The Old Folks Home

[1muttsfan]

If you really want your birds to be safe you need to build something that doesn't rely on just electricity, all kinds of things can go wrong from the fencer wearing out or grounding out to loss of power.
It is not really all that expensive to build a good solid predator-proof pen - it does take a lot of hard work though. I can remember the hours it took to dig trenches to bury the entire perimeter fence around 2 pens. Considering rocks grow better here than anything else, it was a lot of work with a pickaxe and shovel. However, I never need to be concerned about something digging in.
Most welded wire has 2x4 openings. That will keep out larger predators, but nothing smaller, so you would still have to cover it with hardware cloth. Even the holes in chicken wire are too large for the lower part of the fence, as raccoons can reach through it and grab chickens, pulling them up to the fence and killing them

 

[CapricornFarm]

Many of the new hot wire setups use a battery and solar charger

I have one i use for my garden.

 

[pennyJo1960]

going solar is the cats meow now want it here on the house when we put the new roof on

 

[chickadoodles]

My chickens were in their coop at night and nothing ever got to them in it. And we had opossums, coons and a fox come around and none of them ever got to our chickens in the runs or in the coop.
The only reason the dogs got them is because we let them into a lousy fence yard outside their runs. The dogs had never paid them any attention till I got sick and could not get out there to tend them. and dh left the run gate open so the hens could come and go as they please in the grass yard.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We have Fear loose at night and have never lost one to a predator

 

[1muttsfan]

I hope Fear is a dog!

 

[pennyJo1960]

german shepard she is 17 she is a mama's girl

Fear = Zephyr ah

 

[1muttsfan]

Wow 17 that's fantastic, still watching out for her flock

 

[pennyJo1960]

she is raising our crazy white dog she is pyrenees and possibly retriever
about 65 lbs now so has grown to pyr size but still crazy want to chase the birds

 

[CapricornFarm]

If you really want your birds to be safe you need to build something that doesn't rely on just electricity, all kinds of things can go wrong from the fencer wearing out or grounding out to loss of power.
It is not really all that expensive to build a good solid predator-proof pen - it does take a lot of hard work though. I can remember the hours it took to dig trenches to bury the entire perimeter fence around 2 pens. Considering rocks grow better here than anything else, it was a lot of work with a pickaxe and shovel. However, I never need to be concerned about something digging in.
Most welded wire has 2x4 openings. That will keep out larger predators, but nothing smaller, so you would still have to cover it with hardware cloth. Even the holes in chicken wire are too large for the lower part of the fence, as raccoons can reach through it and grab chickens, pulling them up to the fence and killing them

But i put welded wire on the outside, chicken wire on the inside. Hardware cloth up a foot, bent and out for a skirt on the edge. With a 4" gap between welded wire and chicken wire, coons have a hard time reaching anything.