# Polywire Electric Fence



## margeaux

I decided to go with a 6 strand polywire electric fence for my two Nigerian dwarf does I'll be getting in a few weeks. They'll be in a partially wooded area with uneven terrain so it seems like a fairly easy and cheap solution for our situation. We also might want to expand or move their fenced in area. 

There's some good info online but I'm surprised by the lack of some specific information, or maybe I just haven't found the right sources. 

My main question is how to connect the 6 wires to the charger. Everywhere I've been reading seems to only deal with a one strand Deb e in their examples. Do I tie them together somehow? Attach all 6 together on the terminal of the charger somehow?

The other big question I have is how to do a gate. Do you absolutely need to run the insulated wire underground to bypass the gate? Or is there a way to kind of splice the 6 wires together to make a single hot wire across a gate that can be removed with an insulated handle for entering?

Also, I've seen some info about alternating current of the wires or something like that? Like + - + - and so on. What's that about and how do I go about doing it haha?

I also have chickens and I haven't found a solid answer on whether or not the chickens and goats can be contained in the same electric fence. If the shock is strong enough to keep a goat in, is it too strong that it will injure a chicken? We're planning to do 6 inches from the ground for the first wire, then 6 inches between every wire, but 8 inches, then 10 inches at the top as per zarebas reccomendation. I hope that made sense. Is there a good voltage range that'll work to keep goats and chickens in and predators out?

Thanks for your help!


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## babsbag

I had chickens in my field with the goats and I did have one get killed by the hot wire, but it got caught somehow so was being shocked over and over. 

To connect the wire to the charger just use all 6 strands of the wire and twist or "braid" them to make one wire. Cut back the plastic insulation so just the wire is exposed and twisted together.

I tie my wire to a gate handle and then just hang it on the hot wire on the other side of the gate.  When I need to go through the gate I just move the wire. My dogs go over gates if I don't have the hot wire so going underground doesn't work for me.  As far as splicing the wire just tie it with a square knot or an overhand knot and then weave the ends into the wire for added contact. I have 5 acres of this wire and I really like it, easy to use, and it will last at least 5 years, even in hot CA. 

I can't help with the +- stuff. ???  Make sure you have a good ground rod, that is critical to success with a hot wire. As far as voltage, I use a 1 joule charger, but I also have a wire fence, the hot wire is just to keep them off of the fence.  I am not sure that one joule would be enough with just wire. Maybe 2 joules.


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## margeaux

Thanks for all the info! So sorry you lost a chicken to the fence. That's scary!

I can't quite picture what you mean about how you use your gate. If you could give a bit more detail I would really appreciate it!

I've read everywhere that a good grounding system is essential. I really hope we can get the grounding rods in. We have really rocky soil! We may have to try several places.


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## promiseacres

We have 1 grounded wire (no electricity to it) every third wire. Get a pulsing charger, that "should" prevent chickens deaths.
Some people do go overhead with electric. 
We like to dig a trench and go underneath.


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## babsbag

Not the best drawing. Hot wire runs to the gate post on both sides of the gate and ends there. Fasten a single wire to one hot wire and simply stretch it across the gate and hook it onto a wire on the other side. I make a loop in my hot wire so the hook on the handle has an easy place to hook. When you remove the wire to go through the gate just pull it back and hook it on the hot wire. Your fence will not be energized on one side of the gate when the gate is open, just something t remember.

Like @promiseacres said ...You can also go overhead. I have one gate like that.  I use the fiberglass step in posts and wire tie them to the fence post to make them taller and then just run one wire overhead to tie it into the fence on the other side. 

I do have a pulsing  charger but my chicken got caught between the wire and a tree and that was it.


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## mysunwolf

margeaux said:


> Thanks for all the info! So sorry you lost a chicken to the fence. That's scary!
> 
> I can't quite picture what you mean about how you use your gate. If you could give a bit more detail I would really appreciate it!
> 
> I've read everywhere that a good grounding system is essential. I really hope we can get the grounding rods in. We have really rocky soil! We may have to try several places.



About grounding rods: it depends where you are located and how dry it typically is, but we often use a few 3-4 foot rods and connect them (supposedly with insulated wire, but we just use fence wire), instead of one long ground rod. Again, it depends where the "moisture line" is in your ground--here, our water tables are high, and even in drought you can find soil moisture only a few feet down. 

As for chickens: make sure the fence is 5ft high! Unless you have heavy breeds, egg layers will fly right over 4ft. At least that has been our experience. 6 inches between wires should work fine for chickens and goats. The fence will not hurt the chickens (though +/- fences can), in fact their feathers tend to insulate them from most shocks.

To connect the wires all together: I cut a strand of polywire and go down the line of wires vertically, tying a knot at each wire, and essentially connect them all that way so it doesn't matter which one is attached to the charger. The only downside to this is you can't decide to turn one off or ground one or more (ex, the bottom wire for high weeds, or to alternately connect the wires to the ground separately).

If you go with alternating +/- wires: basically just connect the wires you want "hot" to the charger, and then the charger to a ground, and to make a "neg" wire instead of connecting it to the charger, connect it directly to the ground rod. Be careful as pos/neg fences like this are more dangerous (but also more effective, of course).

The joules on your energizer will depend on how many strands, how much distance they cover, how good your ground rod is, how wet your soil is. The manufacturers usually have estimated distances for their energizers. 

All this sounds like a lot of fun and a lot of money  We have three different electric fence systems up right now--multistrand polywire, electric net, and single wire--and they are a bit of a pain to maintain, but worth it for the greater control over grazing our acreage.


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## soarwitheagles

Hey babs,

Did the electrical wire barbecue your chicken and were you able to eat it?


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## babsbag

Not quite barbecued. I think a heart attack was more likely. It had a burned leg though where it got stuck.


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## tindi

We use a slinky gate that connects the electric fence across the front of the gate. You could connect one at the height you want. It has a plastic handle so you can lift it off and open the gate without having to turn the fencer off.


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## tindi

Do you have to cut all six strands? I know when my husband ran the barb wire and electrified it he went across the top all the way around then ran it down the post and looped it back.


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## Harveyhorses

Could you do one continuous run, start at the charger end, run all the way around, drop down to the next set of insulators and go back all the way to the charger side, etc. until you need a new roll, then splice it? I was taught the fewer splices the stronger the fence. We always used a small swinging walk through gate, with the one strand electric gate across that. 
Now I see the post before me says the same thing.


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