Electrified Poultry Fence

[cinderbay]

We are into our second year of raising meat birds. Last year 2 batches 80/50 and this year one batch of 150! We raise them in our barn and then move them to pasture for 4 weeks. We use a chicken tractor and I HATE IT. Hard to move, birds escape, I lose water. We've had to build a second one to house the 150 and the original one needed repair. Having to do this every year is getting costly. I'd rather spend money on something that will last me several years.
Reason, my field is sloped and holey and makes this a huge pain. I don't want to do this again unless we can figure out a better way. Then I came across the electrified fencing!
How much space is needed for about 140-150 meat birds on pasture. We also give grain of course but we love for them to be out on the field. I can see them right out my front window and other than at night I have a constant eye on them. We have had a problem in the past with raccoons killing our egg layers. While I can always replace a layer, it is far more costly to replace meat that is meant to feed 2 families for a year!
So, again my question, how much area is ideal? Is there a company who manufactures that is better than another?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are you open to moving the pen and, if so, how often would you want to be moving it? This will factor into how much area you need to have a perimeter around at any given time for the number of birds you intend to graze.

 

[cinderbay]

Yes we are open to moving it around if that is an option with this type of fence.

Are you open to moving the pen and, if so, how often would you want to be moving it? This will factor into how much area you need to have a perimeter around at any given time for the number of birds you intend to graze.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Your question is too complicated for a simple answer. It's going to depend on your weather, the quality of your forage, the time of year, how far they will walk to forage, and who knows what else to determine the right balance of how big it needs to be and how often you need to move it for 150 chickens. I have not tried a tractor for meat birds and not with electric fencing or netting, but whether it rained or not had an effect on how often I needed to move my tractor.

One issue is how fast they deplete the forage. The bigger the area the longer the forage lasts but they don't like to walk a long distance for it. Another issue is that the poop builds up and can quickly start to stink, especially if it is wet weather. I think you will have some trial and error plus a need to be flexible to respond to conditions.

You might look up Joel Salatin and Polyface farms. He's pretty famous on pasturing chickens, broilers and layers, and shares a lot of how he does it. He writes books and lectures on it but he shares a lot online. His quality of forage is going to be different to yours but you should pick up a lot of help.

I use Premier 1 electric netting. I've called Premier a coupled of times with questions and found them pretty helpful. If you can explain what you are trying to do they can probably make some really good suggestions.

Electric netting is different from electric fencing. Electric fencing is horizontal strands of wire, that's not going to keep young chicks in but if it's installed right it will keep land-based predators out. The chick's down and feathers insulate it from the electricity. Netting is in rectangles so once the chicks are too big to squeeze through the netting will keep them in and predators out. My baby chicks walk right through my netting without a problem until they reach a big enough size. I don't know what age that will be for your broilers. That would be one of my questions for Premier.

The problem with electric fencing or netting is that it can be shorted out by grass and weeds growing up through it. With netting a heavy rain can wash debris like recently cut grass or leaves up against it and short it out. There is some maintenance involved.

The kind of operation I'd envision for you is to build a portable shelter to hold all the chicks at night (Joel Salatin may have some ideas for you) and surround it with electric netting. The day before you move the netting mow the area you are going to move it to where the netting will go. Leave the rest for forage. The next morning leave the chicks locked in the coop while you move the netting and the coop. I've never done this on the scale you are talking about and maybe someone else will have a better idea on how to move them but this is pretty much what I did when I had a tractor.

150 birds is a lot of birds. With a much smaller number you may be able to build something permanent and never move it, but the meaties don't like to walk that much and they will deplete the forage right around the coop really fast. Don't forget the poop build-up. The portable electric netting is made for this situation. I think it is your best solution.

Good luck!

 

[cinderbay]

Thanks so much. We are using the tractor design of Joel S, but I will look into this more. If I had my way I would NOT be doing as many birds! We are raising for 2 families and last year we did it in splits. I guess we had 140 (lost 10 on arrival) but last night we lost about 10 more I am guessing to a weasel. Ugh! I'm devastated. This is my food to last me all winter.