Will a 5 strand electric fence keep out foxes?

[hayley3]

If you can not install fencing yourself, I suggest that you get some help to do it. I have a 6 ft welded wire fence with Electric 6'' off the ground, with another strand of electric at the top. All my fences are 6 ft tall starting with a 4ft Stock fence with 2 Barb Wires at 9'' up each, with electric on the very top. I even ground my Barb Wire so if they touch both ground and electric at the same time, they will really feel it. I use a "25 mile range fencer'' for maximum enforcement! Even a Coyote will jump a 6 ft fence. So you need help to make your Birds safe.

No help Larry, unless you are available.

 

[hayley3]

I'm planning on getting a chicken fence from Premier 1 Supply. Here's a link:
https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php
Hope this helps.

Thanks, I already have a Premier net fence...It is always sagging. Also this fence is for the perimeter of the property, a poultry fence would be too expensive for the area I am needing, which is why I was going to go with strands of hot wire.

 

[hayley3]

Lots of good advice here. Honestly, though, I think it takes multiple systems. A decent fence, even a well electrified 3 strand, and inside it one or more guardian dogs. The dogs should be raised inside the wire and afraid to cross it. They will ward off most predators and keep them from trying to get in.

I would love to have a guard dog but I am not great at dog training.

 

[hayley3]

A fox got all of my chickens about 10 years ago. It upset me so much I didn't get chickens again until last year . I bought a dog pen for the chicken yard . Covered the top with a canvas top with wire over top of that . I put bricks in the ground around the chicken lot. I also lock my chickens up at night in the chicken house . We have a lot of hawks up here in the mountains that still try to get in the chicken lot . I love these little guys so much and will do what ever it takes to keep them safe .

Awwww where are you located? I love my chickens too...I'm trying to cover all my bases so nothing happens to them. At night they will be locked up tight.

 

[Roosterbreaux]

@Roosterbreaux, I've had my coop hot wired for 5 years. I've got zapped, my husband has gotten zapped, our dogs have been zapped, predators have been zapped, chickens have been zapped.......starting to see a pattern here? Sure people and animals make contact with it but it doesn't kill anyone or anything, at least my hot wire hasn't and it's strong enough to handle cattle and yes it's unpleasant but trust me, it only takes getting shocked once and human and or animal alike will avoid that hot wire or at least be careful around it.

Two years ago we had a female fox take up residence under a neighbors holiday cabin across the road from where we live. That fox had a litter of kits that she fed by decimating the local chicken population. Everyone lost birds. Either a few or like our immediate next door neighbor, who lost their whole flock to her. Everyone except us. Our hot wire kept her out of the run and coop. Plus my coop is metal clad and sits on a concrete slab. Nothing is getting in unless it knows how to use a grinding wheel or tin snips. I found adult and juvenile prints around the outside of the run in areas without grass so they checked it out more than once.

If a person is really worried about unintentional contact with a hot wire, there are signs you can get to put up alerting the public to hot wires being used. Of course animals can't read, but the goal of hot wires is to keep undesirable predators out and your chickens or other livestock safe.

I'm really interested to know if the chickens that were zapped suffered any laying or brooding issues ?

 

[microchick]

None that I am aware of.

I had a bachelor rooster get out of his pen recently and dance around on the wire trying to get back into the run. No side effects. He was as cantankerous as ever.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm not very strong, hence wanting to use t-posts and electric wire. I can probably pound in two t-posts a day *laughs* so it will take me a while to complete.

Very late reply, but a suggestion that might be useful to many people:

Church youth groups and scouting groups are always in need of community service projects and putting in fence posts for a person who knows what needs to be done but doesn't have the physical capability would make a nice project for such a group.

Sometimes able-bodied teenage/college student labor can be had for the price of pizza and soda if you've got family/friend/community connections.

Even adult labor can be accessed on those terms sometimes -- there are a lot of service groups that do small projects that can be completed in a morning or an afternoon.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm really interested to know if the chickens that were zapped suffered any laying or brooding issues ?

I've seen chickens get zapped when they touch my electric netting when they are pecking at grass growing in it. Their comb or wattles probably touch a hot wire, their feathers insulate them. They jump up and back two or three feet, squawk, and go back to eating. They do learn to not peck at grass in the netting. After a bit you don't see them hitting a hot wire.

I've also been zapped. If I'm not expecting it I jerk my hand back but usually don't squawk that much.

 

[aart]

I've also been zapped. If I'm not expecting it I jerk my hand back but usually don't squawk that much.

 

[Roosterbreaux]

None that I am aware of.

I had a bachelor rooster get out of his pen recently and dance around on the wire trying to get back into the run. No side effects. He was as cantankerous as ever.

If a rooster laid an egg on top of the barn which way would it roll off ? However a cantankerous cock does not give birth. I am more concerned with the trauma a good egg laying hen might suffer. Any one have this happen to one of your hens ?