fence charger sizes question
 

I was hoping that this might get touched on in another thread, but so far no good!

I was lucky enough to get 164' of the electrified poultry netting at half price last weekend. My question is: What size charger do I need to keep in goats?

What size do I need to keep out raccoons, if it is different than the first question.

Thanks in advance!!

hollym

I think if you have a small area clear of grass and weeds that will touch the fence, you get by well with the first inexpensive model you find. Put in a good ground rod.

I have a more expensive model from TSC that had to be repaired a couple of times after lightning. While it was being repaired the last time(TSC sent me a new replacement) I bought the least expensive one that they had for a stand-by. I did invest a little in the cermamic lightning arrestor and have had any problem with lightning for several years

Thanks! Do you mean the one that is around $25? I eyed that one, but the guy that 'knew fencing' was too busy to talk and I had work to do, so I didn't stick around, figured I could come ask ya'll and get better info anyway.

I was going to use it first to fence in a 40' square spot in back for the goats to eat, I have a lot of grass back there. I know they are supposed to be browsers, but I've been tethering them out front when I'm working outside on the weekends and they have seemed to really enjoy being able to graze. The drawback is that I have to run crowd control, and detangle a lot, lol, so I didn't want to have to keep running in the back to check on them if possible. I also have easy access to electricity back there so I can get a cheaper a/c charger for now.

hollym

That should work. It will not be a weed burner so any than green that touches it will reduce its "hurt"

I have not found any electric fence/charger that I can hold on to if it is not shorted out and is well grounded.

I thought goats could get out of anything.

Thanks! I'll be sure to weed whack the perimeter.

In theory they can, yes, mine are minis and crosses and I have had great success most of the time with the 52" cattle panels once I barricaded the one spot that they could balance on a 2X4 in their shed and leap 4' across and over to get out!

So the elec netting may not work for them, but I'm also planning to use it to protect my hens after the grass is gone. We just have a LOT of tall green grass for a change after the rain we've had this summer, and I thought it would be simpler to let them get at it, then to cut it and bring it to them.

Thanks for your input

hollym

get the most powerful one you can afford you want be disappointed, the bigger the better.

Hey Holly! Will you have access to AC or does it need ot be solar powered?

i agree. especially with goats. they will walk through anything that doesn't half electrocute them. even then they sometimes will take a chance if it means getting a bite of honeysuckle they can't reach.

i use woven wire with a 50 miles box on 2 strands of elecric and they stay in MOST of the time.

Hi! I will be able to use a/c for now, I have an outdoor plug on the side of the house.

Bigger the better, eh? That's the part that has me kind of stumped. I looked at some fence pictures and it seems that cows will stay behind ONE wire? Wow, I need to trade my goats in for a cow, lol. I know for a fact that goats will only stay in if:

A. They have no choice
B. They feel like it
C. They rarely feel like it, lol.

TS has battery, solar, and A/C, it seems that Northern Tool which is right by my office might have some as well? And someone mentioned Lowe's? I don't mind paying more for a charger if that will work better, it will just move the project back a couple of weeks.

hollym

I would think this one:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_10551_10001_36225_-1______14345|14359|14362|14363|36225?listingPage=t rue&Special=false

would work just fine for what you need! Let it charge several strands of wire - or one strand of tape - and you're in business.

Okay, that's one ugly link - but I can't figure out how to rename them since the board changed!

I have that poultry netting electrified fence for my goats. They have never gotten out yet. I can tell you from experience that it does bite-the one I have is for up to 6 miles of fence. I was only about 60' from the charger. Let's just say I won't be quilty of doing that again!

I would suggest clipping the electrical leads to the bottom two horizontal leads. This helps stop shorting and keeps the fence hotter.

I have sheep which are not quite the jumpers that goats are. I would suggest a minimum of 1.5 Joules. Don't use a solar charger - over priced and under powered. Put the charger at the house or barn and then run 17 gauge aluminum ideally or polywire out to the netting along step in posts.

Ground the charger very well. Putting the ground in a wet spot will help.

Better than a fence, get dogs who like to eat coon. We had coon here 20 years ago. Then we got our livestock guardian dogs. They eat coon, along with just about any other predator and pest. I haven't seen a coon around here in 18 years.

Here's some of our fencing experience:

http://www.google.com/search?&q=site%3Asugarmtnfarm.com+fencing
Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

IMO this is the best charger and the highest output for the money that you can buy.
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/...=2&pf_id=12151
It will meet any needs you may have and is well protected by dual fuses.

