Need a help with electric fence design

[cmom]

I have 8' ground rods. If it is placed in a drip line it is more effective as the ground there tends to me more moist. Only around 4 to 6 inches of mine stick above the ground to connect my ground wire. You can have more than one ground rod too. Also the charger has to be powerful enough to hurt the predator so it will get the message. If it isn't a quite strong zap the predator can get used to the tickle and go right through it.

 

[John-Allen]

Question. I live in a city. Have a back patio area that is fenced by 8' wood fence. Rats manage to climb over and get into the patio area, even though there is no food there. Was thinking of having metal (perhaps chicken wire? or bird spikes?) attached to the top ledge of the fence, then electrifying the metal. I'd have this on a timer so that the electricity only activates after dusk. Do you think this notion is a possibility? Thank you. Allen

 

[cmom]

You need a ground. You could put a piece of metal grounded along the top and a hot wire barely above it so the critters would have to touch the grounded metal and the hot wire. Years ago we had a serious issue with gray squirrels. As soon as we filled the bird feeders here would come the squirrels. My DH ran a hot wire on the perch wrapped with tin foil and grounded a metal feeder so when the squirrels got on the perch then reached across to the bird feeder they were zapped. Most learned their lesson. I do have electric wires around my coops and pens and the predators seem to be aware. I know some have tested them and once is enough. Good luck...
I don't know if this will help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-treatise-on-electric-fencing.1117877/

 

[cmom]

I had a rat infestation in one of my coops. When I started to renovate it dozens of rats of all sizes poured out. I tried many things prior and still had rats. I eventually bought some rat bait stations and put them in our barn which is behind the coops because I had seen evidence of rats and their tunnels. I put the bait stations in pet carriers on shelves in the barn where nothing could get to them except the rats and as you are aware, rats are good climbers. Surprisingly I didn't find any dead rats laying around so I suspect they went into their tunnels and died. The rat bait stations have a little window above the bait so I can check it regularly. The baits were eventually being eaten on less and less. Now I check the bait stations occasionally and make sure there is bait in them. Good luck...

 

[KatieMacDC]

I strongly advise you to run a series of wires extending outward from the fence on top .It will keep foxes and cats out.

Are all these wires hot? or alternating earth & hot?

 

[McChooky]

Are all these wires hot? or alternating earth & hot?

Alternating earth ground and hot wires is illustrated thanks!