Predator Control -SECRET WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS

[Davaroo]

Quote:
It must not hurt, is all I can think. Chickens, while not the brightest bulbs on the Xmas tree, are good at learned response.

It might be that they don't always get shocked every time. Their feathers don't conduct electricty very well. Maybe it's the randomness of the reinforcement that throws them off. It definatly hurts. I can tell when somebody gets nailed, without being there to see it. BBAAAWWWKKKK!!!

Pre-fried chicken! Whoo-whee!

 

[Tala]

I used nothing but an electric fence to contain my dog for the last 2 years. It only took one strand, about 6-8 inches off the ground. We started with it as a puppy and even now that she's taller she doesn't consider jumping it. I liked it because us humans could just step over and I can just take the wires down if I need to drive into the backyard for any reason. One stray did jump it, but if I owned a dog that jumped I could just add a second wire.

I originally had a pulsing fence charger, and the dog didn't get shocked every time. I don't think it went through her fluffy Chow Chow fur very well. We switched to a continuous state horse fence charger (instead of a dog strength one) and it works ALL the time. The same thing might be true for chickens that only get shocked part of the time, feathers and long fur seem to insulate at least somewhat.

The main problem I have is that small dogs walk under it and nothing gets zapped except their tails. My neighbor has a really really small dog, miniature Doby I think, no tail, and they don't even keep a collar on it much less a leash. I'm going to have to build a better fence ASAP! I'm a big believer in electric fencing, although I'm putting my chickens behind hardware cloth with a single strand of electric running around the outside.

My dog knows exactly how that hot wire works, she will reach over it or under it VERY carefully, because she understands how to not get shocked. She's scared of any and all single wires now, which doesn't seem to hurt anything. AND she's trained to it, it's like having an invisible fence now. I took a section of wire down last week and she doesn't even cross where it usually is. She knows how it works when she can see the wire, but I don't think she's brave enough to gamble when she can't see where the wire is.

 

[Big dreams]

For the double wires, one high, one low, are they separate wires connected to the same charger, I don't have one yet so I am trying to invision it (not my strong point) does the charger have more then one place to attach the wires or do you just have two wires coming off the same connection? I hope someone can understand what I am asking

I want to have a very large run, can't really afford the hardware cloth to do it so I want to use chicken wire but I know that is not at all secure. Thanks.

 

[Ladyhawke1]

Quote:
Can you say....C-A-N-C-E-R, OR birth defects?

Yes, these are very "modern" indeed.

In addition, may I add profitable for the companies who make them and who also make the "cures". A no lose situation. Whoopee!

 

[AHappychick]

does he mention hawks? I would be curious to know if there are any old school methods i have not heard of.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Multiple wires, same connection.
Usually, you space the wires vertically according to the animal you are trying to control.

There are only two connections:
One live side, to the wire or wires.
Another grounded side, which is actually that - a wire running from the fence charger to a stake, or stakes, driven into the ground.

What happens is the live wire is charged with a high voltage and the ground completes the circuit through the critter's feet when it touches the live side.
There is not enough current to kill, but the voltage is enough to be painful, and thus offers a means of correction.

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Nothing is perfect, of course. Things can still go wrong and you can err as far as you want on the side of safety. Spray kerosene or herbicides... or weed whack. Your choice. But as Pat points out, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The point of all this is that for it's low cost, electric fencing adds a welcome facet to small - medium terrestrial predator control. Use it as you wish.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
In his day, hawks were easy. You trapped them and dispatched them, or dispensed with the trap and shot them from the sky.

It was a simpler time and there was little of the litigiousness we face today. In our time, a man (or woman) is not free to do that which is right, except as is approved by 'agencies', 'municipalities', any number of 'watchdogs', or whomever happens to have a cell phone handy. Shoot a hawk today and you risk fines and perhaps jail. We live in a time of suspicion and fear, I'm saddened to say.

It was different back in Mr. Lee's day. America was still right, still the best place to be. We had just won a global war against the forces of Evil. There were no terrorists at our door, wicked gangbangers on our streets, or whacked out immigrants with a gun. People didn't look over their shoulder much unless they, themselves, were up to no good.

A man did what was needed to protect his affairs. Few questioned it, if it was uprightly done. If it was a hawk preying on the chickens, it had to go - that's all.

 

[Chicken Joy]

When a black bear in our area was teaching her 3 cubs (pretty rare to have 3 cubs) to dine on chickens roosting in their coop,

she ripped our coop apart and killed 8 chickens. We applied 2" stucco wire to the bottom 4' of our coop. We stood it off the sides with fence insulators. She came back the second night. We woke up to her desparatly scrambling to get her cubs over the fence and away from our property...

no more bear problems with the coop...

4 years ago now. Our dog went sniffing at the coop and ooopps! Poor puppy.... she gives the coop and that section of the driveway a very wide berth now! We don't see many racoons or other medium critters close any more either. Come to think of it the coyotes give our yard a wide berth with much glancing over their shoulders as they slink past the lower fence on the neighbours side.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
And there you have it, as they say.

 

[Davaroo]

I forgot about this stuff!