Moveable eletric fence, fox safe?

[lasse42]

Hello.

Is there someone with experience in fox protection for hens that can answer some questions.


https://www.wapoultryequipment.net....oultry-foxes-portable-112cm-high-50-mts-long/
We have an upcoming chicken coop project, it will be a moveable coop with a capacity for about 20 hens or so, and we plan to move it periodically to give them fresh clean pasture to feed and roam in. But building a completely safe enclosure would be a hassle to move each time, if it should completely enclose them top and bottom plus the terrain is pretty uneven and overgrown someplaces, so thoose 50m 100cm fences seem a good choice and are available from many sources where we live.

But are they enough to protect from foxes? I have tried googling it and many suggest it is enough, because even if a fox could dig under, they will first just walk into it and get shocked into fleeing, but is this guaranteed?

Others suggest to be completely safe you have to take 2 eletric fencing wires, and run them about 20 cm from the main fence at 20 cm height, and then another at 30 cm distance about 10 cm suspended above the ground to ensure foxes will be scared off from that alone before they even get to the main fence.

Can anyone confirm that the moveable eletric fence is enough in it self? Does someone know of a fox ever getting past it? And will the 2 combined atleast be enough?

Any knowledge on this will be appreciated

 

[chickengeorgeto]

A high tension electrified fence is about as fox proof as fences get. However you must be good and get lucky every day in order to keep your hens safe but to eat the fox only needs to get lucky once. A high tension fence is much more portable or mobile than an electrified net fence. The web or net fence is better at keeping your hens inside than a high tension fence is able to do.

So you pays your money down and you takes your chances.

I recommend a few strands of electrified small gauge barbwire on the OUTSIDE of the fence post and and a few strands of either slick of else barbed wire that is run to ground on the INSIDE of the fence post. That way whether the fox touches just the hot wire while its standing on the bare ground or if the fox tries to sneak by the exterior hot wire but touches the inside ground wire then either way the electric company can light the fox up for you. The reason that birds can sit on 7,000 volt power lines is because they are not grounded just make sure that your fox is grounded. Just like it takes two to tango, it takes brother fox coming into contact with the hot wire and a good ground or the ground wire at the same time to shock a fox out of the idea of eating your poultry.

 

[CCUK]

I also think that fence is as good as it gets as far as a portable fence can be. But you must make sure it's connected properly and not earthed out or it won't work. And the battery wants to be a good one and fully charged so if anything touches it, it gets a good wallop! But foxes can be quite cunning and will look for any gaps or breaks in the fence. It should be good against most other predators aswell, apart from the winged variety.

 

[Howard E]

In theory, the electric poultry netting should be the best option, as nothing can get through it without getting zapped. Once zapped, they seldom come back. But most poultry netting is also pretty small grids, and is made so to keep the birds in (works both ways). So a fox may see it as a barrier it can't slip through so it just jumps over it. They can do so easily. But we have folks here who have large permanent yards with nothing in place but 3 or 4 lengths of poultry netting and they leave it up and in place year round, and claim no losses from any predators. That includes, foxes, coons, dogs and bears. A hot fence will repel them all. Poultry netting is also intended to be moveable with quick step in posts.

I have the netting, but I actually prefer wires.....which are also set on portable step in posts.

This is what the fence looks like next to a livestock fence.




The red house in the foreground is my Woods house where the birds live. The blue shed in the background belongs to my neighbor, who claims a momma fox raised 5 kits in that shed last year. So they were that close. No loses of any birds to any predators, including foxes, dogs, coons, coyotes, etc.

An electric fence is only half the equation. What is most critical with predators......many of which operate at night.....is that the house the birds stay in when they go to roost is tight enough to provide absolute protection from all comers. Once the sun goes down....birds are safe....no matter what.

 

[centrarchid]

I use both electrified high tensile wire and electrified poultry netting. Neither are impassible once you acknowledge you have more than one species of predator. The netting is easier to move / re-position and can contain some chickens as has already been mentioned. When it comes to material cost and usable life, the wire is more economical. The wire is more easy to adapt to uneasy ground. The poultry netting is more likely to kill reptiles and amphibians.


My poultry netting is used for birds that I am simply giving enough free-range to reduce confinement stress. It cost too much in the netting to encompass enough area for quality free-range forage to be realized.