Electric fence?

[frias]

is there any way to add electric netting to my permanent run as a kind of "run extender"

Hard to describe but the hens are housed in their house in a covered permanent run - I'd like them to use that at night, but from what I can see, the LX fence will only work if it's in a complete loop. Rather than the "horseshoe" design that'd let them go a bit into the field.

Anyone help ?? Thanks in advance

My girls are in a completely enclosed run where they are at night and early morning. My electric fence is an extention that I move around the lawn which is in a 'horseshoe' to allow the girls access back into the main run for food and nestbox. I find it works fine. You don't need a complete loop. I move it about and the grass never gets long as the girls decimate it completely. You could put a strip of carpet under the fence if the grass does get long or just strim it.

[Nicos]

The one I bought has this ability.( if I understand correctly???)
My run is a big horseshoe shape with a wall at each end.
I bought a special switch which allows one run and/or a second run on at the same time ( I'd just need to buy some more netting.)
Why not give that company a ring and see if I've got the roight end of the stick-( or talking utter rubbish!!)

oops- I've just read frias post - we've got the same thing!

[Twinkle]

Thanks so much. Finally got round to putting it up today and the girlies are SO happy at having more room to explore.
Our grass is pretty short at the moment - still recovering from the severe winter, but I have big rolls of Mypex membrane for work so will cut strips of that for under it when growth kicks in again.
Managed to get it over the uneven ground with the aid of corner-tensioners and tent pegs.

Also decided to leave it on 24 hours a day as we get foxes & pine-martens at night.

Just need another energiser now as I pinched the one off the horse's fence.

[Scarlet]

If you move it around often enough you will be able to throw the mower in the skip!

[Hinksy]

Can a Fox not just jump over the electric fencing? Found a cheap leccy fence kit on ebay which I was thinking of buying and installing before the old girls arrive at weekend, could the fox not just jump over the fence though?

[Nicos]

Electric fencing is floppy, so they can't half land on the top to clamber over.
Mine is 1.2m high- they may have a go I suppose, but if you've had your nose zapped a few times would you really be tempted to have a go??
I suppose if they are utterly starving they might- but in all my research I've not come across any reports of foxes jumping over- I'd have thought they'd be more tempted to dig underneath!!!

I don't think anything is going to be 100%- we can just try out best ( says she listening to the buzzards flying in the next field to my free ranging chooks!)

[Suechooks]

with regards to shorting out on long grass, the "approved" method by the RSPCA, DEFRA and uncle tom cobbly n all, when making a free range unit is to spray a 50cm wide strip under the netting with a broad spectrum herbicide that kills all the vegetation underneath. That way the grass wont grow up and short on the fence for several months.

The con to this is obviously the heavy chemical residue, but a disadvantage i can see from here with DPC (never used it so correct if i am wrong) is that being naturally water resistant, the rain could puddle on it and act as a conductor, or is your fencing fixed high enough away from the DPC??

Dont know i am afraid, have never used electric fencing but looked into it a lot last week when i thought i was having a 30 acre field to play with!!

The bottom row of wire is not electrified so if you get tension right there's no problem. My supplier told me the energiser was powerful enough to allow a bit of earthing anyway. I regularly test voltage and even after and during the snow it never went below 2000 volts despite the battery bein g outside!

[frias]

My husband often tests ours, unintentionally!

[mr darcy]

My husband often tests ours, unintentionally!

haha, our dog peed on our horse fence once...only once

[Twinkle]

I'm prone to testing the horse fence with my backside when ducking under it..... it works...