NY chicken lover!!!!

[featherz]

Hey electric fence peeps..

My DH wants to know. If you are running multiple wires, is it better to connect each wire as a separate entity to the charger or use one long wire looped around (at multiple heights) but only connected once to the charger? Seems to me having three separate wires would be better if you had to turn one off, but not sure if that causes anything to muck up. One coop is at full voltage, but the other MUCH smaller one is only about 1/2 that - we think it's because on that coop we had to use insulated wire spliced in as a 'hookup wire', causing more breaks in the connection.

I don't think it's the ground, we used the same 6" galvanized pole on the other coop and it has a LOT (3x) more wire in use but no 20kw insulated 'hookup' wire was needed. Hubby thinks he can rewire the 'bad' coop but to remove that wire it would work better to use several wires hooked up to the charger.

Is this utterly confusing you yet?

 

[Henicillin]

Three healthy, dry peeps out, one egg to go!

I did manage to lift up Mom to see today - although she protested and puffed up, she didn't try to peck me. Two are blonde chicks with dark triangles on their heads (possibly Buff Orp crosses), and the third is darker, a more greyish-yellow with the head triangle (Light Brahma cross?). It looks like they're all wearing cheap, really obvious toupees. The last egg holdout is once again a Leghorn cross. We'll see if this one hatches, since they seem to quit two or three days before they're due to hatch. The poultry netting/tape barricade is doing very well at keeping the chickies safe from Crazy Psycho Hen's attentions at the moment, and she's showing no signs of wanting to leave the nest, so there may be a fourth chick yet.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Hey electric fence peeps..

My DH wants to know. If you are running multiple wires, is it better to connect each wire as a separate entity to the charger or use one long wire looped around (at multiple heights) but only connected once to the charger? Seems to me having three separate wires would be better if you had to turn one off, but not sure if that causes anything to muck up. One coop is at full voltage, but the other MUCH smaller one is only about 1/2 that - we think it's because on that coop we had to use insulated wire spliced in as a 'hookup wire', causing more breaks in the connection.

I don't think it's the ground, we used the same 6" galvanized pole on the other coop and it has a LOT (3x) more wire in use but no 20kw insulated 'hookup' wire was needed. Hubby thinks he can rewire the 'bad' coop but to remove that wire it would work better to use several wires hooked up to the charger.

Is this utterly confusing you yet?

Yup! I'm confused. I don't think my chargers would have enough room to have that many wires coming off of it. I only have one coming off the charger. This wire is insulated because the fencer is in the barn and passes through the wall. Then the other wires are attached to this wire. If you want to make it so you can take a wire off the power, use electric fence handles which can be quickly removed and replaced.

Google electric fence installation(Sorry, I tried to copy and paste). There are a lot of good instructions and diagrams.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Three healthy, dry peeps out, one egg to go!

I did manage to lift up Mom to see today - although she protested and puffed up, she didn't try to peck me. Two are blonde chicks with dark triangles on their heads (possibly Buff Orp crosses), and the third is darker, a more greyish-yellow with the head triangle (Light Brahma cross?). It looks like they're all wearing cheap, really obvious toupees. The last egg holdout is once again a Leghorn cross. We'll see if this one hatches, since they seem to quit two or three days before they're due to hatch. The poultry netting/tape barricade is doing very well at keeping the chickies safe from Crazy Psycho Hen's attentions at the moment, and she's showing no signs of wanting to leave the nest, so there may be a fourth chick yet.

YAY!!!

 

[Framac]

Hey electric fence peeps..

My DH wants to know. If you are running multiple wires, is it better to connect each wire as a separate entity to the charger or use one long wire looped around (at multiple heights) but only connected once to the charger? Seems to me having three separate wires would be better if you had to turn one off, but not sure if that causes anything to muck up. One coop is at full voltage, but the other MUCH smaller one is only about 1/2 that - we think it's because on that coop we had to use insulated wire spliced in as a 'hookup wire', causing more breaks in the connection.

