Design for solar powered electrical tape to keep out predators (fox & racoon)?

[bellcole]

I've had chickens in several different locations on my property over the last few years, and 3 years ago moved them into their final home, which is a raised coop off the back of a shed, with an automatic door opener, motion activated lights, and a fully fenced run (chicken wire over 2x4 inch pool fence wire). The run is NOT covered - the coop and run are at the edge of the woods, so the hawks generally can't see them. However, due to the close proximity to the woods, I've had foxes and raccoons pick off my birds, mostly in the early spring when they are quite hungry (and very bold - they've attacked even during the day.)

This year, I added 18 inches of hardware cloth aprons completely around the pen, extended the height of the fence to 6 feet with hardware cloth bent away from the interior of the pen, and added more hardware cloth above the door and the top of the coop (the coop is not in the interior of the run, but forms one of the walls of the run). I'll try to post a picture tomorrow.

I happen to have a solar powered fence charger, 3 ft and 4 ft posts, and a lot of electric tape that I used for temporary fencing for my horses. I'd like to set this up as an additional predator barrier around the run, but I'm not sure of the best design.

My questions are:

1. How far away from the existing fence should the electric fence be?
2. How many and how far apart should the individual electric tapes be?
3. How high should the fence be (what height should the highest tape be set at)?
4. Anything else I should think of?

The foxes have attacked by digging under the fence, so my hope is that this new electric fence will keep them far enough away that they won't dig (plus the hardware apron should keep them away as well.) They also attacked by running and jumping over a low point in the fence (which I have since raised). I think the electric fence would deter this behavior as well.

The raccoons did their nasty raccoon game by staging themselves along the fence and waiting for the chickens to panic and run back and forth along the fence line until they (the raccoons) could stick their nasty little raccoon hands through and grab the birds by their necks, and do...you know what they do. That's why I added the chicken wire over the pool wire that was there before (two layers of wire all the way around the run). I would really like them to not get close enough to try anything. Would the new electric fence keep them far enough away?

By the way, the motion activated lights are worthless for scaring off the predators.

Thanks for any thoughts you have!

 

[schrody]

1. Maybe a foot to a foot and a half with a welded wire footer
2. I'd start at 8 inchest from the ground, then maybe another at the top. If you can have a razor wired angled top to prevent climbing over, that would help
3. 3-6 feet? You could get 7' or taller T-posts and hammer the top foot into a 45 degree hangle for anti-climbing measures
4. Unbaited live animal traps along the perimeter. Medium or large, idk how big your foxes are. I only use 1 but if your raccoons work in teams, get 2 or more. I suggest unbaited for a few reasons:
   1. Doesn't draw animals towards your coop
   2. Curious predators are likely to investigate and get trapped anyway

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I did the lowest 2 rows of hot wire 6 inches from ground and each other. Then every 8-10 inches for a total ht of 4 ft. I bait the bottom and top with raw bacon or sardines. After a week they get the point that nothing good comes from that fence.
You need a good shock, too. I use 1.3 joule AC fencer. How many joules is your fencer?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I did the lowest 2 rows of hot wire 6 inches from ground and each other. Then every 8-10 inches for a total ht of 4 ft. I bait the bottom and top with raw bacon or sardines. After a week they get the point that nothing good comes from that fence.
You need a good shock, too. I use 1.3 joule AC fencer. How many joules is your fencer?

I will add that my fence keep away everything- bear, bobcat, coyote (easily).

 

[bellcole]

1. Maybe a foot to a foot and a half with a welded wire footer
2. I'd start at 8 inchest from the ground, then maybe another at the top. If you can have a razor wired angled top to prevent climbing over, that would help
3. 3-6 feet? You could get 7' or taller T-posts and hammer the top foot into a 45 degree hangle for anti-climbing measures
4. Unbaited live animal traps along the perimeter. Medium or large, idk how big your foxes are. I only use 1 but if your raccoons work in teams, get 2 or more. I suggest unbaited for a few reasons:
   1. Doesn't draw animals towards your coop
   2. Curious predators are likely to investigate and get trapped anyway

Couple of questions - what is the purpose of the welded wire footer? If I understand what you mean, it's the same wire that I use on my run right now. I'm looking to provide another barrier that will give them a shock if they try to get closer to the run fence. I don't think I'd be able to electrify the welded wire without having grounding issues.

I appreciate your comments about live animal traps. I'd rather not do that - I can't relocate a raccoon if it's trapped (rabies vector) and I don't think I'll ever be able to keep up with relocating foxes - I'm at the edge of about 15 acres of woods and fields that have hosted many dens of foxes over the years. I just want to coexist with them.

 

[schrody]

what is the purpose of the welded wire footer?

It is parallel to the ground to prevent animals from digging under the fence

 

[bellcole]

I did the lowest 2 rows of hot wire 6 inches from ground and each other. Then every 8-10 inches for a total ht of 4 ft. I bait the bottom and top with raw bacon or sardines. After a week they get the point that nothing good comes from that fence.
You need a good shock, too. I use 1.3 joule AC fencer. How many joules is your fencer?

NorthwoodsChick - thanks for your reply. I had forgotten to mention that a coyote has started making the rounds in the past year - it hasn't hit any chickens that I know of, but has been spotted on game cameras. So I want to ward them off as well.

I just checked my fence charger - it puts out 1.4 joules. But I now realize that I won't have enough sunlight by the coop to charge it, and I can use a plug in system, as I have easy access to electricity by the coop. Do you have a suggestion for a good charger? And how far away from the run fence did you position the electric fence?

Did you have a camera in effect to see them test the fence? I'm not certain I want to bait it, as I really don't want to draw attention to it now. I have only had an issue with predators in the early spring - no matter where I have positioned my coop/run.

 

[bellcole]

It is parallel to the ground to prevent animals from digging under the fence

I already have an 18 inch apron on the run fence - made of hardware cloth. I'm thinking I would put the electric fence near the edge of the apron. Maybe even place it 12 inches away from the run fence, meaning that it would stick out another 6 inches away from the new electric fence. What do you think?

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

NorthwoodsChick - thanks for your reply. I had forgotten to mention that a coyote has started making the rounds in the past year - it hasn't hit any chickens that I know of, but has been spotted on game cameras. So I want to ward them off as well.

I just checked my fence charger - it puts out 1.4 joules. But I now realize that I won't have enough sunlight by the coop to charge it, and I can use a plug in system, as I have easy access to electricity by the coop. Do you have a suggestion for a good charger? And how far away from the run fence did you position the electric fence?

Did you have a camera in effect to see them test the fence? I'm not certain I want to bait it, as I really don't want to draw attention to it now. I have only had an issue with predators in the early spring - no matter where I have positioned my coop/run.

no camera to monitor. But my poor pooch Max learned to avoid yellow wires the hard way. He’s ok- American Bulldog- likes to chase moose- (which DID take the fence out) once.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

NorthwoodsChick - thanks for your reply. I had forgotten to mention that a coyote has started making the rounds in the past year - it hasn't hit any chickens that I know of, but has been spotted on game cameras. So I want to ward them off as well.

I just checked my fence charger - it puts out 1.4 joules. But I now realize that I won't have enough sunlight by the coop to charge it, and I can use a plug in system, as I have easy access to electricity by the coop. Do you have a suggestion for a good charger? And how far away from the run fence did you position the electric fence?

Did you have a camera in effect to see them test the fence? I'm not certain I want to bait it, as I really don't want to draw attention to it now. I have only had an issue with predators in the early spring - no matter where I have positioned my coop/run.

I fenced a good sized area around the coop to include an island of trees for shade and cover.