Electric fence question

[Merski]

We have put a low to the ground electric fence up around our just seeded winter squash bed. We have woodchucks! My question is can we shut off the fence when the leaves get really large? I've heard that the prickly undersides of the squash leaves are unpleasant to animals and may deter them. Has anyone had any experience with this? Our dog likes to play in this area but we will now need to keep her away from it.

[razz]

Sorry not much help but to add that it may be more than woodchucks that you are keeping out like rabbits, feral cats etc. I would leave it up.

[Merski]

Thanks Razz. I'm also thinking if there's a remote controller on the plug I can turn it off and on...

[mattj]

Here's a link to an excerpt from The 64 Dollar Tomato that addresses both woodchucks and electric fences.

http://williamalexander.com/64dollartomato/inside.cfm?page=excerpt

This was the part that your story reminded me of...


As did Superchuck. He was coming into and going out of the garden so frequently now it wasn't uncommon to see him penetrating the fence from my kitchen window. Once I actually saw him crawl through, jerking violently from a shock, and continue on. He was willing to absorb a 10,000-volt shock to get a tomato! This was not supposed to happen. The whole idea of an electric fence is deterrence — pain — and it is based on the science that animals do not like shocks. But Superchuck had figured out that the shock wasn't going to kill him, and after all, I was growing heirloom Brandywines.

[Merski]

Ha haha! Let's hope that superchuck did not sire any mini-superchucks on Massachisetts!

[daisy]

Our electric fence is on a timer, set to only come on at night. Our fence is made for small animals, so it just plugs into a regular electrical outlet and we use a lamp timers on it. When we were installing it, I read that birds could be killed if they touched both the hot wire and the wire of the fence, so I wanted the fence off during the day time.

[kenh]

daisy, I suppose it's theoretically possible for birds to get a bad shock, but that low voltage plus their heavy insulation (claws and wings), make me doubt it.

[The Storyteller]

I have electric around my entire 8 acres. I also run electric poultry netting and use it for movable pasture.

We us 3 joule 17,000 volt energizer and leave it on 24/7. It can't kill birds because they won't be grounded. Once your dogs get zapped a couple times they won't get near it. Not even goats or cattle will brave it. No way a groundhog will, not if you have enough joules.

[boss mare]

I have dealt with electric fences for over 43+ years having owned horses .. Birds cannot get hurt as they are not grounded just like Storyteller states I have not used eletric wire for years.. I use tape It is white plastic and has wire filaments (sp?) woven into it... come in all widths mine is 2 1/2 wide much more visble than standard eletric fencing wire and have pressure treated 4 X4 posts set every 12 feet three "rails" the lowest one is 10 inches from the ground THis keeps dogs out and horse from sticking their heads under the fence and eating ... because the grass is alway greener/better on the other side of the fence :) All of my dogs have been zapped once that is all it took