Fence Energisers for vermin

[Sandpit Farm]

I am busily setting up breeding pens for my gamebirds. I have always used old sheep battery energisers to keep foxes and cats out but I had a disaster last year (they are on very uneven ground and a fox got into a large pen) and with one of them now knackered - I’m ready to consider something new.

I’m going to buy a new energiser. It needs to work from a 12v battery. What would be best?

 

[betternextyear]

If you buy big fancy fencers, be careful ,they frequently get stolen. Then you will be worse off.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I wasn't hoping to get a big fancy one. I just wondered if others with gamebirds had had success with a particular fencer. I guess it needs to be over 1J in output.

I was going to set up a perimeter fence around all the breeding pens (there are 3 - each around 10m x 20m) with chicken wire about 4-5ft high. I was going to run 3-4 strands and possibly one at about 4ft (arguably that would be a fox that had jumped and therefore wouldn't give a shock but presumably if it is in contact with the chicken wire, that will be earthed and would therefore shock the fox?). The perimeter would double up as keeping sheep out and keeping foxes at bay.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

About £65 for a 1.2J energiser on ebay

 

[Kidds]

I use stand off insulators to make it a bit more difficult for them. Having the top wire coloured as in white plastic wire or tape makes it look even harder to jump. Most of the wire is high tensile plain wire and use insulators off telegraph poles to strain against.

 

[Sandpit Farm]

I use stand off insulators to make it a bit more difficult for them. Having the top wire coloured as in white plastic wire or tape makes it look even harder to jump. Most of the wire is high tensile plain wire and use insulators off telegraph poles to strain against.

Thanks for this. I did wonder whether to use tensile wire. I used it for pigs before and it was great. What energiser do you use?

 

[Kidds]

I don't think it matters what energiser, just make sure the battery is kept charged ( solar panel is a great way to do that) and keep vegetation from earthing onto the bottom wire.

 

[Dry Rot]

I came acros this manual the other day. Probably too much information for what you want. But the bottom line seems to be to give predators a good zap the first time and they don't come back. I don't think height is the critical factor as an electric fence is a psychological barrier and given one good shock they won't be returning to test it for a way in. That electrified chicken netting looks pretty good but expensive.

http://adlib.everysite.co.uk/resources/000/029/946/Electric-fencing-manual.pdf