protecting existing fence with hot electric wire from raccoon/mink

[DobieLover]

I think your number one problem at getting a hot fence going right now is getting the fencer properly grounded. Without grounding, it won't work. You have to drive 2 to 3 six foot copper ground rods down into the ground. Then you use lead out wire to connect them with clamps to each other and then to the grounding terminal on the fencer.
As for wire spacing; to control mink, weasels, coons, fox, etc. you want multiple strands. If your first strand is 2 feet up, a racoon or other climbing small predator will not even get a zap from the fence as his back feet will likely be on the side of the fencing. You have to connect the circuit through the critter for them to get the zap.
Place your first strand about 6 to 8 inches up, then another at 12" and another at 24". That will control most of the animals you are trying to deter. They will lead in with their noses to sniff at new things. That is greatly to your advantage. One good shot with a good charger (you will want at least .4 Joule OUTPUT, more would be better), will make them search elsewhere for a meal.
I run a 10K volt, 1.2 J output fencer to charge three 165' poultry nets strung together. Nothing has breached this so far.

 

[CanadaEh]

the fence and skirt going to be the "ground". I am planning to connect the ground wire to hardware cloth that compose the bottom 2ft and the 1ft skirt. May not even going to need grounding rods (unless the concern that current leak from hardware cloth into the ground would destroy the galvanizing of the hardware cloth)

 

[Trish1974]

how far are your hot wires from the fence and what was your rationale of putting full blown electric fence posts parallel to the main fence instead of attaching insulators to the existing fence?

What Mary said, plus I would have had to cut the hardware cloth to attach any insulators to the t-posts, as the squares in the hc are too small for anything to go through. I didn't want to create any weak points. The electric fence is about 4-5" away from the hc fence.

 

[Headhen3]

I was told to put an electric wire on the outside and low about a foot off the ground so the predators can’t even climb the fence. This would work for raccoons and possums but mink are too small and a tough problem. I lost 15 young pullets in one night. Now my night coop/panic room is all 1/2 inch wire clothe. I think mink are usually only out at night but in my county we have had some rabid ones going after people outside at night. Your run looks like the perimeter is kept clean so you could do the low wire.

 

[CanadaEh]

What Mary said, plus I would have had to cut the hardware cloth to attach any insulators to the t-posts, as the squares in the hc are too small for anything to go through. I didn't want to create any weak points. The electric fence is about 4-5" away from the hc fence.

would you say it would be totally unreliable with just one wire regardless the distance to hardware cloth and the key is to use multiple wires close enough to each other to ensure predators tangling/zapping when trying to put his paws in between them? I see now my naiveness trying to get away with just one wire.

 

[Trish1974]

would you say it would be totally unreliable with just one wire regardless the distance to hardware cloth and the key is to use multiple wires close enough to each other to ensure predators tangling/zapping when trying to put his paws in between them? I see now my naiveness trying to get away with just one wire.

Yeah, I don't think one wire would do much good. I think I read somewhere the bottom wire should be 4" off the ground, with the next wire up 4-6" above the bottom one, and the next one 6" above that. I probably have more electric lines than necessary, but better safe than sorry.

 

[CanadaEh]

Yeah, I don't think one wire would do much good. I think I read somewhere the bottom wire should be 4" off the ground, with the next wire up 4-6" above the bottom one, and the next one 6" above that. I probably have more electric lines than necessary, but better safe than sorry.

I think you only have to start so close to the ground if you expect digging under the fence (but i have 1ft hardware skirt all around). I will have to start at least 1ft off the ground due to grass, but mostly snow drifts in the winter, and will adhere to the spacing between the wires you have suggested.

 

[Folly's place]

You can set it up so that the lower wire or wires can be disconnected from the circuit if necessary.
I regretted having a wire 4" t5" above ground one summer, because it killed a couple of frogs and toads. Not a good outcome!
Mary

 

[Howard E]

If I read the OP's description correctly, with goal of keeping weasels/minks and coons from climbing the fence........set two hot wires......one on a short standoff insulator......maybe 1" or so off and a second hot wire at the same level.......on a 5" stand off. Again, both at the same level.

Set them off the ground at the highest point of the 1/2" hardware cloth.

Make sure the fencer's ground is tied to the hardware cloth and all metal fencing.

Any animal attempting to climb the fence will encounter both hot wires will clinging to the grounded fence. Weasel/mink would likely grab the close spaced wire to pull themselves over, getting zapped in the process. Coons would probably try to squeeze through the two of them getting zapped in the process.

 

[Headhen3]

I was told to put an electric wire on the outside and low about a foot off the ground so the predators can’t even climb the fence. This would work for raccoons and possums but mink are too small and a tough problem. I lost 15 young pullets in one night. Now my night coop/panic room is all 1/2 inch wire clothe. I think mink are usually only out at night but in my county we have had some rabid ones going after people outside at night. Your run looks like the perimeter is kept clean so you could do the low wire.

I think the point was just to stop anything from climbing up the fence.