In an effort to verify that Electric Fencing is a distinct preventative to Foxes and was an sufficient chicken fence, I was able to persuade a farmer to sell me 25 culled hens and let me use a field on his farm for a trial using netting.
The birds were split into 5 lots and housed adjacent to each other in five 150m2 runs (50m net) with an arc in each. The arc was left open so the birds could move at will.
SHOCK YOU LIKE AN ELECTRIC EEL
Run One.
Control using plain chicken wire 1.8m tall, no electric fencing.
Run Two.
5 line approved fencing 1m tall and energised, no netting. Bait was used.
Run Three.
Standard Poultry Netting 105cm tall with builders' damp-course below the lowest line. Bait was used.
Run Four.
Livestok Sheep netting 105cm tall with builders' damp-course below the lowest line. Bait was used.
Run Five.
Wolf netting 120cm tall with builders' damp-course below the lowest line. Bait was used.
Runs two to five were associated to a 12v hotShock A15 energiser and registered 8000v when running. Three 1m earth rods were employed to take out any examine of poor earthing. The bait stations were treated with a proprietary gravy mix twice weekly for three weeks and then left untreated on the fence thereafter. The runs were set up in a line 5m away from the hedge line and three meters in the middle of runs. The soil was harrowed colse to the pens to allow inspection of tracks left by foxes.
The chickens and trials were inspected on a daily basis. The birds were fed and watered daily.
The first fox inspection occurred on night 3 when he tested a bait station on the Wolf net. His tracks indicated he got a shock and departed.
On night 5 a fox visited the site but did not effort entry to any of the pens.
On night 6, all hens in the operate were killed. There were signs that the fence was climbed over to gain entry. The birds were not replaced.
On night 7, the Livestok Net and poultry net were tested in turn by the same fox. He was shocked by both and departed. No effort was made to jump or climb over the electrified nets despite being low sufficient for a fox to do so.
Visits from foxes were noted on 18 nights over the next 12 weeks but neither the nets nor fence was penetrated. Only twice were any of the fences tested again with the fox simply walking colse to the area. The test was concluded down 12 weeks after the inception.
From this un-replicated consideration trial it is clear that Electric Fencing is an sufficient preventative to Foxes and has a distinct role in free range poultry husbandry.
Trial Results to Show the Effectiveness of galvanic Poultry Netting SHOCK YOU LIKE AN ELECTRIC EEL
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