I don't think it's the ground, we used the same 6" galvanized pole on the other coop and it has a LOT (3x) more wire in use but no 20kw insulated 'hookup' wire was needed. Hubby thinks he can rewire the 'bad' coop but to remove that wire it would work better to use several wires hooked up to the charger.

Is this utterly confusing you yet?

not for chickens, but may have some value.

For our horse we use electrobraid rope. It is way to thick to hook to a charger, so we used an insulated wire, and run it down the post with loops, then cut through the plastic to expose the wire. We then hooked the rope to handles, and the hook into the insulated wire on the bare spots. 3 years and no break outs from the sheep and Horses, also no predators yet. Our 4 strands all tie together on the far end which means that as long as one handle is attached, the fence is hot.

Framac

 

[featherz]

not for chickens, but may have some value.

For our horse we use electrobraid rope. It is way to thick to hook to a charger, so we used an insulated wire, and run it down the post with loops, then cut through the plastic to expose the wire. We then hooked the rope to handles, and the hook into the insulated wire on the bare spots. 3 years and no break outs from the sheep and Horses, also no predators yet. Our 4 strands all tie together on the far end which means that as long as one handle is attached, the fence is hot.

Framac

Thanks guys! I think I've got the idea. For the coop that's showing the higher voltage, we didn't need to use the insulated wire because we just passed the regular aluminum wire through an insulator, then wound that into the configuration we needed. For the coop with the problem lower voltage (that is using a lot less wire), we used an insulated wire DH bought at home depot that was rated for enough voltage but is a copper wire. I'm thinking maybe the copper attached to aluminum is the lossy area? Or maybe it's the connection - he used wire nuts. Appreciate the help =). I'll look into the multiple wire/gate handle idea. Can't work on it until the weekend, but just doing my research early.

So far only my cat has tested the 'hotter' wire (7K). He's fine and won't go anywhere near the coop - poor thing! (he's fine with chickens/chicks/etc.. too bad he won't eat fox!)..

My chickens are NOT happy being cooped up. They have room, of course, but it's down to bare dirt. I keep throwing chunks of stuff in there, but it's not the same. Poor things aren't used to this. I don't even want to let them range when I'm standing there since they run right into the forest when let out. grr. Anyone know a fox trapper that doesn't charge a zillion dollars? LOL.

 

[Henicillin]

All four new peeps have hatched out and are healthy! I realized that, duh, I hadn't actually put a Leghorn egg underneath Mrs. B, so that was an extra probably laid there early yesterday morning. It looks like two Buff Orp crosses and two Light Brahma crosses, but of course we won't know until they feather out. I've built a nice, secure broody pen out of my trusty dog kennel, and moved the happy family into there.

I did see Mrs. B pick one chick up and sort of toss it, but she was in the process of preening herself and picking bits of hay out of her feathers, so that may have been inadvertent, like "it tickles - remove it." The baby didn't even squeak, was only moved a matter of inches, and was right back to scurrying around immediately afterwards, so I'm going to chalk this up to "oops." I spent about an hour watching her after that, and saw no signs of aggression. She is calling them to food, talking to them, and letting them play all over her, so she seems fine. I've blocked off the two sides of the pen that are open to the room (coop walls form the other two sides) for the moment because, even though it's Psycho Hen-proofed with poultry netting, Mrs. B is nervous and is puffing up at every bird who enters the room. I figured I'd give her some privacy while she gets used to the little peeping things.

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

The family and I went to the show in syracuse on sunday. The girls love the animals. We came home with a pair of mini rex bunnies. The girls and I teamed up to give DH our big blue eyes routine (batting the eyelashes and stick out the lower lip).

 

[java girl 2]

well I just went in the basmant to check on my chicks and guess what I found?? A SNAKE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

OH, MY GOD!!!! i AM SO

i CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stonykill]

12 days old and getting SO BIG!



and my broody 3 year old RIR