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Author Topic: Electric fencing.... Any good  (Read 13570 times)

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #15 on: January 02, 2011, 06:50:29 pm »
its an electric shepard we have it burns the vegitation of as well but we strim below the wire as well they have to be properly earthed with copper rod

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #16 on: January 02, 2011, 07:40:12 pm »
Right on the nail.  Earthing is very, very important.  That means at the very least a long spike going well into the ground - especially when the ground is dry

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #17 on: January 03, 2011, 02:35:39 am »
you have to keep wetting it

trefnantbach

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #18 on: January 03, 2011, 10:48:31 pm »
Re keeping foxes away from  poultry,
My neighbour always keeps a radio on close to where his chooks are. He swears it keeps the foxes away and another lneighbour lost a lot of poultry to foxes when the battery in his radio went flat! - Ok if youve got mains power close by

Womble

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • Stirlingshire, Central Scotland
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #19 on: January 04, 2011, 12:56:50 am »
Earthing is very, very important.

OK, stupid question perhaps, but does the earth spike need to be anywhere near the fence itself?  For example, if you had a netting kit powered by a mains energiser, via a 50m lead-out cable, would you just put the earth spike in the ground near the energiser, or would you need to run another length of lead-out cable so you could drive it in closer to the actual fence?   :dunce:
"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." -Terry Pratchett

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #20 on: January 04, 2011, 01:47:53 am »
It shouldn't make any difference where the earth spike is.  It will usually be more convenient to have it near the energiser especially if its mains but don't try to use the house earthing system or you'll get interference. 

We had some cable put in recently to our stables which ran alongside the lead-out cable from the energiser.  While they were connecting it up we had to turn off the fences because they were getting little shocks from induced voltage.  Use solid core lead-out cable: high voltages are different.

If you have sandy soil I'd suggest multiple earth spikes. It really pays to get this right: we didn't at first and had trouble with low voltages then one day heard underground sparking at the earth spike.  A bucket of water made an instant improvement but I reinstalled the earth properly (had just banged the spike into some rubble) and never looked back

There's some suppliers web pages here but remember they're selling!

http://www.rutland-electric-fencing.co.uk/PageAnimalPoultry.aspx
http://www.gallaghereurope.com/uk/getpage.asp?i=79
http://www.rappa.co.uk/fencing-guide.cfm?cat_id=1024


NorthEssexsmallholding

  • Joined Dec 2010
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #21 on: January 04, 2011, 04:11:09 pm »
so is it generally considered that electric fencing is more fox proof that just wire mesh stock fencing?. 

I am unsure whether to fence them in with posts and chicken wire or just use the elctric poultry netting.  It would have to be battery powered as its not near mains.  The hens will be securely locked in at night, but I just dont want any chances of foxes getting in there in the daytime. 

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #22 on: January 04, 2011, 05:55:55 pm »
I didn't have time for a short answer so here's a long one.

Our orchard is fully rabbit fenced on post and rail fence because we want to keep the horses and bunnies out and the chickens in.  Last summer when the 21 yo was left in charge for a few days he forgot to lock the chickens away at night and we lost all seven birds from two different coops, killed and taken away.  We tracked them for 400m across a main road and into thick scrub, so it wasn't a two legged thief but a very persistent fox

The problem with a solid fence is that the blighter can jump on to it, so you need to have either very high fencing or some other dissuasion.  With the horses the obvious answer is stand-off electric tape near the top so fox can't land on the top bar.  For good measure we added another line lower down.  When the snow came we could see fox tracks coming from the same direction as before up to the fence and along but with no successful entry.

The advantage of chicken netting is that it is much quicker to install and to move and the fox has to jump it in one go 'cos it's floppy.  The disadvantage is that 'cos it's floppy it sags and I found it hard to keep the voltage high enough because of earthing out at ground level especially when it rained.

Have you looked at those coop doors which automatically shut at dusk?  The chickens will always roost at night and the coop is the safest place.  Or patience and a shotgun.

NorthEssexsmallholding

  • Joined Dec 2010
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #23 on: January 05, 2011, 11:50:37 pm »
The netting would be more suitable as I will need to move them around, it also sounds a decent barrier from foxes although this will depend on the voltage.  But I am also tempted to do as you have done and make a permanent fence as well as electric tape as I would be happier knowing that they wil not get out from the netting as I know they can do.  Back to the drawing board.

THanks for the reply.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #24 on: January 06, 2011, 07:10:45 am »
If you have cows in the same field, a single line of electric tape at cow nose height in addition to/just outside your netting might be better, as the cows might otherwise just flatten your netting.

Chicken pellets are irresistabe to all other lovestock!

NorthEssexsmallholding

  • Joined Dec 2010
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #25 on: January 08, 2011, 08:35:14 pm »
where do people recommend buying electric fencing netting?  We dont have Mole Valley Farmers in East Anglia.

mab

  • Joined Mar 2009
  • carmarthenshire
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #26 on: January 09, 2011, 10:25:44 pm »
I use a 1.6Joule ESB200 (battery powered) for my sheep (& chickens) as that was recommended for the well-insulated sheep. It's powerfull enough to kill grass, nettles etc when they grow into it, although it's still worth regular trims during the spring as the sheer quantity of growing stuff can exceed it's ability to kill 'em off.

Snow doesn't seem to affect it badly - I think it zaps the snowflakes in contact with the netting 'til they melt - but we haven't had bad snow here this year - yet.

I got my netting from mole valley (posted to me - I'm in Suffolk) as even with postage it was still cheaper than my local suppliers.

Biggest problem with the netting is that it has flexible posts with 6" spikes that don't provide much support in soft soil. I tie it to substantial stakes driven into the ground at the ends of straight runs to keep it under tension and to avoid the  bottom string drooping to the ground.

PS. you can get a 4 foot earth rod from screwfix for £2.65 (order code 13335-12) - the cheapest I've found.  :)

NorthEssexsmallholding

  • Joined Dec 2010
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #27 on: February 09, 2011, 05:31:38 pm »
Ive been looking into this a lot, I'm now thinking of putting up a permanent 5ft chicken wire fence and then using electric fencing as well.

 If im putting up a permanent chicken wire fence is there any point in burying some fence as you would for rabbit fencing?  I was thinking about doing this and then having some electric fencing wire, 2 or 3 strands on the outside to deter any foxes.  Could it be that a fox would jump the 5ft fence unless I put a strand of electric fencing about the chicken wire?

The reason I'm not going to use electric netting is because its going to be on land Im renting, and I won't be there all the time, I'm worried about it being stolen.  At least with a permanent fence there is a barrier, and the electric strand fencing will be less obvious and not as expensive.

waterhouse

  • Guest
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #28 on: February 11, 2011, 09:02:24 am »
You're as paranoid as I am!

I'd put a line at fox nose level and another at the top where the fox would land when jumping over

NorthEssexsmallholding

  • Joined Dec 2010
Re: Electric fencing.... Any good
« Reply #29 on: February 11, 2011, 10:50:49 pm »
yes paranoid is the word, but I wan't to try to get it right from the start so those pesky foxes know I mean business!

 

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