What is Mr. McGregor's Fence®?
How does Mr. McGregor's Fence work?
How does an electric fence work?
Is the fence difficult to install?
How long does it take to install the 100ft kit?
What animals will the fence control?
Won't woodchucks/groundhogs burrow under it?
Won't squirrels jump over it?
Should I use an AC, solar or 'D' battery powered kit?
What If one side of my garden abuts a wall
What if I already have an existing fence
If I add a fence extender, will it overburden the electric fence
energizer?
Are your electric fence energizers safe and effective?
What is Mr. McGregor's Fence®?
Mr. McGregor's Fence® is a fence system designed to keep woodchucks, rabbits, raccoons, possums, squirrels and other small animals as well as deer out of vegetable gardens. It prevents animal damage before it starts and ensures that no future damage will occur. It is humane and ecologically sound because instead of trying to remove or destroy an endless procession of animal pests, it merely persuades those in the immediate vicinity to cut the garden out of their itinerary. The system is also convenient, because it has no buried parts and is so low that it needs no gate and can be stepped over. To bring in something heavy like a rototiller the gardener goes to the place where the fence parts come full circle, unhooks the connections, opens a six or seven foot long section and closes it up when they’re done.
How does Mr. McGregor's Fence® work?
The system is very simple. It consists of two fences, one a barrier fence, the other an electric fence. The two fences work together as a unit. Remember the little pet-safe, child-safe fence charger systems sold to contain dogs in backyard enclosures before the invisible dog fences came along? The electric fence is like that. But if you try to keep animals out of vegetable gardens with only an electric fence it won't work because the animals are pretty well insulated by their fur so if they don't touch the wire with a nose or paw, they're likely to trundle right on through and get no zap at all. However, if you put a low barrier fence a few inches behind the electric fence it will stop the animal long enough so that it will investigate the situation with its nose or paw and will then come in contact with the electric wire. This works whether the animal tries to climb over the wires or under them. It will get zapped and it will turn tail and go away.
How does an electric fence work?
An electric fence is an open electrical circuit waiting to be closed (completed). When the circuit is open no electric current flows through the wires. But when an animal standing on the ground touches the wire, the positive or “hot” terminal on the energizer sends a high voltage pulse of electric energy through the wire and into the animal's body. The energy flows through the animal and into the ground which causes the animal to be shocked. The electric current seeks a way to return to the energizer, travels through the ground, finds the ground rod and travels up the ground rod and back to the energizer’s negative or “ground” terminal. This completes the circuit. No electrical current flows through the wire when nothing is in contact with the wire and the ground.
Is Mr. McGregor's Fence system difficult to install?
The fence system is really easy to install. All you have to do is roll out a plastic weed barrier, put up an 18-inch high barrier fence, attach plastic snap on insulators (electric wire hangers) to 18" high green fiberglass posts, reel out and hang aluminum electric wire on the insulators, and connect the electric fence energizer to the aluminum wire. We provide clear and illustrated instructions to ensure that someone unfamiliar with fence systems will have no difficulty installing the kits.
How long does it take to install the 100ft Mr. McGregor Fence kit?
With the help of a friend it should take no more than 2-3 hours to install the complete system.
What animals will the fence kits control?
Mr. McGregor's Plus Fence® Kit protects against woodchucks, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, opossums, squirrels, chipmunks, cats and most dogs. Mr. McGregor's Plus Fence® Kit with Deer Protection will keep out all the above animals plus deer.
Won't woodchucks/groundhogs burrow under the fence?
People frequently ask why woodchucks (also known as groundhogs) don't try to burrow under the barrier. If they tried, their backs would probably touch the lower charged wire. But many years of experience with this system have shown that they don't try. Woodchucks are wary creatures, so perhaps they explore the barrier before making themselves vulnerable by climbing or burrowing and so discover the charged wire that way; or perhaps the barrier is so low that they invariably try to climb it and so connect with the electric wire that way. In any case, they do connect with the wire and they do go away.
Won't squirrels jump over it?
Although they could easily jump over the fence they don't do it.
Should I use the AC, solar or battery powered kit?
There is no difference in effectiveness between our kits. The amount of 'zap' the animal gets from each of these energizers is comparable. The solar and DC (battery) powered kits are very easy to install but need to be checked periodically to be ensure their battery is still charged. The AC powered kits are ideal if you have an AC outlet near your garden. The Plus kits with Deer Protection have slightly more powerful AC and DC energizers (but remain absolutely child and pet safe) that will tolerate more weeds.
What if one side of my garden abuts a wall. Does the electric part of the fence
have to come full circle in order to complete a circuit?
No, it doesn't. You do have to be sure that all the active wires are connected together
and that the energizer is connected to them at some point. But the wires work fine whether or not they go full circle.
