Portable electric fencing

I'm getting ready to place an order with Premier 1 for either the Poultry Net 164' or PoultryNetPlus 100'. Has anyone used both that could share comparisons. I was also curious if there is a discount code since I'm placing a large order.

Hi Erin, welcome to Permies. I have a couple rolls of the 100' poultry net plus for a number of years now and have been real happy with it. I find the 100' roll to be lightweight enough and a manageable size when rolled up to handle myself. I personally would not want to have to roll up and carry another 64 feet of it. I believe either one will work well, and I do recommend the double spikes as it allows a person to use their foot to push each post into the earth instead of bending over using hands to push the single spike posts into the ground.

I agree with James. Go with the 100' length. I can barely manage 100' length so I surely couldn't do the longer 164'. In fact, because I move my sheep daily, I shortened the fence length to 50' so that I can handle it easier and quicker.

I'd also recommend the double spikes. Far, far, far easier to deal with, and quicker. I went with the double spikes on my initial order and haven't regretted it.

I have 2 of the 164' rolls.  I can manage it by myself, though the 100' rolls would of course be easier.  I've found when pulling the posts to move the fence that I can't quite hold onto the bundle of posts in one hand once I get past about 100-110' of the fence.  But I just set it down at that point and go to the other end and pull it up from that end, then use both hands to pick up the full bundle.  2 of the 164' nets is less expensive than 3 of the 100' nets so that's a big part of why I went with them.  

I concur on getting the double spike.  Especially of you have soft ground.  Being able to step on them to get them in is a big plus.  Just don't use too much force on those or you'll bend one of the spikes.  DAMHIK.

I've never seen a coupon or discount code for Premier 1.  Would be nice though if one is out there.

Make sure you get a powerful enough charger.  I think I have the IntelliShock 10.  It gives a good jolt at the end of the second roll, as long as I have a good ground and not too much weed/grass loads.

Edit to add:  Oh yeah, get a gate with your fence!  My first year raising meat chickens I didn't have a gate so I had to unplug the fence and pull a post every time I went in.  Which meant I also had to re-set that post and remember to plug the fence back in when I was done.  Once I got the gate I'll never go back to using the nets without it.  Well worth the expense.

I third the recommendation for the 100' rolls, and I would recommend getting the 48" high. My "lazy" chickens (they recommend the high net only for certain flighty birds) got out readily over the 42". I still use it for the garden but it was a waste.

On the intellishock energizer, depending on the weed/grass pressure, and how often you move, their recommendations can be rose-colored. I have an Intellishock 60 (which is 0.6J) and it was adequate for 300' only if I mowed VERY short and moved frequently. I have since gone way bigger and built a solar charger with rotating batteries. I think my current chicken fence is 2J, and even that struggles toward the end of a cycle, but I am moving them every 2-3 weeks on 400' of fence. I found they don't get many fewer bugs with the bigger fence and fewer moves and it takes me a lot less time. I just figured I am paying myself $10 an hour and in one year I have paid for the bigger charger and more nets. I use the batteries for other stuff too, so it was only one extra deep cycle battery and a cheapo harbor freight solar system for $140.

We have rotationally grazed our birds with netting for >1 year now. I definitely advise step in posts. They have the same tops as the drive in posts. Get extra support posts if you have land that is not flat as you will have sagging in areas without. I like our 100ft rolls better than the 164ft. Our longer rolls have thinner posts though and I hate the thinner posts because they bend more. That said the 164ft would be impossible to manage with larger posts.

Once a person has the fence charger, and a basic understanding of how electric fences work, a better alternative to using the poultry netting is to build your own fences from components, such as poly tape, poly rope or electric fence wire. With components, you can scale it up or down for size and it offers more flexibility as to where you place your corners, etc. Even a simple 2 or 3 strand system will work to keep chickens in and predators out.

Eugene honest question about 2or 3 wire predator electric. I can’t find any good info on a setup. I’m doing 10 wire because it was on an old zareba brochure. We have coyotes foxes and dogs.

Tj Jefferson wrote:Eugene honest question about 2or 3 wire predator electric. I can’t find any good info on a setup. I’m doing 10 wire because it was on an old zareba brochure. We have coyotes foxes and dogs.

Try John Suscovich's youtube channel.  He does a plain wire electric fence around his tractors.

The process shown in John's youtube is the basic concept.........except you use 2, 3 or even 4 strands. I prefer this type of post......

https://www.ruralking.com/4-white-poly-step-in-electric-fence-post

Not endorsing that brand or source, only showing the type I use. There are 3 or 4 outfits making them, and they are often sold at farm and home stores, or anywhere locally where electric fence components are sold.

First strand is always the bottom clip.....which will place it about 5" off the ground. I then space the posts at about 20 foot intervals on relatively level land. Closer if area is undulating. You want to take out any rises or dips, to maintain that 5" gap between the wire and soil. Depending on how secure you want to be, keep adding additional strands. I have never used more than the bottom 4, which means the top wire is only 20" or so off the ground. Most folks can simply step over it....yet it still works.  For short runs or small pens and temp fences, I'd use the poly rope or poly tape, which can be tightened by hand. Even an acre or more can be worked by hand. For larger areas of more or less permanent fencing, switch to 17 gauge aluminum wire, with same step in posts, but use braced corners. Wire has to be tightened by using strainers.

Predators encounter these type of physical fences all the time and simply crawl under or through them. They will try to do the same with these fences. Goal is to have the animal make contact with the fence........it is NOT and I repeat NOT a physical barrier. It works because the animal makes contact with the fence and gets the holy crap kicked out of them, leave and never come back.

What also seems strange is that such a fence will also work to keep the chickens in. I have always trained mine with just the single bottom wire. They will walk up to it, step on it or try to crawl under it and get zapped on either their foot or comb........and it lights them up as well. After one or two shocks, they will run around and forage up next to it, but always keeping eye on where it is. After then have been trained on the single wire, then add the extra wires for predators.

In both cases, it speeds things along if you bait the fence. Hang a strip of raw bacon over a fence and clip it down with a clothes pin. Predators will sniff or lick it......let out a yelp and head for the horizon. Chickens.......either let them find it on their own or bait under it with scratch.

One additional thing, I think a fence of the type I describe is best used to confine birds to a larger area. I have never tried using it as something like a tractor fence  to keep a large number of birds inside a relatively small confined area. For that, poultry netting, which is as much a physical barrier as a mental one.....might work better. At least until they start flying over it.

Even my Freedom Rangers wouldn't fly over the 4' poultry netting.  I highly doubt CRX could.

My heritage turkeys would fly over it, until I clipped their wing feathers.  My laying hens would fly over it no problem, if they hadn't been clipped since the last molting.