I use 4 foot rabbit guard fencing on 7 foot fence posts with stainless steel lashing wire across the tops of the posts and bury 10" boards at the bottom to prevent digging under which gives a total height of 5+ feet. The only thing that ever got in is a deer and they can jump 6 foot plus chain link fence.
My parents used to have this thing called a Garden Ghost,basically a motin detector connected to a water gun,worked good for cats and rabbits D
They make those for deer now. Sprinkler Motion Activated Animal Deterrent Repellent Water Spray Scarecrow Away | eBay
i can't do an electric fence here at my house because I run a preschool program from my home lol. Although I guess the kids would learn fast enough not to mess with it! Going to look In to the traps. Chickens are my next venture after the garden, so getting rid of the pests now would be good.
Make the Garden Pen large enough to have a section for chickens! Save some time and money. Chickens can be a real pest or a pest removal system in a garden. Just depends on what they like.
It's not hard to turn a fence off. In fact, you could put it on a clock/vacation style timer and have it turn off during the day when the kids' presence would keep the raccoons away, and if the critters might still get in when the kids are around, then you have much bigger problems with the safety of the preschool than an electric fence. Coons carry some bad diseases. AT
Neat I will have to look in to it then. And we have missed our outside times because of the raccoons in the yard! They are creepy!
Them theres' Native 'merican coons.....they gots Status and differnt laws like no limit or season huntn an fishin...eh?
Don't know first hand but the word is once they clap down it is bad news and they don't release until they are fully dead. Preserve the head, if not get the rabies shots another not good story. Know a guy who had the old regime of rabies shots in the gut he lives but.... On a warm summer in my garage with outside night lights on saw a shadow move by outside of an open door in my garage looked out and it was a Raccoon, drew my pistol and shot it.. Edit, had a piece of plywood blocking critter access...
We were "trapped" in the house once by raccoons sitting on the railing. They just sat there in the middle of the day. I think they wanted to eat us.