Securing Chicken Feed From Black Bears

[buffy-the-eggpile-layer]

For those of you that mentioned electric fencing/hot wires, can you elaborate a bit on your set-up? Anyone use solar powered fencing? Our coop/run of 7 chickens is approximately 8' x 25' and we would maybe expand the fencing so the chickens can have more if an open range area when we're home. I've read that .7 joules is the minimum to deter bears--would that injure chickens?

I appreciate everyone being so helpful, it's been trial and error our first go-round but your feedback is helping to minimize the latter!

 

[ocap]

For those of you that mentioned electric fencing/hot wires, can you elaborate a bit on your set-up? Anyone use solar powered fencing? Our coop/run of 7 chickens is approximately 8' x 25' and we would maybe expand the fencing so the chickens can have more if an open range area when we're home. I've read that .7 joules is the minimum to deter bears--would that injure chickens?

I appreciate everyone being so helpful, it's been trial and error our first go-round but your feedback is helping to minimize the latter!

I tried using solar and the batteries died too soon. Nine wire, four inches apart,
10,000 volt, "jake fence tighteners", 365 Roundup weed killer.

 

[Folly's place]

Premier1supplies.com, online, on the phone, and in their paper catalog, all helpful information and supplies. HowardE on this site is really helpful too. "Go big or go home!" is the story here; it's got to sting to be effective!
Mary

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I have bear spray. And when we get this coop built I’ll be shopping at Premier 1. Their website is extremely helpful.

I don’t want a bear-sized jolt on the interior of the run. I need to talk to Premier 1 about an interior fence of poultry netting or chicken wire. Or perhaps just electrify outside their run, which will be all HW cloth anyway. Mm. This paragraph makes no sense. Still trying to work it out in my head!

 

[azygous]

My rooster has gotten bit by the hot wire twice in two days. It stings but doesn't cause injury. He gets surprised and runs in a panic from the bad thing that bit him. This is the 10,000 volt jolt the bear gets. I've been zapped plenty of times myself, and it's normally slightly stronger than a static shock.

I've also been shocked by the hot wire when I was also in contact with metal that was grounded. It feels like being hit by a wooden club. I've also been shocked when I was wet with sweat. That feels painful, and it doesn't stop hurting for 30 minutes.

But it won't kill you or your chickens since it's a pulsating charge, not continuous like alternating current in your house.

There could be a set of freak circumstances where the ground is very wet and a chicken standing on the wet soil and touching the hot wire and grounded metal fencing at the same time could be shocked hard enough to stop their heart. It will kill small birds if one is on the hot wire and managed to touch the metal fencing at the same time. But I've taken care not to have the hot wire that close to metal.

It's really not as mystifying as it seems right now.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

...This is the 10,000 volt jolt the bear gets. I've been zapped plenty of times myself, and it's normally slightly stronger than a static shock.

I've also been shocked by the hot wire when I was also in contact with metal that was grounded. It feels like being hit by a wooden club. I've also been shocked when I was wet with sweat. That feels painful, and it doesn't stop hurting for 30 minutes.

But it won't kill you or your chickens since it's a pulsating charge, not continuous like alternating current in your house.
...
It's really not as mystifying as it seems right now.

It does seem mystifying. Static miraculously turned into being hit by a club. I will follow directions and hope for these best!

Thank you!

 

[ocap]

i used poultry netting for several years, wire lasts longer (plastic eventually dies in sunshine), weed eaters don't kill it, wind has less effect on wire.

repeating I used 9 wires four inches apart to keep out opossums, raccoons, fox, coyote, neighbor's dogs, bobcats, skunk, & cougar (hit by a car ten miles south of Smithville, Missouri)

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Cougar!

 

[ocap]

https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article20810151.html

https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2002/oct/15/kc_motorist_kills/

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Not in Vermont, apparently.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/are-there-catamounts-in-vermont/Content?oid=2316424