Fencing

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Hi Everyone

Just joined within the hour and since saturday we have 5 waverleys. We are going through a sharp learning curve and this forum has been invaluable. We have a coop with a run and have been advised to keep them in for a week to get used to their surroundings. We would like to keep them free range but we are considering a fence. We would like a lightweight femce that we could move round with the henhouse. We do not want to go to the expense of an electric fence and probably a 25 metre length would do. Any suggestions ?

Where to buy, what material, and what price?

Any help much appreciated
 
Hello and welcome to the forum :)
You could buy some poultry netting- or eletric fencing ( just the netting without the fencing unit/charger etc)- they come in 25 /50 metres and are supplied with the poles- it is easy to move around and will keep most chickens in-as long as you lock them up at night in case of a visit by Mr fox that should do the trick.That way, if you do get fox trouble you can always buy a fencing unit and electrify it :shock:
regards, David :)
 
I got electric netting and the skylines fly over it even with their wings clipped! not sure what to suggest, sorrry
 
Hi, try clipping just one wing- and only the fight feathers- my hens, even leghorns don't fly over it and i don't clip any wings.
regards, David :)
 
if you don't want electric fencing,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200492666110#ht_577wt_909
you can try this stuff
 
Thanks Girl R for the link-We will be purchasing some of this as we made a laughable and slightly expensive mistake a few weeks ago!

After tiring of treading in the poops from patio through to the lounge we decided to section it off from the vast amount of grass for our free ranging girlies.

My girls were not amused- we had no idea they could squeeze through such a small gap in the net. We then resorted to adding and securing the bottom rung with twine (to make the holes smaller) so they now jump up to the second layer of holes and manouevre through it. It sure makes us laugh. Best of it is their enclosure is 5x the size of the fenced off area, and still they walk up and down the perimeter fence pecking the grass on the other side - "The grass is always greener" !!

When they need to lay, our d'uccle launches herself through this flawed 2nd layer, darts into the metal shed, to settle in her fav place- a garden trug. When job done she happily squeezes back through the so called fence to re-join the flock. When the gate to the fence is open they can't work out how to get through, I literally have to stand in the space and coax them .....As for the sablepoot, she just flies over but can never get back.

At least we can now walk from door to patio and down to the shed without side stepping the poops, which might I add are cleaned up daily!

Arnt they so very amusing!!
 
lol im glad you have a poopfree walkway :lol:
i use that fencing to keep the chooks in and electric netting to keep the dogs out
 
A chap down at the allotment that I frequent has 'aquired' some fencing from the council for his hens - it's the solid metal fencing like you see around building sites, festivals and so on...

He has added some wire mesh at the bottom, burried to stop the fox but even people can't get into it!

Electric fencing is ideal as it can be pegged out and moved around though. Personally, I would bite the bullet and buy an energiser just to be safe. It costs far more in hens (and upset) than the energiser will ever cost you.
 
I'm new to keeping chickens, we picked up some ex-bats about 6 weeks ago and they're doing really well. I've just seen the Private Lives of Chickens and saw how easily the fox got to the girls. I'm now definitely getting an electric fence. One query though, won't it electrocute the chickens as well or is that a silly question? And secondly, does anybody have any recommendations? I need it to be flexible to move around with the coop.
 
I have been using electrifed fencing for years now, and have never lost a bird to the fox..outside the fence, unfortunately one hen, that I can deal with.

Chooks do get a shock when they naturally investigate, its quite funny, they usually aim a vicious peck at the nearest hen assuming they had been pecked from behind! They do learn very quickly to avoid the fence. Saying that I observe carefully new stock, to make sure the are OK, and would be careful with very young stock they don't get stuck before they learn to be wary of the fence. So, when first turning on the fence do so during the day.

On a cautious note if you have cats, make sure while you are around they get a shock, not at night where there is a risk of a cat getting stuck and panicking. I have four cats and have never had a problem mind, wouldn't want to scare anyone off with cats!

Going back to the fox, I have even watched the fox walking cautiously around, not once attempting to breach the fence.

Regarding the equipment always go for a far more powerful energiser than you actually need, then it will cope with less than ideal conditions without shorting completely and leaving your hens vulnerable, I have a suspicion that the fox knows somehow when a fence is off, so even when I am around during the day I keep the fence on.

Electric fences whilst being very effective, do need regular checking, a fence tester I feel is a must. Most breaches by the fox of an electric fence is purely down to human error.

Hope this helps! :)
 
Sounds like excellent advice from Foxy - Yes, I've lost some birds for the first time this year because my fence was shorted by a clump of grass. :(

Interesting thing was it must have been like this for some time and the fox didn't come. The night he came it was very wet and the grass was well and truely sodden. It would have been providing a good short circuit to the fence when wet.... Clever Mr. Fox.
 
Just like to add that i recently bought a electric fence from that well known auction site.
I managed to get the 5 foot high posts (40 of them), a 10km energiser, 400 mtrs of 20mm tape and 600 mtrs of wire for under £200.
Just remember if you do go electric, make sure it is placed 8 to 10 feet away from any object that the fox can stand on, including boundary walls, sheds, tree stumps etc.
Also it appears to be a waste of time electrifying the bottom strand of wire. If, like mine, the bottom strand is within 2 inches of the grass, then you will spend most of your time strimming it down. Also I have noted that the hens invariably stand on the bottom wire as they pass through, this seems to have little effect on their feet as the wire is going directly to earth and it is the second strand of wire which eventually makes them jump when it touches their backs.

cheers

steve
 
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