Solar powered electric fence and door opener?

[Acanthus]

We are in our first year of keeping a couple of hens in the orchard, and so far oh let's them out each morning and shuts them up each night. Am thinking I might buy him a battery operated door opener for Christmas, does anyone have any advice about makes? Also, to move their pen around the orchard more easily I am thinking of a solar powered electric fence. At present their run is a fairly permanent fence,but we would like to be able to move them to a fresh area every few weeks. We daren't let them have the run of the place as we have foxes and badgers around. Has anyone any experience of solar powered ones? Thanks for any advice.

[Feral007]

No sorry, mine is battery operated. But it works with the dogs. Not sure if the chooks would cope with it. Might watch here, as the kelpie's might go thru the first yard and find the free range fast food, i mena chooks.

[Feral007]

No sorry, mine is battery operated. But it works with the dogs. Not sure if the chooks would cope with it. Might watch here, as the kelpie's might go thru the first yard and find the free range fast food, i mean chooks.

[kathyd]

We have a battery powered poultry netting fence too, and so far it's been fine. The dogs have been zapped a couple of times and now avoid it, and a couple of chickens have also been zapped but have survived to tell the tale, and to gossip about it with each other for weeks. The main problems we've had are:

1. You need soft ground to get the spikes in - our's is quite stoney and it's been a pain. Had to resort to drilling holes at one stage!
2. Some of our birds can just fly over the top if they feel like it, although generally they don't (just to remind me it's porridge time, or some other similar emergency). The 2 newbies duck underneath if they want out, although again they don't usually bother. So you may need to consider wing clipping and pegging down the fence between the posts.
3. You need to keep the grass and weeds cut very short, because if they start to grow up and through the fence they steal all the electricity and push it into the ground instead. Cutting grass under a netting fence is also a pain, especially with stoney soil! However, if your soil is nice and soft you shouldn't have that problem .

However, on the whole we're really pleased with it and would highly recommend them to others. I'd be cautious about solar powered though unless you know it works even with very little sunshine?

[cptncrackoff]

You could get a 'normal' energizer, and one of these....

Sealey

They trickle charge leisure batteries perfectly for electric fence units, and it would be alot cheaper than buying an energizer with a panel built in.

[Glutton4...]

I have both and wouldn't be without either; I have a VSB door opener (G**gle it) and I have a solar panel that keep the battery topped up on my fence. It does have to be replaced occasionally and recharged properly, but we keep a spare (old Landy or Bus batteries are best). Bought the lot on fleabay.

[Glutton4...]

Just a quick update!

I was looking on fleabay for some prices for someone, and noticed that SHEEP netting kits are around a tenner cheaper than poultry netting kits. They are also usually orange with yellow poles, not green/black, so are easier to see!

Just saying...

[cptncrackoff]

^ at work we sell poultry netting and rabbit netting, the poultry is taller but alot more expensive, the rabbit is, i beleive too short for chickens.
I have no idea about sheep...honest!

[elizajay]

Size of gaps may be big enough to trap a chook??

[RichmondHens]

Sheep netting has larger holes than poultry netting. I have used some unelectrified as a temporary barrier fence on occasion but found even large birds can get through it.

[jessmorris]

I have a VSBi door opener and its brilliant. No complaints at all except the instructions which are brief to the point of terseness. i've run an electric fence off a car battery which works but you have to keep the grass down which is quite boring!