Walk in run or electric fencing?

[pigsinmud]

We got an eglu cube last year and am loving my chickens. After reading about fox attacks, I am worrying that my chickens are very vulnerable. We have fenced off part of the garden for them which they wander about in during the day and I shut them in small cube run when I go out.

Dh wants to go for electric fencing, but I would feel happier with the walk in run - mainly because I can cover it and actually keep their woodchips dry rather than it turning into a bog as it is at the moment! Also, I think they'd fly over the electric fence no problem. Can we attach electric fence to our current higher wire fence?

[Pixel]

What sort of posts has your wire fence got? Only I've never done fencing for chickens but we have these on the wooden posts of the fencing in our horse field so that we can attach electric tape without everything shorting out.

[Pixel]

P.s we have a walk in run for the chooks though.

[Melissakitkat]

We have a walk in run here as have list too many to foxes over the year but I would say that if you do a walk in run you need to dig a 1 foot deep trench then lay the fencing down in the trench and then up the wAlls - also it will need a roof - as we did not do this and the fox dug under! We are now going to do the trench put the wire fencing down then fill with concrete!!! We are so not feeding the fox again! X

[Melissakitkat]

Sorry supposed to be 'lost' not list!

[pigsinmud]

Our wire fence doesn't really have any posts - attached to the shed on one side and wooden fence on the other. The back of their run area is a wire fence with a hedge behind.

The walk in run we were looking at is the omlet one so we can attach it on the current cube run.

[WhatKindofFool]

In my experience, hens can fly over an electric fence even with clipped wings. You also need to check the fence every day to make sure that it isn't touching anything e.g., wet grass, vegetation etc because if it does, the charge significantly reduces. However, the advantages are that it is a more natural environment than an enclosed run and they cover a larger area.

[Backinthebox]

I lost all my ducks from inside an electric fence. A branch blew onto it on a windy night and shorted it. The fox had them all that night. I have walk in runs now.

[pigsinmud]

Now have walk in run up. I love it. Feel much happier. Dh swore like mad putting it up and made me promise I'd never buy an extension for it! My advice if you buy a walk in run from omlet, have the omlet chap deliver and assemble it. I was impatient as they couldn't deliver/assemble until mid march, so opted for courier delivery and self assembly......big mistake! Dh is unusually pretty good at assembling things, but this was a nightmare.

[WhatKindofFool]

Enjoy it! Definitely the safest option.