[wannabesmallholder]

Thanks for all the advice - much appreciated! Many thanks for the direction to Smiths Sectional. I have just ordered a house with extended run attached to it and have ordered it with a pop hole in the run so we can give them more free ranging in the orchard (electric fenced) too, while still having the option of keeping them shut in the run if needed. Getting excited about  now!

[wannabesmallholder]

[member=169469]Ermingtrude[/member] do you mean that the electric fence keeps rats out? This would be a big plus!!! Is it electric poultry netting?

[Ermingtrude]

The set up I have does, as the electric poultry netting is sitting on top of the thick black tarp stuff ( path liner, weed preventer - has a variety of names, but is permeable to water, but not plants/grass/weeds.  As long as I keep that clear, flat and the fencing is taut - I have 4 wooden corner posts that are used as strainers, as the plastic posts that come with the netting are quite flexible. Anything ( mice, rats ) that tries to cross the fence will have to come into contact with the electric netting at some point, as it is on the ground, and has quite fine holes. I do keep it clean and  make sure I don't stockpile food in there - they get enough for the day and a little more ( so they are not hungry in the mornings ! ) but I try to make sure I don't leave anything that encourages vermin.

[cloddopper]

Your option two has a good chance of working if you make the electric fence wires in a triangle form using two rows of stakes then weed killing the grasses & weeds  under it on a regular basis with a knapsack sprayer .
Fence inside this with a six foot high pen ( two rolls of 3 foor wire allow a finer wire at teh bottom & a much cheaper coarser mesh on the top pig ring clip them together every foot or so . A at the top of the support posts make an 18 " triangle of electric wire on reel drum  type  insulators with the apex of the wires facing outwards .
It's how they make pheasant & partridge  growing pens & really does seem effective in keepeing foxes & badgers out .

[Perris]

Trouble with hens roosting in trees is that in the Summer they fly down at around 5.00 a.m. when the foxes are still about and humans generally aren't.  Foxes know the exact location of every chicken house in their territory and will patrol them all every night, or in the daytime if the weather's bad.  I've known folks lose 15 birds over two days to mink.  Neighbour lost a fully grown gander to a fox.  You can be lucky for quite a while but then .....

You are absolutely right MF; I've lost 2 this way in 2 weeks