If You Already Have a Fence or Want to Design your Own
Tall Fences
If you already have a chain-link or tall wooden fence and want to mount electric fence wires on top of it you must first ensure that the invading animal is grounded at the moment it touches the electrified wire or wires. (See also "How does an electric fence work?") You can do this in 3 ways:
1.) For a wooden fence run a 6"-12" strip of bare chicken wire (no vinyl coating) along the fence at a place where the animal's feet will be when it touches an active (electrified) wire with a nose or paw. Then run a grounding wire (electric fence wire or insulated wire) from the chicken wire to the ground terminal on the electric fence energizer.
2.) For a bare metal fence (chicken wire or chain link) no grounding material is needed because the fence itself is a conductor. Be sure to keep the electrified wire out of contact with the fence at all times. You will also need to run a wire from the chicken wire or chain link to the ground terminal on the electric fence energizer.
3.) You can also run a ground wire in parallel with the active wire at the top of the fence, keeping the active and ground wires at least 4" apart. In this case the animal will have to touch both wires at the same time in order to be shocked. You will also need to run a wire from the ground wire to the negative terminal on the electric fence energizer.
If you are grounding the fence as in 1) or 2) above:
On wooden fence posts attach nail-on insulators directly to the top of the post. On chain link install a row of chain link insulators right near the top. Now run electric fence wire through the insulators the length of the fence. The final step is to run a piece of wire from the active wire on the fence to the active terminal on your electric fence energizer.
If you are grounding as in 3) above you need 2 wires (one active, one ground). On wooden fence posts it will be necessary to drill a 3/8" hole about 8-9" deep to allow the setting in of 18" fiberglass fence posts. Attach 2 snap on insulators (IN-01) to each post, the first 4-5" above the top of the fence (measurements after the fiberglass posts have been inserted into the wooden posts), the second 4-5" above that. Run electric fence wire along each row of insulators. Do NOT connect the rows to each other. Run a piece of electric fence wire from the active wire to the active terminal on your energizer. Run a second piece of electric fence wire from the ground wire to the ground terminal on your energizer.
Short Fences
If you already have a wire mesh barrier fence, held up by wooden fence posts or metal T-posts and want to electrify it, there are 3 ways to do it, depending on your fence setup:
1.) Run a line of 18" green fiberglass posts about 5-6 ft apart all around the fence at a distance of about 4" from the fence. Attach 2 snap-on insulators (IN-01) to each post, the first one at the top, the second one 4" down. Hang aluminum electric fence wire from the insulators (insulators are insulated wire hangers) forming 2 separate circles around your garden. Connect the 2 circles. Then connect the energizer to your fence by means of a piece of electric fence wire attached on one end to the fence and on the other to the positive (active) terminal on the energizer. Drive a ground rod into the ground and connect it to the negative (ground) terminal on your energizer by means of a length of electric fence wire. This setup allows you to step over the fence to gain access to your garden.
2.) On sturdy wooden fence posts you can attach 2 rows of nail-on insulators . The first row should be 4" above the ground, the second should be 8" above the ground. Hang electric fence wire from the insulators (insulators are insulated wire hangers) forming 2 inter-connected circles around your garden. Then connect the energizer to your fence by means of a piece of aluminum electric fence wire attached on one end to the fence and on the other to the positive (active) terminal on the energizer. Drive a ground rod into the ground and connect it to the negative (ground) terminal on your energizer by means of a length of wire. If you have a wooden gate, attach 2 rows of nail on insulators on the gate at the same height as the ones on the fence posts. Interconnect these two rows forming a circular run of wire. On the hinge side of the gate connect the wires on the gate to the wires on the fence with a piece of insulated hookup wire long enough to allow for some play when the gate is opened and closed.
3.) On T-posts you can attach 2 rows of T-post insulators. The first row should be 4" above the ground, the second should be 8" above the ground. Hang electric fence wire from the insulators (insulators are insulated wire hangers) forming 2 inter-connected circles around your garden. Then connect the energizer to your fence by means of a piece of aluminum wire attached on one end to the fence and on the other to the positive (active) terminal on the energizer. Drive a ground rod into the ground and connect it to the negative (ground) terminal on your energizer by means of a length of wire. If you have a wooden gate see instructions for 2) above.
If I add on one of your fence extenders, will it overburden the electric fence
energizer?
There's almost no chance of that, because all the energizers we use can handle
up to half a mile of system without difficulty.
Are your electric fence energizers safe and effective?
Yes, besides being child and pet-safe they are effective. That's because they
don't have to stun an enraged bull. All they have to do is administer a little zap-
something a bit stronger than the zap you can deliver to a friend on a dry day after
shuffling your feet along a carpet.
