Electric fence for chickens?

We recently purchased a real farm - 1712 farmhouse, 1800's barn +
stable, several outbuildings, and are planning to restore it and move into
it in time :-) . The main motivation was our horse, who is boarded
elsewhere; we've been busy restoring the stables, fencing the paddocks and
putting in electric fence (which is a must for horses).

Among the buildings on the farm is an old chicken coop - it needs a lot
of work plus a fenced in area for the chickens/ducks, which we will be
doing. According to our soon-to-be-neighbors, there are foxes, raccoons and
hawks, so we will have to put in more secure fencing than the simple garden
fencing we currently have at home (a more urban area).

The electric horse fencing package states that it protects not only
livestock, but also against predators, which got us thinking. Would it be
feasible to put in electric fencing for the chickens/ducks? Overhead would
probably be just some wire cover against the hawks, but on the sides I want
to prevent foxes, racoons, maybe even dogs from thinking this is a free
chicken dinner.

The fence charger for the horses is a low impedance 2-joule 7000V
system - it cycles on and off so if the horse (or something else) touches
it, they get a very quick shock. I think it goes on once a second for a
fraction of a second, every second. The fence uses polytape, a vinyl tape
with steel filamints embedded, which delivers the shock:

http://www.safefence.com/index.html

Does this sound like something that would work? We would have to get a
second system anyway (since the chickens/ducks will be foraging away from
the horses). Do chickens and ducks respect electric fence like horses? Are
they smart enough to get a shock and stay away from it, or are they likely
to peck/bite/clamp their beaks onto it and shock themselves to death? And
more importantly, will foxes, raccoons, etc. respect the fence?

We are more interested in keeping the predators out than keeping the
chickens in (which is an easier problem). We were thinking of surrounding
both the building and the yard with electric, otherwise something could try
to dig/chew/maneuver their way into the coop while avoiding the electrified
yard. Obviously we are going to do everything to critter-proof the coops,
but since they are pre-existent with dirt floors, there isn't going to be an
easy way to create an impervious floor as we have at home (where we built
the coops from scratch with lumber floors). I suppose we could build a wood
floor and attach it somehow, but that might be a difficult thing and might
rot since we cannot raise the buildings for air circulation.

A big concern is the ducks - they have a pool, and love to throw around
water - water and electricity don't usually mix too nicely. I want to make
sure that this is safe for chickens, ducks, and us :-) !

If this is feasiable, how low/high should the fence be - how big a
vertical area needs to be electrified so something does dig under it or jump
over it?

Any thoughts are most appreciated! Thank you!!

- Andrea


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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Electric fence for chickens?
    ... lot of work plus a fenced in area for the chickens/ducks, ... The fence charger for the horses is a low impedance 2-joule 7000V ... around water - water and electricity don't usually mix too nicely. ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Electric fence for chickens?
    ... The main motivation was our horse, who is boarded elsewhere; we've been busy restoring the stables, fencing the paddocks and putting in electric fence (which is a must for horses). ... Among the buildings on the farm is an old chicken coop - it needs a lot of work plus a fenced in area for the chickens/ducks, ... A big concern is the ducks - they have a pool, and love to throw around water - water and electricity don't usually mix too nicely. ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Shocking reminder (ON TOPIC)
    ... >>> They don't have static electricity in England, ... Back in the late 70s I fabricated an all steel "swimming pool" for horses. ... minute electrical charge that was coming from *somewhere* ...the charge was ...
    (rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic)
  • Re: Cant beat Amish craftsmanship!
    ... ingenious and do use electricity. ... they do refer to anyone who is not Amish as English. ... reference to our English language. ... to speaking their own language and I went out by the horses. ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Dumb, dumb, dumb
    ... up a temporary electric fence so they could graze while I worked. ... �Why would they run into the woods when they ... comes to the horses, and maybe he had a point. ... back to the barn, thankfully fully weight-bearing. ...
    (rec.equestrian)