The Poultry Keeper

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1426 Location: Leicestershire

I have an occasional unwelcome visitor who only calls in the day and takes a chicken with him when he visits, I've decided he has had enough now and have taken various steps to prevent his entry, but can anyone tell me how high does a fence need to be to stop it being jumped?

Itsybitsy

rubychik · Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2006 6:32 pm Post subject:

ooo poor you IB...I've read somewhere that they can easily clear 6ft, maybe if you did 8ft with an electrified wire around the top.....hope somone can give you a better idea!

dafydd wynn williams · Joined: 26 Nov 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Gwynedd North Wales

I doubt an electric wire atop an 8' fence would be of use, unless you have a fox that can keep one leg on the ground at this height!!

I would agree that a fox can tackle a 6' dry stone wall - by clambering up the last couple of feet, but very much doubt it could get over a 6' fence.

If an electric fence system is available, your ordinary chicken height fence enclosure with a couple or three of (wire) electric strands about a yard away should give it something to think about. Beware the ability to dig though.

Dafydd.

nigel · Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:51 am Post subject:

I agree with what Dafydd has suggested, our paddock in the UK was just normal poultry wire with and outer ring of 2 strands about 3 foot away. Although we knew there were loads of foxes around we never lost anything

As I understand it a fox comes in nose first and is likely to be stopped by the outriggers, also if he can't get to the base of the chicken net he's less likely to dig.

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1426 Location: Leicestershire

Yes - thanks for all that useful info, I have an odd shaped field so am having to use a variety of tactics including double height sheep mesh, and 4 strands of electric, 2' away from a fence I know he's coming through but I can't sheep mesh, and electric mesh somewhere else. Where he's coming through he can't dig because it's a railway line so all ballast and brambles.

Thanks again - I know I'm on the right track now.

Itsybitsy

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 3414 Location: Monmouthshire

It's worth bearing in mind that a fox rarely makes a clean jump (like a horse) but prefers to touch the top of the barrier for extra pull or push. Electric poultry netting is only 4' high, but wobbly, so they don't jump it. When snuffling along the bottom for access it's usually the cold wet nose that catches the lower wire as the bottom one must be pulled taut.

mojo · Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:57 pm Post subject:

i gather watering the ground in front of the bottom wire makes it bite more

Itsybitsy · Joined: 11 Feb 2006 Posts: 1426 Location: Leicestershire

Thanks henwife - I'd wondered about the jumping and kinda thought it wouldn't be able to tackle something wobbly.

Well after a couple of hard days grafting I think I'm now fairly well covered, just one iffy place in a hedge and a gap between my fence and the signal box which could give him access to the railway's picket fence, I think a spiral of wound barbed wire could do the trick there. I did nearly slide into the river as I was tying the electric wire to a hawthorne bush growing in the bank!

Thanks again all

Itsybitsy