# Electric fence, mesh or strands to keep Fox out?



## secuono (Apr 25, 2012)

Ok, I think I'll cave...

Our sheep are Babydolls and they don't even challenge a rope hanging in a doorway. 

We have a pony who will find a way through everything, only the 4ft field fencing keeps him in. He is my major worry! 


Right now at the back, I have 2 boards on top and then the bottom 2ft is rabbit fencing w/the small holes that gradually get larger towards the top. 

Another section of the back is 3.5ft pallet fencing, was barbed wire, dog got stuck on it, so I took it down. I'll add 60in 2x3 fencing in it's place, since two 12ft pole gates separate one section of fence and the other. 

100ft right side is 4ft chainlink loosely over sagging 4ft field fencing and on top of all is a wood board and 2ft of small mesh wire fencing. 

Opposite 100ft side is now brand new 60in 2x3in wire fencing. Behind it is 6 strands of barbed wire that the owner/neighbor does not keep up, so posts are rotting out and there are strands missing here and there. 

The two gates I'll be adding dirt to make the ground level with the gate again. The cable guys f-ed up a long stretch of ground when they were putting up a new line. Also adding 2x3 wire onto the gates themselves, so nothing can just slip through the poles. 

So if I tear down the back fencing mix and add electric, what should it be? 
Woven electric chicken wire, less holes to go through. 
Or many strands of hot tensile wire? 
Maybe even electric tape? 

Any other ideas or thoughts? Should it be 4 or 6 strands? I need to keep the fox out and the crazy pony. Please tell me the best solar charger for the situation as well. 

And the whole grounding in a wet area, don't have one. So what do I do about that? I've heard of some people dumping a bucket of water 1x a day on the grounding pole spot. Is there any other way, like a buried bin of rock and water?? Or is that crazy dangerous and stupid...?


Pictures to help get what I'm saying. 
Close up, you can just barely see the rabbit fencing at the bottom. Pony has messed up the boards and their wonky.


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## secuono (Apr 26, 2012)

Yea, thanks, that really helps.....



Guess I will just add one low strand all around the outside perimeter at fox/coon height and call it a day.


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## daisychick (Apr 26, 2012)

I think a fox would go right over the rabbit fence bottom section and go through center section of the 2 boards.   Maybe an electric wire about a few inches off the ground and on the outside of the fence so if the fox touched it first it would back off.   You have a lot of fence to fox proof and foxes are so smart.   I have no idea how to do the grounding of the solar charger, my DH did that for me.  We have a solar charger and then a wire hooked onto a grounding rod that is pounded into the ground and that is all I know.   We irrigate a lot and the ground does get wet there and we haven't had any problems.   Electric wire with lots of strands down toward the bottom and at least one on the top should keep a pony in and a fox out.   Hope some of that helps.


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## secuono (Apr 26, 2012)

Found a site and it seems they do it a bit different.






Another say's to make the bottom line 6in off the ground, next one at my knee height, which would be the fox's nose height. So 24in? 
And lastly, one on the very top of the fence if the wires are going over another fence. If not, I guess 3ft for the top wire. 
http://keeping-chickens.me.uk/getting-started/electric-fencing-chickens 

If I took down the new 60in fencing, I could add the 3 lines on my side of the property, but use their posts. 6in, 24in and then 36in. 


I'm wondering how to do the gates. One of them is closed and I can wire over. I guess the others would need to be 2 or 3 lines of Rope Gate. At least 3 for the back. For the driveway gates, maybe I can do just one or two near the bottom? 
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=463&cat_id=45


My biggest obstacle is trying to get three 6 foot rods into the rocky ground....how the heck do I do that w/o hiring someone who will charge me an arm & leg to have it done professionally???


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## secuono (Apr 27, 2012)

Ordered the solar box kit, gonna set up the wires during the week and hopefully have it all running the day the kit comes in!


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## secuono (Apr 29, 2012)

Lost my last, expensive SF rabbit last night...no noise from any animal, just lots of digging and a dismembered rabbit...
All are now in hanging cages.


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