Electric Poultry Fence

[carolcu]

Has anyone out there ever used the Electric poultry netting to let your chickens range out away from their pen? And if so, do you like it pros and cons maybe?? I am interested in purchasing some and giving it a try. Even though my hens have a large 12x16 pen, they spend much of their time walk back and forth like a caged lion, gazing out at the grass that is just beyond their reach.

I give them all the greens and peelings that I have when I fix salad and etc., but I know they would much rather be out roaming and scratching for food...

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

I just let mine out to run loose around the place all day.
You could use netting if you had to

 

[spottedtail]

Electric fencing works good.
Have used it for years.
It's portable and it looks good.
Keeps the chickens in the area you want them in.
It's not perfect though.
Predators can jump it or dig underneath it.
It's best used when someone is in the area
to semi-monitor the birds.

spot

 

[CMV]

I use electric poultry netting for a variety of applications. I used it as fencing when I had pigs and it worked very well, although an angry pig can rip through it if given enough motivation. I use it as the primary fencing for my waterfowl and it works alright, but they can still manage to wriggle through the openings if startled badly enough. I use it as secondary fencing for my chickens (hard wire fencing with the electric mesh as a perimeter) and it works exceptionally well for this application. I use it as protection for my gardens to deter deer and woodchucks, and it works well at this so long as the fence is baited. A close friend uses it for containing sheep, goats and cattle, and it works well for all but the goat that is a Houdini (and nothing has been able to contain this particular animal). The best thing about these fences is the ease with which they can be moved. I rotate my livestock pens regularly to keep the land from being overly torn up (especially in the case of pigs), and these fences are easy to move, simple to set up and work really well. I also have a couple different sized solar chargers so I don't need to worry about getting power out to them if I move them away from the house. If you want to let your birds have access to areas they cannot reach and cannot free-range for whatever reason, these fences are the way to go. I love mine and cannot express how impressed I am with them. They have a few shortcomings- they sag a bit and need extra support from extra fiberglass rods, they are short height-wise (you can get different heights, but the taller the fence, the higher the price) and can be cleared by a determined bird/goat, they can't stand up to a snow load, they are ineffective when covered in ice, they are a bit fragile when not electrified and can be chewed through by a crafty pig/predator, and the default color is white which stands out like a sore thumb (you can get hunter green which blends in better but it costs more). Overall, a worthy investment despite its shortcomings.

Good luck.