[Nicki85]

Hi all,

I'm still having a dilema over fencing an area of garden for my chickens (i haven't got them yet- still planning lol ).  I was thinking I could just use electric fencing- the mesh type- to create a pen for them.  I guess this would then be easy to move round the garden if the ground needs resting.  Would this work?  Does anyone else just cope with an electric fence pen instead of a fixed run?  Would it do the job keeping the foxes out and chickens in?

Lastly, i'm looking at this kit- http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/15m_Electric_Poultry_Netting_Kits.html
What do you think?  What battery would you get 3v or 6v for 15m of fencing...

The house is a doodlehouse so no run.

Thanks in advance

[joyfull]

Hillfooter uses electric fencing as his runs 

[Mulberry1990]

We use electric fence as our run too, and haven't had any problems with it yet =)
Apart from me getting electric shocks a fair few times (I admit the time we decided to make a chain of people at my birthday and the person at the end touch it to see if it traveled through us was entirely my own fault! (and hurt a surprising amount!) but the rest were the electric fence jumping at me I swear!!)

We move it around every few weeks and it doesn't take too long to move, and the chickens and rabbits seem pretty happy inside it!

[ANHBUC]

Got mine from here www.smallholdershop.co.uk/fencing.html.  Some are only 1 meter high so we went for this one as it is 1.2 meters high.   We haven't got it hooked up yet but have been using it to enclose the hens.  The only thing you might have a problem with is that when excited they can fly over the 1.2 meter fencing.  This might stop when it is electrified, it might deter them.

[ManicMum]

We use electric fence powered by mains - and are working to get it back up & running (see my earlier cry for help & the brill responses).  We got ours from ChickenCoopsDirect - ordered late Weds night, delivered Fri morning by 9am - superb service.  The dogs took about 3 shocks to decide they weren't interested.

My friend runs her fence on battery - her dogs also didn't take long to learn.

The new pullets are gradually learning not to jump over the fence, but dogs & foxes approach nose first & after a shock, don't seem to realise they could actually jump it easily.

I read the below in an advert for agricultural supplies, but you could probably trace it back to the original research if necessary:
"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.
Unfortunately due to fox predation they suffered heavy losses and only one young fledged. The following year an electric fence was erected around the nesting site and this proved extremely effective at excluding foxes, so that 31 pairs reared a record 29 young.
Copied from Agrisellex website where they have several “testimonies” re fox, badger, elephant."