Barbed Wire

[llombardo]

will this work to keep raccoons out, I have a heavy duty net, but I was trying to find something to put around the eve of the top of the enclosure.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Use electric fencing to secure the top of the fence.

Because of its greater ability to transmit electrical power, I feel that barbed wire makes a good positive conductor for the purpose of making an electric fence. I also feel that its larger size will encourage various vermin (like raccoons) to reach out and grab ahold of the fence while its scary appearance will discourage children and childlike adults to touch or play with it.. Once a coon does that he will likely become a lifetime-vegetarians or in other words lose all future interest in a chicken dinner at your expense. However coons being coons that doesn't mean that you can neglect helping his fellow coons become one with mother Earth. This is especially true seeing that where there is one coon that there may be dozens.

Remember that for an electric fence to perform whatever touches it (be it Man or Beast) will need to be grounded so that the positive current has a good path to ground or Earth. If everything is installed right a charger with 3 juils or more of power should make a dead mule get up and run off if everything is well installed. This is why birds can sit atop 7,500 volt power lines because the current isn't flowing through the bird but buy passes them because it has a better or more direct path to Earth.

 

[llombardo]

The problem is they would jump from point a to point b--electric fence won't work because they wouldn't be on the ground. I cut back thicker branches in one area, but they are climbers, so they can climb at any point and walk the top of the fence. The enclosure is about 3 ft from fence. So they can attempt to jump from fence to enclosure if adventurous enough.

I'm confident in the electic fence around the bottom. I got 8 strands and it goes past the half way point. It's just the darn top being so close to that fence. They could play leapfrog--from trees to fence to enclosure--tree to fence is about 3 ft.

Other option would be putting another electric fence in the enclosure around the coop and the duck house at night, but I would have to be able to move wires daily to let them out and about.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Two ground wires 6 inches apart with one hot wire ran half way between them will make an almost impenetrable barrier 6 inches wide. All that is needed then is for the predator to touch the hot wire and one of the ground wires at the same time for the circuit to be completed. Once the circuit is complete Illinoise Edison or what ever your electric company is called takes over and the predator will make a shocking discovery, that he or she has important business in the next county where the chickens don't "bite" back.

The term GROUND is not referring to soil or dirt but the Negative (-) Pole of an electric circuit.

 

[RWise]

Electric fence with the ground ran to the fence wire (and a ground rod of course), hot wire at top, center and bottom.

 

[True Patriot]

Run your fence controller as close to the fence as practical. Connect the "hot" side of the control to your net or conductor wires per instructions. Drive the ground rod between the control and the fence. Connect ground wire from control to rod per instructions. Connect a second INSULATED ground wire from fence to rod. This will make the fence earthed. Anything touching the hot wire and the fence at the same time will now be shocked.

 

[llombardo]

Run your fence controller as close to the fence as practical. Connect the "hot" side of the control to your net or conductor wires per instructions. Drive the ground rod between the control and the fence. Connect ground wire from control to rod per instructions. Connect a second INSULATED ground wire from fence to rod. This will make the fence earthed. Anything touching the hot wire and the fence at the same time will now be shocked.

And this won't short circuit it?

 

[llombardo]

So I'm running a second insulated wire to ground rod. How does that make fence hot if no wire from hot side/controller is connected to fence?

 

[RWise]

Many run the ground wire to earth ground and the chicken wire fence. Then the hot wire is ran to 3 or more wires (bare wires), Place 1 at the top, 1 near the bottom, and 1 near the center standing about 3 inches off the chicken wire.
When something touches both the hot wire and the fence, they will get shocked

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Barb wire will cut whatever it comes in contact with - chickens, children, ducks, etc. I have a nice scar on my leg from barely falling into a brand new bail of barbwire while playing basketball at a neighbor's in my youth. I didn't think it was much more than a scratch until I got home and then passed out in a tiny bathroom trying to look at my "scratch". It is probably a good thing I had jeans on.
I would just hot wire it as advised. I am trying to figure out how to keep my ducks safe as they want to perch high (muscovies) and stay in their run every night. But, I only have aviary netting over the top (hot wired run though). So, I am not comfortable leaving them out all night.