The Poultry Keeper

Squidge · Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 242 Location: Folkestone, Kent

I have been given some electric fencing and would like to ask members a few questions. The fencing is without a power source and I don't know how one sets it up. Also some of the netting has been chewed through and broken, how does one repair it? Also it is only 3ft high so a fox can jump over that can't he? Will he? Thanks in advance for your help.

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

A fox could jump it, but they like to be able to 'touch' the top wire/rail etc of anything they clean jump and an electric fence is wobbly. They try to get through first and discover what it is, so aren't keen to touch it again. You'll need an energiser and a 12v Leisure battery to run netting. If the broken bits are the ones with the wire running through, you need to repair it with some more of the same. If it's just the vertical spacers, polypropyline (?sp) string is easier to work with than the plastic and is also non conductive. Somebody will give you advice on how powerful nan energiser you'll need. It depends on lengthe (usually 50m) and the number of live wires. They range from 15 downwards.

Woodburner · Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 11:09 pm Post subject:

I don't have any first hand experience and very little second hand even but a while back I did a lot of research into it. If your run is close to a mains power outlet, you can get energisers that run on mains rather than batteries, (well you only need one, but there are lots out there.) There is also wire for repairs to the electric lines. I recall something about the earth spike having to be a certain distance away, but can't remember the details.

Not all the wires are live they alternate live and neutral, so that foxy still gets a shock even if his feet are off the ground as they would be when he jumps.

nigel · Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:29 am Post subject:

Woodburner · Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 8:44 am Post subject:

Flipping heck! I've just checked and you're right. How daft can you get? (The suppliers, not you. Smile

)
The whole point of having so many wires is so that foxy will get zapped whatever height he tries to breach the net at, even if he's jumping/climbing and that won't happen if only the bottom wire is earth. Brick wall

Edit: Alternate wires need to be earth all the way up the fence.

Also blue emphasis added.

Link to the defra manualAdded
Page 24 has the specification for keeping foxes out.
Page 2 shows the bottom wire as earth return wire

Sparklepeeps · Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 1955 Location: Cheshire

Squidge, I dont know how to fix chewed electrical fencing. But I do remember someone asking about where to buy an electric fence repair kit a few months ago.

One of the familiar crew offered to send a spare repair kit they had hanging around... was that CP? I cant find the original thread, which is a shame as that might have pointed you in the direction of someone with experience of repairing one.

Have you got any further with the fence yet?

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

nigel · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 6:26 am Post subject:

Woodburner · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 10:34 am Post subject:

Itsybitsy, you missed this bit:

nigel · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 11:56 am Post subject:

I use the standard netting and have never had a fox breach a net that is powered up. It is my experience that foxes come in nose first to investigate before attempting to jump. Once they've hit the netting and been zapped they tend not to try again.

Woodburner · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject:

stephen · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 12:37 pm Post subject:

The bottom wire is pure polypropylene. No wire at all. It's therefore non-conductive. That's on both our nets from the UK and our German supplied nets.