[MontyTom]

Does anyone use an electric fence to pen chickens in?  If so, is it effective at keeping foxes out and chickens in?  Any recommendations with regards to brand and set up?  Thanks.

[Aunt Sally]

I use electric poultry fencing net but have never electrified it. But I know a few people who have, using a leasure battery.  I'll look for some information for you.

[Aunt Sally]

This is the stuff

http://www.solwayfeeders.com/ProductsResultsList1.asp?cat=66

You might want to look around to check prices.

As far as I'm told it is quite effective.  

[dakota]

Does anyone use an electric fence to pen chickens in?  If so, is it effective at keeping foxes out and chickens in?  Any recommendations with regards to brand and set up?  Thanks.

 In the June edition of Practical Poultry  magazine,Scats country stores have an advert offering a complete electric fence system,either battery or mains at a special price of £150 untill the 31st July,this is with 50 mtrs of netting. Go to www.scatscountrystores.co.uk.  I'm considering purchasing a system myself at a later date.Hope this helps.
                                Best wishes Edward

[dakota]

Does anyone use an electric fence to pen chickens in?  If so, is it effective at keeping foxes out and chickens in?  Any recommendations with regards to brand and set up?  Thanks.

 In the June edition of Practical Poultry  magazine,Scats country stores have an advert offering a complete electric fence system,either battery or mains at a special price of £150 untill the 31st July,this is with 50 mtrs of netting. Go to www.scatscountrystores.co.uk.  I'm considering purchasing a system myself at a later date.Hope this helps.
 
                              Best wishes Edward

 I've been checking thru my emails etc and I think the best thing for you to do to get information about the offer from Scats.is to ring their store at Godalming on 01483415101 speak to Gerald or Mark. I was given this information by their headoffice last weekk   Edward

[psipower]

I found useful advice on different fence types for various purposes on the  rutland fencing website

And ordered my kit from farmrite

[Danielle280]

You can put electric fencing up but make sure you put it on a light voltage because there is electric fencing for horses, cows ect. and that could kill a chicken if it were put on a voltage ment for horses or cattle.

[Clodbuster]

Hi Guys,
I use Electric fencing extensively and there are a few incorrect statements in the postings, Poultry have a natural insulation due to their feathers so need a higher voltage for effective control and it wont kill the chickens- it is not like mains.
Netting is effective but expensive, also needs a more powerful energizer, I use 3 plain wires within the field and 4 on the perimeter and get very effective fox repulsion.
I've recently been dealing with Agrisellex, http://www.agrisellex.co.uk who have a lot of experience as they are dealing only in electric fencing.

[Aunt Sally]

Hello Clodbuster,  Welcome to our forums  

A big thanks for that information.  It's always good to have information from someone with experience.  I see from your profile you are a farmer.  What do you farm. What part of the country are you in.  You will have to tell all  

[Foxy]

Hi, I have been using electric fencing (netting) for a while now -we have a lot of foxes. Yesturday morning I watched a huge dog fox lurking in the paddock then slink into our garden - he walked around the perimieter of the electric fence but did not get closer than 2 feet -thats effective! I have heard that foxes can detect the current therefore avoid the fence. It was difficult to watch and not rush out but I was curious to watch his behaviour and how he would react to the fence. :shock:

[Aunt Sally]

That is very reassuring isn't it Foxy  

[Danielle280]

I do have experiance with electric fencing, I have had a chicken die on me before from too high of voltage.. Which is why i suggested to use light voltage. They do not need to be electricuted with cow/horse voltage, they just need a slight zap like a horse would feel if it were to touch the fence.

[Clodbuster]

Sorry Dannielle, did not mean to doubt your experience, I don't think it was the single shock that will have killed the chook, it is more likely to have got stuck in the net so received a series of shocks, one of the netting negatives. I read an a trial on protecting Lesser Terns and I copy the summary in for your information.
Study on Fox predation on Lesser Tern Colony,
“Tracks and scats of the foxes were first noticed near the colony on 28th. May, and almost daily thereafter. On 18, 19, and 20th. June, observers recorded that the incubating terns seemed "skittish, nervous and uneasy." This phenomenon was first thought to be associated with hatching but no chicks were noted. Nest numbers decreased from 138 to 129 on 20th. June, to 61 on 22nd. June. By 23rd. June only 45 tern nests remained. Fox tracks crisscrossed the colony.
On 24th. June the electric fence was erected. On 25th. June we noted a slight increase to 48 nests; a week later, 2nd. July, we counted 60 nests, and by 6th. July, 85 nests. Fresh fox tracks were seen near the colony, but they never came closer than 10 ft to the electric fence, no tracks were found in the trial area. New nests outside the fence were consistently taken by the Foxes-none survived.”  At the end of the trial the fence was turned off and for over two weeks the tracks never crossed it.
I hope that is of interest.

[Philip]

Does anyone use an electric fence to pen chickens in?  If so, is it effective at keeping foxes out and chickens in?  Any recommendations with regards to brand and set up?  Thanks.

My neighbour has decide to get some chickens recently and he got some green electric chicken net but doesn't attach an energiser to it. The olny reason he got it was to keep the birds off his patio where they decided to congregate and poo everywhere. I think that net is the same as theagrisellex stuff but there's a electric netting kit for peolpe just starting out.

My neighbours hens come through to my garden, lay eggs under my bushes and I get the eggs - lovely.

Philip

[Aunt Sally]

Welcome to the plot Philip.

A free gift of eggs   Wonderful