Just out of interest - how much is it supposed to hurt when you touch the fence? Mine really doesn't hurt that much...

I have spent the weekend installing my electric fence - it took quite a long time because I had to run quite a lot of cables. There are some pictures here: http://homechickens.co.uk/blog/?p=285 I think my chickens hate me now! They have all had a good shock off of it and have been very nervous ever ...

You only need about 6 inches into the ground for the earth stake? I tried to put the earth stake in today but it was difficult because of all of the roots. I have been reading some instructions on the internet but I think a lot of them are not applicable to such a small fence. They recommend burying...

Does anyone know how to attach a lead out cable to poultry net? Do I just strip it and tie it to the netting near one of the posts?

My fence arrived yesterday and I put it up in the garden. It is not powered yet, and not 100% in the correct place but it shouldn't be too much effort to move it. I have to admit, I found putting it up a bit more difficult than I thought. I think this is partly because I have a lot more fencing than...

Do I need to buy 2 lead out cables then? Where does the earth stake go? Near the fence or near the power supply?

Thanks for your replies - you've answered nearly all of my questions. I think I will scrap the idea of getting a gate - it seems like a waste of time. I also think that I would like to run mine off of the mains as it seems to be cheaper and better. I still have a couple of questions about the wiring...

I am thinking about doing away with my weldmesh run, and buying an electric fence for my chickens and was wondering if any of you have done the same. I would ideally like it to run off of the mains, but the place that I want the fence is on the opposite end of my garden to my garage (where I would i...

I have only put down stalosan - I don't have any mite powder and my local pet shop closes before I get home from work so I am going to pick up some mite powder tomorrow. I was really hoping that I could just try and reduce the number of mites by removing them (I'm sure what I have done must helped t...

Meg is not looking well today. She has been on her own and seems very sleepy. There is more info and pictures here: http://homechickens.co.uk/blog/?p=253.

Do you think the mites have made her anemic?

I'm pretty sure that they aren't beetles. They do look like mites - they have a swollen abdomen and lots of small legs at the front (although they are too small for me to count the legs). I'm also pretty sure that they were feeding on blood because I had blood all over my gloves after I removed them...

Thanks for the help guys. They do look like the mites that I found, but I'm not sure if the behaviour is correct. The site that you linked to seems to say that the mites generally live on the chickens, but on occasion can be seen in the coop. I found literally thousands of them in piles in the coop....

When I went in to clean out the coop I found thousands of tiny mites in the chicken coop. There are some pictures here: http://homechickens.co.uk/blog/?p=244

Is this what red mites look like?

I wouldn't worry about it. When I first let my girls free-range there were loads of scraps of silicone sealant in the garden. I saw one of mine eat a piece about 3 inches long and she is ok.

The timer is made by the same people as the vsb door opener. I think I saw them on a site called http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/. They are expensive though...

EDIT: here is a direct link: http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/VSB_Pophole_Door_Opener.html