Re: Electric fence for chickens?

Andrea Fease wrote:
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 :-)

Congratulations


Would it be feasible to put in electric fencing for the
chickens/ducks?

Yes - it works extremely well if you use poultry netting which has strands
closer together than for example pig netting
Make sure its well tensioned and that the ground beneath it is well cleared
A good tester is a wise investment and should be used regularly

Do chickens and ducks respect electric fence
like horses?

Yes -- the narrowest netting is best for ducks as they are more insulated
We sell a closemesh netting for bantams and ducks to solve that problem

And more importantly, will foxes,
raccoons, etc. respect the fence?

Yes -- its very effective as long as you maintain it correctly


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 :-) !

As long as the water is a bit away from teh fence its fine
In fact where you have an area that is dry its a very good idea to use the
contents of their "pool" to dampen the earth post otherwise iit can get a
bit dry in some climates


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?

As most predators scramble over a fence when they first meet it rather than
clearing it like a horse over a jump the electric is very effective as it
prevents them getting that close
The fence we sell over here is a 4 ft fence which deals with our predators -
I am sure that what you can buy over there will be suited to your critters

Good luck with your project -- sounds very exciting

--

regards
Jill Bowis

Pure bred utility chickens and ducks
Housing; Equipment, Books, Videos, Gifts
Herbaceous; Herb and Alpine nursery
Working Holidays in Scotland
http://www.kintaline.co.uk


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Dairy goats
    ... Our fences aren't good enough to keep a mischievous goat ... The electric fence is to keep the chooks and cats out and if possible those ... > Chickens may be stupid, but they're really good at figuring out where to ... >> the goat reacts to the chickens and the dog, how the dog reacts to the ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Fox
    ... I never understood the reasoning behind hanging the corpse on a fence. ... "I trotted past Mr. RJM's north fence today and saw Fred hanging ... "So, the farmer's missus's chickens are up for grabs, then, yes?" ...
    (misc.writing)
  • Re: Chickens in the desert?
    ... As for chickens in your garden -- well, ... sure you can fence them out when necessary. ... go after the tomato bugs because the bugs tend to be high up on the vine ... > I am brand new to the group, came here on the advice of a gardening ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)
  • Re: Reasons for Kashruth
    ... >>> chickens to shochtim. ... >> basis for the law is about cooking a kid or a calf in its mothers milk, ... >> fence around the FENCE. ... And then separating all meat and dairy is the fence. ...
    (soc.culture.jewish.moderated)
  • Re: electric fences for chooks?
    ... > I recently read that an electric mesh fence was available. ... your birds but is a system that allows you to move the grazing area around ... If you want to see more details about electric netting I have several pages ... some predators do not respect ordinary netting it becomes surprisingly cost ...
    (sci.agriculture.poultry)