing and hadn't even thought of electric netting - I think that solves my problem there at least...