Part 0800.0005

[lillybettybabs]

I have taken the plunge and bought a elcetric netting kit so my girls can have a little freedom without the fox (hopefully) getting them. Has anyone got one of these kits and any advice and tips?

[chicken bark]

I've got one and I'm glad I got it. Well I got all the bits separately but it is easy to set up.

 

Something I might try, although I haven't yet, is putting a weed membrane on the floor and fixing the netting down through the membrane. This may mean I can have slightly longer between mowings as you do need to make sure that vegetation does not touch the second strand of the net.

 

I have put one extra post near the end to make a gateway - this apparently reduces wear on the fence.

 

Also I can't be bothered laying it all out first - I just start sticking the posts in a hoping they will all meet up at the end. This is NOT the way to do it. I waste so much time thinking I know best. So next time I will follow the advice and lay it on the ground first and then stick the posts in.

 

I have put the battery in a plastic lidded box to help keep the rain off, I then have to make sure this is as far away from the fence as possible so I haven't inadvertently made a handy fox step up.

 

So far so good.

[lillybettybabs]

Ahh... thanks for that.... The box thing is a good idea and i have something that will do the job. I can't wait

to see them out of the run and scratching around.

[..lay a little egg for me]

Electric netting is the way to go!

 

Three tips from me:

 

1) Our kit said to put the earth spike 1 metre into the ground. This was completely impossible in our ground, so it is only in about 30 cm but the fence still works fine.

 

2) I tried the membrane idea 2 summers ago but could not be bothered to use it again last summer or this year (so far) because it is a right fiddle-faddle if you intend to move the netting to allow the girls access to different bits of ground in order to reduce wear and tear and keep worm burden down. I used some edge-trimmers to trim the grass under the netting instead.

 

3) Keep your battery topped up regularly as it is completely discharging the battery that kills it, so even if it appears to have a good charge, recharge it often (especially if there is a lot of grass touching the fence which drains the charge)