Thought I'd start a thread dedicated to electric fencing.

Share your thoughts and experience here.

I got my first setup to keep my dogs out of the garden over a decade ago.  Now I'm slowly getting into livestock in this new location I've ordered electric netting.

Got this Friday and he's it set it up Saturday to see how it feels.  I won't need it till a bit later when my ducks are fully feathered.

My only issue is a bit of OCD.  The gate that I got throws the perfect square off of the fence by 48" over the 100'.  I'm thinking that moving the gate out a bit will throw at least the corners back into square so I'll try that setup.

What I have so far: 

• 100'  PoultryNet Plus 12/48/3
  
• 100' Pig QuikFence 6/30/12
  
• Solar powered 0.60 joule energizer
  
• Fence tester 
  
• 4 support posts
  
• Gate.
  

I hope to have the flexibility to run poultry, sheep and pigs moving them across the property.





Pig fence measurements.

I had an old one that finally gave up the ghost. I shopped around and found I could buy this fairly cheaply from Zareba.

http://www.zarebasystems.com/zareba-15-mile-ac-solid-state-charger-a15

I had it for a couple of years keeping my pit bull from tearing down the wooden fence. He would literally rip the 1x4 dog eared pickets off the fence, break them in half, chew them in half. Used it with regular 17  ga aluminum or galvanized wire, the light weight stuff.

Last year, I moved a garden that I had at a business location, further towards the back of the property and the hogs started moving in. I took the fencer from the house and moved it out there. Bought a roll of polywire and it works fine. http://www.gopjn.com/t/2-215656-43737-137077?sid=j0sdfazpje00zk8a02lk7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tractorsupply.com%2Ftsc%2Fproduct%2Famerican-farmworks-poly-wire-1320-ft  

I either use t-posts with a donut insulator or I spent $2 on the little insulated pickets. I've got several "gates" where I can take it down and mow. The whole place is only 7 acres, and the charger seems to do alright for the little bit we have fenced. I'm working right now on extending.

Less than a week after I moved the charger, my pit bull figured out the wire was dead and he tore out about an 8ft section of fence and just would run around playing with whatever neighborhood kids he could find. He's just a big dopey dog, but I figured someone might shoot him. I was tired of replacing boards, so I went out and bought welded cattle panels and put them up against the fence.

http://www.gopjn.com/t/2-215656-43737-137077?sid=j0sdfb0gwe00zk8a02lk7&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tractorsupply.com%2Ftsc%2Fproduct%2Ffeedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h

He then figured out he could stick his head through this, rip at the fence, then pick up the panels (that we were wired together), crawl under and escape.

So then the t-posts were put in and the whole thing was tied down and electric fence wire was rerun.

I shopped around for something more backyard appropriate and ended up with this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00536X0AS?tag=vglnk-c102-20

Cheap, but effective. He finally gave up tearing down the fence. This one is continuous low voltage, while the other ones pulse. I swear they can hear the pulse and know when it's unplugged.

I've been using electric netting in combination with traditional hotwire for several years and like it.

You need to rethink your charger size though.  Nets bleed off a lot to weed and ground contact.  4 joules is the smallest charger I use for sheep - with 2 6' ground rods.  They really need to learn the lesson the first time and to never want to test it again.  Same with any yotes or dogs in the area.

View out my office window this morning shows some of it.