That's an good price for what for what you get.

You have to be careful of weed burner chargers because it will burn your netting wires. Cutting the first 2 ground level wires is a good idea.

I have 3 sections of poultry netting I use with a 110, 5 mile charger.
With 2-5' grounds in a damp spot, it with make your teeth chatter.
With a tester it shows about 3500V.

I have a problem with it drawing in lighting so I keep the charger next to the house so I can disconnect it in a storm.

Here ya go: $19.99

Thanks for that link cleanu, How Do I! I wanted to check out Pam's, since I respect her opinions, but my firewall kept blocking it, and I've been too busy to go to another computer.

Thanks to all of you for your input on this. I get so much good knowledge from all of you, it's really a valuable resource to me to jump on here and ask 'citiot' questions, lol, well, I'm not a TOTAL citiot, just a pseudosteader wannabe.

Anyway, I'm going to try a cheap charger at times when I can supervise the goats. There is a lot of really nice grass out back and they may not WANT to leave? Hey, it could happen, lol. I'm also going to get another length of the netting if they still have it. Then later on I will get one of the six mile batt. op. chargers and have some barrier for coons, and a movable pen for goat grazing! I realize they aren't grazers, but mine sure seemed to enjoy a change of scenery and diet. Thanks again for everyone's help.


hollym

If you haven't kept *goats* in by electric before, then you really can't know what it takes to keep them in...LOL! Nothing like cows or horses, let me tell you.
Especially if your trying to keep them in a smaller area with grass(they will want to go find browse).

Its reccomended that you not use less than a 6 *output*(not stored)joule charger for goats, and an 8 output joule charger is better. I use an 8 output joule charger and have been 100% pleased with it for four years.
If you start out with a cheapy, they will learn that they can go through it and you'll have a much harder time holding them even if you get a stronger charger. Essentially you are teaching them to escape by starting with a less than adequate charger.
Also, you should teach them its hot before just letting them find out on their own. I teach mine by shoving their nose into it. They quickly spread the word.
Just like with any other type of goat fencing, if you start out trying to "get by", you will end up spending way to much time trying to catch up.
Get the best one you can afford, ground it *well*, show the goats its hot and you will be pleased.
The charger I use and love is an American made Taylor Fence Brute 8. It really works.
http://www.grasslandsupply.com/produ...zers/index.htm

There are a lot of good threads on this topic in the goat section of the forum. Just do a search with the words "electric, fence, goats".

Point of Info For Electric fence Folks......
 

..............For all those with an electric fence , Single strands , OR multiple strands of Wire insulated from ground (i.e. the positive wire or hot wire ) will develop high levels of Static electicity during a thunderstorm ! This voltage is looking for a low resistance pathway Too Ground so it can discharge itself .
...............If , there is a lightening strike nearby , hugh amounts energy can be picked by your electric fence wire and it will discharge itself thru the charger and even into the electricial wiring , IF the charger is plugged into a wall outlet .
...............Solution......The best solution is too use a knife switch and Ground your "Hot Wire" and disconnect the wire from the charger until the storm is over with . At the very least , disconnect the hot wire and ground it in some fashion . By grounding you are giving the static charge a direct pathway to ground , which means you have preempted a static charge form Building UP on the wire . , fordy:cowboy:

Cheap, low power chargers, are a waste of money and effort IMO.

A few weeds touching the wire will render them useless in a hurry. Without a good jolt, nearly any animal will walk right through them

Remember, there are two sides to an electric fence. One side keeps the good animals in and the other, keeps the bad animals out.

Not the place to skimp, especially when your expensive livestock comes up missing.

Marty

Stay away from the chargers at TS that start with a Z.I took 2 back within 3 months and got a refund. Went and bought a ParMak solar,25 mile low impedance,single strand of high tensile wire inside my woven fence. The goats have learned not to get near it.

You haven't tried the cheap solar one that Harbor Frieght sells..... ;) Worthless. But of course, that is the gamble of that place.


In my opinion, like having 'too much' fun, you can't havea 'too big' fencer. Bigger is better in some things, and this is one of them.

--->Paul

This might be the case of a bad unit or something. I have two of these and like them. Mine are the, 100 mile units. I also had a 50 mile unit as well although that got killed by lightning. They replaced the 50 mile unit under warrantee. I now use it as a backup.