RossBantams
Songster
I am diving into a much needed project. If you don't want to read the back story, just scroll down to the bold text ![Smile :) :)](/styles/byc-smilies/smile.png)
I breed and exhibit poultry and waterfowl. The catch is that I don't really have any land to keep my birds on. Technically I do have land, but it's about an hour and a half away from my mom's house, where I currently live. So, I can't keep my birds there yet. I can't keep my birds at my mom's house because she's crazy and lives in an HOA (the crowd boos). So, I keep my birds on one of my mom's friend's property. I have kept my birds on her property for about 5 months or so and it's been great. Unfortunately, the property owner informed me last minute that she is selling her property in a few weeks. They live in a VERY high demand area. They have not only a great house with detached garage and 3 stall barn, they are also on 5 acres with a beautiful pond and two fenced pastures. It's perfect for someone like me, but they're selling for about 1.4 million.
The selling of the property means I have to move my birds somewhere else. I was freaking out because I knew I had a hard time before, trying to find a place to keep them. I was pretty much ready to move out to my (completely RAW, never ever lived on) land. I was planning on living out of a cheap yurt and moving my birds out there. I wouldn't have water, sewage, or electric. I would be completely off grid. But I refuse to give up my birds.
Luckily, a lady offered her land that she isn't living on currently. It has a very small barn with an attached covered area. It's pretty much perfect for what I plan to do.
Testing Out The Electric Fence
I bought a 1.2 joule solar electric fence energizer, polywire, step-in posts, and a voltmeter. All of my birds will be secured in coops or show cages, so the electric fence is not to keep them in. The fence is to keep predators out. The land is in a rural area near thick woods, so I'm trying to eliminate any chance for a predator to get into the perimeter. The fence wil basically be a circular shape, running around the barn and the outside coops. I still need to knock some brush down, but that'll be done when the rain stops. Anyway, I have built an electric fence start to finish. I worked on my university's farm and repaired electric fences, but never built one. I am supposed to get the last piece of the fence in tonight and I think I have an idea.
I think I am going to grab three or four step in posts, and the other materials, and construct a mini electric fence. The point being that I want to test my ability on a smaller scale before I try and build a 180 foot perimeter fence. I think this is a good idea since the test location is my house. This allows me to troubleshoot with all of the tools and computer access I need. So basically, I'm building a tiny electric fence to make sure that I know what I am doing before I go out to the property to build the real thing. This also allows me to make sure all parts work together properly. I will keep you all updated!
![Smile :) :)](/styles/byc-smilies/smile.png)
I breed and exhibit poultry and waterfowl. The catch is that I don't really have any land to keep my birds on. Technically I do have land, but it's about an hour and a half away from my mom's house, where I currently live. So, I can't keep my birds there yet. I can't keep my birds at my mom's house because she's crazy and lives in an HOA (the crowd boos). So, I keep my birds on one of my mom's friend's property. I have kept my birds on her property for about 5 months or so and it's been great. Unfortunately, the property owner informed me last minute that she is selling her property in a few weeks. They live in a VERY high demand area. They have not only a great house with detached garage and 3 stall barn, they are also on 5 acres with a beautiful pond and two fenced pastures. It's perfect for someone like me, but they're selling for about 1.4 million.
The selling of the property means I have to move my birds somewhere else. I was freaking out because I knew I had a hard time before, trying to find a place to keep them. I was pretty much ready to move out to my (completely RAW, never ever lived on) land. I was planning on living out of a cheap yurt and moving my birds out there. I wouldn't have water, sewage, or electric. I would be completely off grid. But I refuse to give up my birds.
Luckily, a lady offered her land that she isn't living on currently. It has a very small barn with an attached covered area. It's pretty much perfect for what I plan to do.
Testing Out The Electric Fence
I bought a 1.2 joule solar electric fence energizer, polywire, step-in posts, and a voltmeter. All of my birds will be secured in coops or show cages, so the electric fence is not to keep them in. The fence is to keep predators out. The land is in a rural area near thick woods, so I'm trying to eliminate any chance for a predator to get into the perimeter. The fence wil basically be a circular shape, running around the barn and the outside coops. I still need to knock some brush down, but that'll be done when the rain stops. Anyway, I have built an electric fence start to finish. I worked on my university's farm and repaired electric fences, but never built one. I am supposed to get the last piece of the fence in tonight and I think I have an idea.
I think I am going to grab three or four step in posts, and the other materials, and construct a mini electric fence. The point being that I want to test my ability on a smaller scale before I try and build a 180 foot perimeter fence. I think this is a good idea since the test location is my house. This allows me to troubleshoot with all of the tools and computer access I need. So basically, I'm building a tiny electric fence to make sure that I know what I am doing before I go out to the property to build the real thing. This also allows me to make sure all parts work together properly. I will keep you all updated!