someone please tell me what to buy

[Ruby Rogue]

I wouldn't even attempt an electric fence, for all the same reasons you haven't yet. I have a live trap. You put stinky food in, they get stuck. It's up to you what you do after that. I also have a game camera set up so I know exactly what I have to deal with. Do you live in a rural or suburban area?

 

[Mom 2em All]

I wouldn't even attempt an electric fence, for all the same reasons you haven't yet. I have a live trap. You put stinky food in, they get stuck. It's up to you what you do after that. I also have a game camera set up so I know exactly what I have to deal with. Do you live in a rural or suburban area?

I live way out in the sticks on six acres.

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

I’m so confused. It’s like Greek speak. Will I know what to buy? How do you hook the wire to the posts? How do I keep from frying my birds and the chicks? How do I hook the wire to the energizer? Ground etc?
I will have to watch a lot of YouTube videos.
As for a place to go- I only have tractor supply and they think “ Pullet” is a breed.

That’s the problem with the stores like tractor supply, they have or should have the materials needed ( ours is abysmal when it comes to stocking). However they usually don’t have employees that have experienced knowledge of what they have in stock or how to use it. Around here we have the Tractor Supply and Rural King stores but we don’t go there unless it’s a have to case or we know exactly what we need. I don’t know where you are located but there may be a farm co op or family owned feed/farm store in a near by town that may be able to assist with details and recommendations.

 

[Mom 2em All]

yes, I asked them for fence help and they looked at me like I was an alien.

In my cart I have 12 4 fb step in fence posts, 19 screw in ceramic insulators because I need a top wire around my coop, 14 gauge galvanized electric fence wire 2640 ft, 6 fence line clamps to connect jumper wires and ground wires, a ground rod clamp.
I didn’t get a ground rod because I’m pretty sure I have something at the house I can use.
Do I need anything else? Am I gonna be able to do this?
how far apart should my posts be?

 

[Mom 2em All]

Also!!! How close to the ground should my wire be?
and what about my chicks who currently pop out through the chicken wire to follow flying mom aroubd free-ranging? If I electrocute and kill one I’m gonna be done. Give them all away.

 

[Howard E]

First off, the hottest fence going won't do lasting harm to anything.......cats.....chickens......you. May regret being born for a few minutes, but all will recover in short order.....but none be in any hurry to get a 2nd dose......ever.

To help you visualize what is intended......here is a quick, short term fence I put up in a garden area a few months back:

Actually, this was put up to keep the chickens out of this fragile area, but would also keep the birds in.....and varmints out. This one only has two strands.......adding two more.....4 strands total....is best. Even with 4 strands, top strand is only 20 inches or so off the deck and can be stepped over, so no need for a gate. Even at 20 inches, effective against almost all land based predators. They won't jump over it, but will try to crawl under or through it and get zapped in the process.

Look close and you can see all the clips molded into the white posts (posts have a large spike nail on the bottom......and a step......you literally "step" them into the ground. With the poly tape, fence can be stretched tight enough by hand and will not pull posts over. If you were to go all the way to the top, you might have to brace the corners, but the rest will stand up straight...no worries.

As an alternative, you could substitute steel T posts with donut insulators on the corners, which would be almost required if using wire.

As to your shopping list, for now, I'd suggest you go with a poly tape or poly rope vs. the heavier galvanized wire. Will be just as effective in the short run, and far easier for a beginner to work with. If you insist on using wire, use the lighter weight aluminum wire, and you will need at least one "strainer" per wire run. Strainers are the ratchet tighteners and are sold with the electric fence supplies. You will never be able to tighten wire as much as you need to by hand.

 

[Howard E]

Once your fence is up, you will want to "bait" it to assure varmint gets zapped. This is my newest invention for this......a bait can hung from the wire.



Just a standard tin can, with a couple holes punched near the top, and fixed with light wire that resembles a christmas ornament hook, that is draped over the hot wire, so the can itself is now HOT. If you put the clips on either side of a fence post, the fence won't sag under the weight.

Put your smellable attractant in the can. If they touch or lick the can....they get lit up.




That is the line voltage on the fence, and yes, that is 12,800 volts. Ouch.

BTW, if your fence crosses a ditch that allows an opening for a varmint to use to get under the fence by hugging the bottom of the ditch, you can use something similar to this......a lightweight aluminum can.....beer, soda, etc.....and hang it from the fence by a piece of wire, but let it hang down into the ditch. Punch a small drain hole in the bottom to avoid collecting rain water (or hang it upside down).
Varmint would have to brush past it to get buy......and that gets him.

 

[Mom 2em All]

First off, the hottest fence going won't do lasting harm to anything.......cats.....chickens......you. May regret being born for a few minutes, but all will recover in short order.....but none be in any hurry to get a 2nd dose......ever.

To help you visualize what is intended......here is a quick, short term fence I put up in a garden area a few months back:

View attachment 2236810

Actually, this was put up to keep the chickens out of this fragile area, but would also keep the birds in.....and varmints out. This one only has two strands.......adding two more.....4 strands total....is best. Even with 4 strands, top strand is only 20 inches or so off the deck and can be stepped over, so no need for a gate. Even at 20 inches, effective against almost all land based predators. They won't jump over it, but will try to crawl under or through it and get zapped in the process.

Look close and you can see all the clips molded into the white posts (posts have a large spike nail on the bottom......and a step......you literally "step" them into the ground. With the poly tape, fence can be stretched tight enough by hand and will not pull posts over. If you were to go all the way to the top, you might have to brace the corners, but the rest will stand up straight...no worries.

As an alternative, you could substitute steel T posts with donut insulators on the corners, which would be almost required if using wire.

As to your shopping list, for now, I'd suggest you go with a poly tape or poly rope vs. the heavier galvanized wire. Will be just as effective in the short run, and far easier for a beginner to work with. If you insist on using wire, use the lighter weight aluminum wire, and you will need at least one "strainer" per wire run. Strainers are the ratchet tighteners and are sold with the electric fence supplies. You will never be able to tighten wire as much as you need to by hand.

Don’t your chickens fly over it ?

can you tell me how to hook the wire to the charger? I will get the strainers- not too sure what I do with them or where they go but I’ll get them. I already ordered the galvanized wire.

 

[Howard E]

Here are two different fencers....showing how to hook them up.

On all fence chargers, you need to connect to a power source.....AC or battery. This one uses a battery. Then you will find two knobs to connect to.....HOT is almost always colored red. That goes to your hot wire. The other is for the earth ground.......which literally means connecting to the ground or soil you stand upon. Usually that will be either black or green colored.

This photo also shows a set of "strainers" at the terminal end of this run....used to tension the wires. Also note the donut insulators and how they are connected to the steel post, but also to the wire.

Below is a different fence charger, but notice setup is the same. Power source is a battery. Red connects to fence......ground to an earth ground.......in this case, a steel post serving as the corner.

 

[Howard E]

These are the strainers.......

These are attached inline.....in the middle of a run....so when tightened, they pull in both directions. They work like any reel type device......fishing reel, hose reel, etc. There is a ratchet that clicks as you turn the reel. Will not back up. These will tighten wire to the breaking point......which is not the point. You just use them to take the sag out of the line. With a soft wire like 19 gauge aluminum, the tension will flow through the corner donuts. With 17 gauge galvanized steel, it may do that, but not nearly as easy. The heavier wire is best left up to serious big fences......like half mile runs and such. Not very user friendly.

If you use poly tape or poly rope, you can tighten those by hand and these strainers are not needed.