Electric fencing?

[jersey bean]

Evening all!

I have a question about electric fencing. We will be moving somewhere with a field and I want to rotate the chickens, so I thought electric fencing would be the best option. My only concern is that the highest I can find is 4 foot, my chickens can easily fly over that. I am loathe to clip their wings as our dog would catch them if they still got out and in which case they need all the help they can get! I don't really want to create a couple of fixed runs.

If they have more room to roam will the urge to fly out the run be less? Previously in our garden they have flown up onto the coop which is about 5 1/2 foot high. Sometimes when they're startled they fly up at least that high.

I was thinking of getting a kit which would give me 40 foot square, we would get back up to 6 hens when we move.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you!

[RichmondHens]

Are they bantams or large fowl? My bantams are great escape artists and will get out wherever they can, however much space they have. They like plenty of cover in their pens too - bushes/trees to dig around under and somewhere to get out of the sun/rain. My large fowl however are much easier and I can keep them behind fairly low fencing and with the exception of one Light Sussex hen who insists on getting out to lay her egg under a particular bush, all the rest stay happily in their respective enclosures (well apart from the odd cockerel from time to time who thinks he can be smart and go and take a look at someone else's girls, provoking a fight).

40 sq feet doesn't sound very much for 6 hens though. Can you not let them run loose in the field, or do you need the fence to deter foxes? I think you may still have problems with them flying out unless you clip their wings as I suspect they will be lured by the need to explore the land beyond the fence. And I don't think you can get poultry netting higher than 4 ft, at least I've not seen any.

[jersey bean]

Thanks Richmond.

They are large fowl. It wasn't 40 square foot - it was 40 foot square i.e. 40 x 40 foot. The electric fence was more to keep the dog away (we have a greyhound, so if he suddenly 'explodes' into a run near them, they flap and his prey drive kicks in. No foxes here thankfully.) But electric fencing is not much good if they fly over. Just trying to find a happy medium where everyone can co-exist and i can easily rotate the chickens round the field so the soil also benefits!

I might have to stick with some very long poles and 6 foot netting. So long as the coop is nowhere near the perimeter they can't use it as a launchpad I had hoped for something that would be easier to move to fresh ground but whatever it takes to keep my girls safe.

[chris]

A not so cheap way would be to get some heras panels too - have them as the inner "fence", with leccy around it (that'll keep them in and any unwanted foxes out - incase you ever do get then).

Or like you say, some 8' thick canes and netting threaded through them (debris netting? 3m wide would do).. even better would be metal or strong supports - but again, for 160' in length it could be quite pricey.

I guess the only other way is a muzzel, but I'm sure your dog (and yourself) wouldn't be too keen on that.

[jersey bean]

Thanks Chrismarks - will go and google heras panels - never heard of them! I've already got some strong 2m high plastic netting so I could probably make the run smaller and just move it more often. Think I would want to get some strong poles though as they would need to be hammered in each.

In fact I would have no problem with the dog wearing a muzzle - i don't know why more dog owners don't use them, tbh, it doesn't hurt them - and he is quite used it being an ex-racer but he is quite daft and I can see chasing chickens as a daily pursuit! They might never lay again! As for foxes - our closest landmass is France, 14 miles away - they'd have to be very good swimmers to get here!

[chris]

True, I did notice your location, but you never know.. stow-aways/idiotic people, etc

Heras panels are those metal fence panels used on buildings sites, etc to keep people out. People on my allotment site use them, not really pretty to look at, but they'd contain if netted in from the top. Alternatively, use that netting on top of the leccy fence!

[Hilary B]

Chooks will go a lot higher onto a perch than to fly clear over a fence that is too flimsy to land on (as electric usually is). If you decide to chance it, let them out when they are hungry, and offer food to get them back in after maybe half-an-hour first time (this only works if they are used to coming to you for food, or maybe for a special treat). Give them a chance to learn that there is food inside the smaller run.
The snag with putting a muzzle on the dog is... it works when he is allowed to be there, but what about the (hopefully rare, but I bet it happens) occasions when he shouldn't be there, but is? You can't keep him muzzled all the time! (I once had a similar discussion with my sister about putting the dog on a tether in the garden, fine until he sneaks out unexpectedly).
No foxes in Orkney either, but stray chooks were at risk from the bigger types of seagull (especially Greater Blackbacked Gulls!)

[its hilly]

You can get 5' high post for horse electric fencing. I had it round my horses paddock with tape rather than wire, set at narrow gaps. It kept all bar the odd chookle in too. And the odd ones just had to take a chance as I've never found wing clipping all that effective.

[Glutton4...]

I have 'regular' Chicken electric fence, but I also supplement this with an additional electric 'trip-wire' about 20cm above. For this I use the tallest plastic poles designed for Horse fencing, which I stake at regular intervals, and run a single (orange and yellow) wire, which is also running off the same electricity supply. One of my Ganders gets out periodically, but only when his Brother chases him.

This is the kind of post I use;
Electric Fencing / Fence 4ft Posts White PAIR | eBay UK

[jersey bean]

Thanks everyone, as I have just said in the 'veg' section - can always rely on GYO'ers for some good ideas and advice on what is without a doubt the friendliest and most helpful forum I have ever been on. If Carlsberg made forums it still wouldn't be as good as this one!

It has made me realise ther is no one answer to this and I need to really put my thinking cap on before forking out for anything. I don't really want to restrict the dog but do want my girls safe.

[Scarlet]

You may find that after a few shocks from the fence those chooks aren't so interesting anymore! It's worked with my Mums Jack russel....