[littleorchard]

I am looking for some advise regarding whether to offset our electric fence or whether to run it against the boundary fencing.

We had a fox attack 4 weeks back and lost all 6 of our girls. we have since done the perimeter of the garden in 14g high tensile (with skirt) poultry fencing. This is against a hawthorn hedge, that has now been thinned out so we could nail it to various posts and trunks!  The hawthorn hedge probably comes a foot above the poultry fencing. Total around 5.5 - 6 ft high.

Now we've also bought a 1.10m hotline electric fencing mesh.  Now my question is do you think this would be best against this fence or off set so if it climbed over it would then have to get through the next barrier of electric, or would it be best against so if it did stick its nose through it would get a shock?

Also any advise on electric timers, looking for a cheaper alternative to the vbs with timer (we've spent a fortune already!! But can't bear to see anymore have the same ending, heartbreaking)  been looking at the Titan door opener and the Chicken guard - anyone have any experience, good or bad products?

Thank you in advance for any advise!

[Prod]

I bought my coop with a 'Chuxaway' door timer  Its british made and works fine but I paid extra when I bought the coop so Im not sure how much they are to buy & fit yourself. Have a look at their website. There are a couple on Ebay at £69 & £79.  As to electric fencing  I have electric netting so I am not sure how to answer your problem with that  regards  Paul

[littleorchard]

Sorry the electric fence is the betting stuff.  Will have a look at chucks away - thanks!

[Blobbs]

I bought the Chuxaway timer direct fron them as it was about £5 cheaper than on E.bay. Fast delivery too.

[j00les]

sorry for your loss heart breaking

[ehs284]

You need to put the electric fence on stout poles away from the hedge or you'll have trouble with shorts and growth of weeds and the trees. The poles which come with fencing kits are useless so allow some money for good round poles and fasteners (sorry, but this is expensive - although worthwhile in the longer run).
The timer - is it for the door only? If so and assuming you don't have mains and use a battery then there are options; you can buy as suggested (there are lots of 12V DC timers on e Bay ; no need for a special door machine), or convert a  CH programmer.
Some people use a timer for the fence but I found that the chooks find it de-energised and make holes in it so you have to watch the little ***s.
Door openers are fairly easy to make. Lots on this forum including a step-by-step guide. Biggest problem is that many use a retracting car aerial and these are not the cheap-easy. Check other sites for ideas including (e.g.) curtain openers

[symonep]

I have the titan door opener and it is fab, does exactly what it says and is very simple to use. It was so simple to fit that i did it!

[Sassy]

Do be aware that you should not let the electric fence come into contact with any wooden fencing. Whilst wood is not a great conductor of electricity it will short/drain the battery, even more so when wet.

[mum23kids]

Hi - not an expert but do have the same electric netting around my girls, who are in a field in the middle of nowhere with lots of local predators/

I would recommend that you offset it so if Mr Fox manages to get over the first fence he has to snuffle up to the electric fence and get a short sharp shock on the nose. This type of electric fence relies on the way that foxes naturally sniff up to things. In fact at 1.1m the fox could easily just jump it but they don't because they got the shock on first time inspection. I

If not offset, as you correctly thought, he would just jump off the higher fence over the electric one. Probably couldn't get out again with a chicken but the damage would have been done.

I have found all the poles to be just fine on the hotline kits, the corner ones are especially sturdy. The others are supposed to be "whippy so that the structure is not solid and climbable. The guylines are the important bit, position them properly and the fence will not sag too much.  No need for extra expense.

Don't be alarmed when you get it up and working to see bird sitting on the top wire. Remember it will only shock something that is also in contact with the earth (creates a circuit!).

Hope this helps and good luck! Electric fencing seems really serious and slightly daunting at first, but once you get used to it it is very easy and effective.

P.S. other deterrents I was told include getting a man to pee around the perimeter of the fence (when power is off!).

[digga666]

In one way you really do not need advice because you know yourself that your electric fence needs to be done in away that the fox cant get underneath, between or over the top of the whole fence, and if you think there is a chance he can, then be sure he will work that one out for himself soon enough.

If it were me i would use a permanent fencing system with a mains energiser.

Why you want a timer for this fence or have i misunderstood your motives?

[littleorchard]

Well as stated there is a hawthorn hedge.  So a permant solution wouldn't work that well with hedge cutting.  it has a mains enigister and the timer is for the pop hole - not the fence.
The fence will always be on, as the fox is about at all times.

Thank you to everyone for their response.  We started putting it in yesterday, hopefully will be good to go today ready for some new chucks and the ducks to go out.

[littleorchard]

Does anyone know if you can overlap the excess?  If not can you cut it? We bought enough to go around the perimeter, but with off setting it now have lots of excess!

[mum23kids]

Hi as far as I understand yes you can. You do not need to form a circuit, the fence would work in a straight line.

Probably easiest to fold the excess back on itself one or 2 poles worth to give yourself a simple way in and out rather than overlap.

This would mean getting 2 poles  to meet where you want to get in and out of the fence, then taking back the excess to overlap on the side it came from. (one area has 2 panels of fencing). Then you can use the ties to join the two sides of the "entrance" and you only need to move the one pole to get in and out (would suggest moving the one on the side with the single layer and therefore placing the energiser on its earth post in front of the double layer.

Hope this makes sense!

E

[mum23kids]

Forgot to say DON'T CUT IT!

If you look carefully at either end of the fence you will see all the little silver wires that conduct the electricity along the horizontals join up on those 2 verticals only. That is what creates the circuit the electricity travels along. This bunching of wires from all the horizontals (except the bottom one) continues onto the 2 thicker strands that you clip together at the top and that you connect the crocodile clips from your energiser to.

E

[ehs284]

Confirm mum's suggestion. Ours is looped and the overlap held with cable ties to the fence at the poles (not the poles themselves). Has worked well for last 3 years