do electric fences kill birds

QUICK TIPS: Remove vegetation under an electric fence and use an intermittent charger to avoid shocking birds.

by Rose and Trev Clough, Wikimedia Someone asked whether an electric fences poses a threat to bluebirds. I had to do some research. I knew that birds could safely perch with both feet on high-voltage power lines without getting zapped. This is because electricity is always looking for a way to get to the ground. Since the birds are not touching the ground or anything in contact with the ground, electricity stays in the power line, in a closed loop.

I did hear once of an eagle dying after either stretching out its wings or a leg and touching a second wire, which opened a path for the electricity.

If a bird sat on the wood pole (which is buried in the ground) supporting the wires and then touched a wire, it could be shocked.

Apparently it is possible for birds to be killed by an electric fence IF they touch the fence WHILE they are on the ground. The solution is to trim or kill vegetation underneath the lowest wire AND use an intermittent (versus continuous) charger for the fence.

Sign up or log in Sign up using Google Sign up using Email and Password

Required, but never shown

QUICK TIPS: To prevent startling birds, clear the area beneath an electric fence and use an intermittent charger.

It seems that if birds come into contact with an electric fence while on the ground, they could be fatally affected by it. The answer is to remove any vegetation growing beneath the lowest wire and to use an intermittent charger for the fence rather than a continuous one.

A bird could be shocked if it perched on the ground-level wood pole holding the wires and then touched one of the wires.

I have heard of an eagle that perished after reaching out and touching a second wire with its leg or wings, creating an opening for the electricity.

4 Answers 4 Sorted by:

If a bird eats at the fence line and touches the fence, even with a tiny charger like you have, boom! It is dead. To prevent horses and grass/berry vines from shortening the fence, we apply a fence line spray. Before we started eating weeds and spraying, we did have a few dead birds, but I haven’t found any since. Our charger is a 50-mile run at 15 kV with no shorts from grass or berries.

I did not notice you asked about dogs and kids. Children typically touch a fence just once before giving up because the shock prevents them from doing so again, unless they are as stupid as I was. When I touched a friend’s fence while wearing rubber boots, we were both startled, but I was expecting it, so perhaps that had something to do with my career choice as an electrician. lol. Dogs occasionally need to be shocked a few times before they realize where the biter was and to avoid the fence. I’ve never heard of a big animal or human suffering injuries other than the initial shock.

After switching to an intermittent charger, the birds were no longer killed by our fence.

I am aware that the electric fences have relatively low amps (much lower than, say, your home circuits), so the electric shock’s “bite” will be precisely thata bite or shock to condition The birds you mentioned are much smaller than we are, so an Amperage that seems small to us may be much larger than what they are able to handle. It’s similar to how touching the fence makes a difference. Not the one from the fence meant to discourage you, but the higher Amperage at the source (which is actually intended to be distributed to all the properties in the substation’s service area) would kill you. Besides, I’m sure a lawsuit against the manufacturers would have been filed by now if the fence posed a risk to children or animals.

put a rubber mat underneath where they keep dying. this will stop them from being grounded.

Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange!

Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!.

Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
expressing opinions and supporting them with references or firsthand knowledge

To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Draft saved Draft discarded.

FAQ

Can an electric fence kill animals?

Mammals weighing more than 45 kilograms generally survived an electric shock, but anything smaller rarely did. Mid-sized animals often became entangled in the fencing while trying to escape. Pietersen says the number of deaths among pangolins and slow-moving tortoises reflects how these animals react to danger.

Will electric fence kill squirrels?

Will an electric fence kill squirrels? One designed to keep 100 miles of fence charged probably will. It’ll kill them and small dogs too. Smaller fence chargers will just make them leave and never return.

Can an electric fence kill chickens?

Can an electric fence kill chickens? The regular ones like you would use for a dog will give them a good shock if they touch it with their head but only if they touch it with their head. It wont kill but it also cant shock through feathers.

How harmful are electric fences?

Electric fences are unlikely to harm people, pets or bears because the current or amperage is very low and is not likely to cause injury. However the voltage is very high, for this reason energizers send power through the fence wires in pulses, about once every second.