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Garden/Wildlife

Garden Fences…To keep wildlife out!

What they can keep out

• Woodchucks
• Coyotes
• Dogs not inclined to jump
• Rabbits
• Raccoons and skunks
• Foxes
• Deer
• Canada geese

What they can keep in

• Chickens that rarely fly
• Ducks
• Domestic geese
• Dogs not inclined to jump

The 2 styles/choices compared-

• More expensive per ft to buy (45 to 75¢)
• Faster, easier, simpler to install; 500 ft can be installed in an hour.
• More prone to problems from weeds growing into it.
• Stops/contains a wider array of species.
• Needs no tools, skills or extra strength.
• Usually netting is the best solution for smaller animals (rabbits, woodchucks, foxes, geese).

Multistrand:

• Least-cost option to buy (8 to 25¢), depending on number and type of strands, post spacing, etc.
• Can be nearly as effective as netting for certain species (e.g. raccoons).
• Less prone to problems with weeds growing into it.
• More prone to installation errors.

To make electric fences safer-

1. Because electric fences, by their nature, cause pain when touched. Anything that causes pain has a level of risk to humans.
2. Because all fences are a risk to human injury--we can fall over them or into them, etc. If they are electrified, this risk is enhanced--particularly if we can't or don't move away quickly.

Guidelines

1. Make them visible. Visibility is increased by contrast (that's why our fences are often black and white). Visibility is increased if grass and weeds are not allowed to grow into them.
2. Educate your family. Hang warning labels on the fence. Tell them not to touch it (particularly not their heads).
3. Allow space for people to avoid the fence--to walk along or around it.
4. Use the safest energizer. Premier's new HoriSmart energizers are specifically designed to reduce the risk that's inherent in electric fences. How do they do this? By controlling the pulse size available. Unlike other energizers, the pulse size from HoriSmart units does not increase when humans or animals touch the fence until 60 seconds has elapsed (to provide time for a person to move away from it).

Warning: Using electric fences near toddlers or small children is a risk, because they do not recognize electric fences as a source of pain. They also may lack the ability, if they should touch it, to move away in time. So never install (or leave switched "on") electric fences where/when they may be present.