relese pen electric fence

[Outlander]

Hi, we have our pen built and just need an electric fence to go round it , what sort is best for the job, and where is the best place to get one from??

Cheers

Outlander.

[Kes]

You can get stung with these things on the cost - electric shepherd is one I have used - easy to install. You can get them from Countrywide Stores but a bit expensive - try the net and e-bay for comparative prices. 12 volt battery powered and dont leave the battery out in the frost. Failing that you can go to a horsey place (feeds ) and probably pay a lot more for one. The poly wire is easier to use but the all metal wire is a better conductor - both cheap as chips.

[ColinF]

I also use the Rutland/electric shepherd units, I have 4 of the ESB 57. We keep the unit and the battery inside the pen for security, but had problems with the birds knocking the wires off the battery terminals. Putting the unit and battery in a box has cured this. I have also replaced the crocodile clips for the fence and earth wires with clamp bolts, as these can also get knocked off or broken easily. It is also important to earth the unit properly, earth rods are cheap (£2-£3) from places like screwfix

 

For the fence, we have two strands of wire at 7" and 14". I prefer the stranded galvanised wire to the poly wire, but both will do the job. Depending on what posts you are using, you will also need some sort of insulator to stop the wire from shorting out, but these are readily available and cheap

[rich1985]

Shame you don't live closer or I could have lent you one, as said electric shepherd you can't go wrong. Rich

[scotslad]

I'll be in the minority of 1 here, but i've never used an electric fence. I can see the benefits in some circumstances (ie high numbers of badgers or soft soil) and even most of the keepers i help or beat/pick up for don't use electric either. Not saying don't use them but not absolutely vital if ur pen is well made and popholes are well designed

 

Never really heard of many foxes getting in a pen by digging in,if u have plenty of overlap and well pegged or grown in, if they do get in tends to be somehow getting over wire, jumping off a tree/stump/fence post or throu a pophole or ho;e in the net

 

Any agri shop or fencing shop should sell all u need, as others have said if u goto a horsey place might be dearer, Some shooting/gamekeeper suppliers might also sell them, i know Solway Feeders does

Rutland do make good units, just make sure the vegetation is sprayed off to stop any shorting and wire can't touch the net, pophole wings are always a place to watch

[Outlander]

Cheers rich1985 thats a very kind offer.

[Quickshot]

Any Mole Country Stores or similar sell various types...

 

Their own brand, made by one of the big manufacturers but branded as Mole Valley, cheaper than branded versions.

Rutland, very good, but very pricey.

Gallagher, not had much experience with them, but most reports i've heard are good, average price.

Hotline, good, reasonably priced, and some models can do dual power, so can either be plugged into a mains supply for grazing in the winter, and then can be used on a pen with a battery in the summer.

 

All Depends on whether you want a small unit which can take D cell type batteries or whether you want to use a leisure battery unit which can give a bigger punch when charlie sticks his nose on it. Either will do the job, its just whether you have any other uses for it when you finish with it next to the pens.

 

ATB

 

QS

[Outlander]

thanks for that info , it will only be used for a small pen every year .

Cheers .

[WGD]

I'll be in the minority of 1 here

Make that 2

[r1steele]

Make that 2

3

[Alycidon]

ALWAYS use an elec fence, call it an insurance if you want. use a 12 Volt one that connects to a leisure battery ( looks like a car battery but different internally), birds always knock the leads off, thats why you go down at first light and late evening at least.

 

I use Gallaher, got some that are 30 years old and still going, sheep tend to eat the wires so they need replacement fairly often. Rutland is as good.

 

Water the earth pole to get a good earth.

 

Posts with insulators on them every 5 -10 yards, a 150mm or so length of alkathene pipe over the wire where is goes through lead in funnels to pop holes, make sure no grass. brambles etc are touching the wire. Wire about 300mm from the netting fence and about 250mm - 300mm high, soem use an extra strand further out and/or off the face of the netting about 4 feet up. Never felt the need for that to be honest. Its easier to see the white plastic wire but I prefer the solid metal wire, seems to give a better jolt.

 

Wire can be tested using a wooden handled spade, ground the spade, hold onto the wooden handle and hold the edge of the blade about 1-2mm from the wire, it should spark and it earths through the spade. Do NOT pee on the wire !!.

 

Carry a rifle at all times if you can, certainly at the dawn visit at least.

 

There is a Countrywide store in Towcester that could probably help, got a feeling there is or was a similar type of store near Sandy, just off teh A1 after you go through to sandy from Willington, head northup the A1 about 300 yards, turn left in some trees. Been a few years since I have have been down that way though but I worked in Bedford for almost 30 years. Browns at Leighton Buzzard will be able to help for sure.

 

A

Edited July 12, 2014 by Alycidon

[TIDES EDGE]

An electric fence is a must IMOP no matter how good your perimeter fence is a fox cub or small vixen can squeeze in through a pop hole grid.

Any of the units mentioned will do just make sure you have a spare battery charged up and swap them over regularly , also run spur lines out from the main electric fence every so often this stops foxes etc running round the pen and spooking the birds , I have a single strand running round the top of the perimeter fence this stop cats from jumping over the electric fence at the base and climbing up the wooden poles and getting in .

I am very fortunate my pen is close enough to our shoot hut to run a mains energiser to it so no worries about flat batteries just power cuts.

[Alycidon]

An electric fence is a must IMOP no matter how good your perimeter fence is a fox cub or small vixen can squeeze in through a pop hole grid.

Any of the units mentioned will do just make sure you have a spare battery charged up and swap them over regularly , also run spur lines out from the main electric fence every so often this stops foxes etc running round the pen and spooking the birds , I have a single strand running round the top of the perimeter fence this stop cats from jumping over the electric fence at the base and climbing up the wooden poles and getting in .

I am very fortunate my pen is close enough to our shoot hut to run a mains energiser to it so no worries about flat batteries just power cuts.

 

 

I saw an adult fox one night get through sheep netting at a low level, about a 3 inch wide hole. Just seemed to beam through, then I shot it !!. I thought there must be a hole in the wire but I could not find one.

 

Never had an issue with a cat in a pen despite having a heavy farm cat population about half a mile from two of my pens.

 

 

 

A