Frequently Asked Questions

Q How does an electric fence work?

A A basic electric fence for critters works like this: The fence energizer's  + (positive, active, red) terminal sends an electric current out onto electric fence wire.  The current immediately looks for a way to flow back to the - (negative, ground, green) terminal and thereby complete a circuit.  Only once the circuit is complete does the animal feel a shock.
There are multiple routes the current can take on its journey from one terminal to the other and two of those are shown below.

A Simple Electric Fence Installation on Moist Soil
The current sent onto the electric fence line by the + (positive) terminal finds no way to return the the - (negative) terminal so it sits there, waiting, until an animal comes along and touches it. As soon as contact is made, the current begins to flow through the animal and down to the soil.  It travels through the moisture in the soil until it reaches the ground rod which it climbs to return to the - (negative) terminal and thereby completes the circuit - and its journey.  Now the animal will feel the shock.

A Simple Electric Fence Installation on Dry Soil
The current sent onto the electric fence line by the + (positive) terminal finds no way to return the the - (negative) terminal so it sits there, waiting, until an animal touches it. As soon as contact is made, the current begins to flow, through the animal and to the grounding mesh lying on top of the soil. It travels along the length of the mesh and climbs up the wire connecting the mesh to the - (negative) terminal thereby completing the circuit - and its journey.  Now the animal will feel the shock.

Q How does Mr. McGregor's Fence® System work?

A It works by combining two fences, one a barrier fence, the other an electric fence. The two fences work together as a unit. If you put up only a barrier fence the climbing and digging animals will climb over or dig under it.  If you put up only an electric fence the animals will find a way to scoot between or under the wires and - because their fur insulates them - they won't get zapped.  By putting the 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. 

Q How long does it take to install Mr. McGregor's Fence® kit?

A With the help of a friend it should take no more than 2-3 hours to install the complete system.

Q Is Mr. McGregor's Fence system difficult to install?

A 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 plus we have installation video clips you can view.

Q I already have a fence, can I Mr. McGregor-ize it?

A In all likelihood you can. You need to take into consideration the height of the existing fence and what it is made of. Read on.

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. You can do this in 3 ways:

1.) For a wooden fence staple 12" wide grounding fence on top and down the side from which the animal will come in such a way that the animal's feet will be on it when it touches an active (electrified) wire with a nose or paw. Then run a wire (electric fence wire or insulated cable) from the grounding fence 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 an 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 clamp-on insulators right near the top or universal insulators to 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 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, metal T-posts or U-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 to each post, the first one at the top, the second one 4" down. Hang electric fence wire along first one row of insulators then bend the wire up (or down) to the second row of insulators and run the wire back to where you started. Secure the wire to the last insulator and leave enough wire to reach the active terminal on the electric fence energizer before cutting. Attach to the positive (active) terminal on the electric fence energizer. In moist areas 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. In dry areas lay down grounding fence in front of the posts and anchor with garden staples. Run a piece of electric fence wire from the grounding fence to the negative (ground) terminal. If you have a gate see instructions below.

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 along first one row of insulators then bend the wire up (or down) to the second row of insulators and run the wire back to where you started. Secure the wire to the last insulator and leave enough wire to reach the active terminal on the electric fence energizer before cutting. Attach to the positive (active) terminal on the electric fence energizer. In moist areas 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. In dry areas lay down grounding fence in front of the posts and anchor with staples. Run a piece of electric fence wire from the grounding fence to the negative (ground) terminal. If you have a gate see instructions below.

3.) On T-posts or U-posts you can attach 2 rows of T-post insulators or U-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 electric fence 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 gate see instructions below.

Gate

If you have a gate, attach 2 rows of insulators on the gate at the same height as the ones on the fence posts. On the gate hang electric fence wire along first one row of insulators then bend the wire up (or down) to the second row of insulators and run the wire back to where you started. Secure the wire to the last insulator and cut the wire. You should have a continuous loop on the gate.  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 cable long enough to allow for some play when the gate is opened and closed.

Q What if one side of my garden abuts a wall or existing fence?

A You can surround the 3 open sides with a Mr. McGregor's Fence® system and electrify the top of the wall or existing fence.

Q Does the electric part of the fence have to come full circle to complete a circuit?

A 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.

Q If I add on fence extenders, will it overburden the electric fence energizer?

A There's almost no chance of that, because all our energizers an handle up to half a mile of system.  Some can handle more.

Q Are your electric fence energizers safe?

A All our fence kits and parts are child safe, pet safe and wildlife safe.  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.

Q Should I use the AC, solar or battery powered kit?

A There is no difference in effectiveness between the kits. The amount of 'zap' the animal gets from each of these energizers is comparable. So choosing a kit will depend on your preference and local conditions.  The solar and DC (battery) powered kits are very easy to install but need to be checked periodically to be sure their battery is still charged. For the solar powered kit to work at maximum efficiency it needs a southern exposure with full sun for the better part of the day. The AC powered kits are ideal if you have an AC outlet near your garden. The Deer and Critter kits have slightly more powerful energizers (but remain absolutely child and pet safe) that will tolerate more weeds.

Q What animals will the fence kits exclude?

A Mr. McGregor's Fence® kits protect against deer, woodchucks, groundhogs, raccoons, rabbits, skunks, opossums, squirrels, cats and most dogs.

Q Won't squirrels jump over it?

A Although they could easily jump over the fence they usually don't figure it out.

Q Won't woodchucks/groundhogs burrow under the fence?

A 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.