premier1 poultry netting.. advice needed!

[sillyduckz]

hi all! we're finally coming out of cold weather here, and my 1 year old flock is just about ready to get out of the run and begin their free-ranging for the season. however, due to some issues we've encountered, "true" free-ranging is basically off the table. the ducks are just too darn good at finding things they shouldn't be eating, and they have also proven that they have no problem attempting to wander off the property, onto neighbors property, or onto the road. thankfully nothing bad has come of these misadventures but i know it would be foolish to give them a second shot at it this year. so i figure the next best thing for them would to be offer them the ability to run and forage in a large but enclosed space. i've found premier1's netting options and have decided they are the company i am going to purchase from.. but there's just so many dang options!! i would love to hear input from you guys about the advantages and disadvantages of each netting option based off of your experiences. my goal is to contain my 3 chickens and 5 ducks, give them plenty of space to waddle and cluck about, rotate their pasture weekly or bi-weekly, and accomplish these things at a fair price point. i don't mind paying a bit extra for quality and durability, but i don't plan on electrifying my fence as i will always be out to attend their "free-ranging" sessions. thanks in advance!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I am not familiar with poultry netting so I'm going to have more questions than answers. Is it fabric? Is it sturdy? Could a dog rip through it? How about a raccoon? If the answer to the last two questions is yes, you'll need something sturdier to put around your ducks. Most of us recommend hardware cloth with 1/2" openings or smaller, supported on field fencing. An "apron" of the same, laid on the ground around the perimeter, to about 18" outward from the fence, will discourage digging by predators. It can be covered by gravel or dirt and eventually grass will grow through it. Best wishes with your flock.
Oh, I almost forgot - I don't know if you realize you can't keep sexually mature drakes in the same pen with chicken hens. The drakes can severely damage or kill the hens when they attempt to mate with the hens - and they surely will. The anatomical differences are significant.

 

[sillyduckz]

I am not familiar with poultry netting so I'm going to have more questions than answers. Is it fabric? Is it sturdy? Could a dog rip through it? How about a raccoon? If the answer to the last two questions is yes, you'll need something sturdier to put around your ducks. Most of us recommend hardware cloth with 1/2" openings or smaller, supported on field fencing. An "apron" of the same, laid on the ground around the perimeter, to about 18" outward from the fence, will discourage digging by predators. It can be covered by gravel or dirt and eventually grass will grow through it. Best wishes with your flock.
Oh, I almost forgot - I don't know if you realize you can't keep sexually mature drakes in the same pen with chicken hens. The drakes can severely damage or kill the hens when they attempt to mate with the hens - and they surely will. The anatomical differences are significant.

fair questions, i am very new to poultry netting as well, so i'll try to summarize what i've learned so far; it is, in essence, just a "lite" version of permanent fencing, in the sense that it creates a simple barrier that will contain poultry within the barrier, but isn't truly designed for keeping things out(that is unless you electrify the fence, but personally for how i plan on using it, i don't think i will). it is definitely weaker as compared to a traditional enclosure but for my purposes this is fine as it will not be left unattended. they have a coop and run in which they can sleep, eat, and drink on days in which they will not be free-ranged. my intention with the netting is not to create a permanent residence for them but instead an area of land i can give them to forage through, and then rotate the netting area regularly around different pieces of land. and to your point about drakes; we do keep them in the same coop, but they are sectioned off into a different area so our 2 drakes are kept separate from the girls. i sincerely appreciate your concern!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Ah, thank you explaining that! So when they are in the poultry netting area they will not be unattended, I get it. Would lovevto see pics of this setup when you get it finished!

 

[sillyduckz]

Ah, thank you explaining that! So when they are in the poultry netting area they will not be unattended, I get it. Would lovevto see pics of this setup when you get it finished!

i apologize, i probably should've drawn more attention that in the original post, oops lol. i will definitely update with photos once i get all of this plotted out i'll provide a link if you'd like to check out their products, they seem to be a very reputable company with a great inventory! https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php

 

[StinkyAcres]

I have the 48" tall Chicken Net and I love it. I don't electrify it and it keeps my adult ducks (wings are clipped) and chickens in most of the time. The downside to this cheaper netting is the rather floppy posts and spacing between the posts which results in sagging. It needs to be supported with extra posts, especially at the corners, and staked to the ground to prevent the birds from escaping underneath (it comes with stakes). I don't move it as often as you plan to so I have T-posts at each corner and fiber rods between each post.

Since you want to move it often you may want to go for one with posts that are closer together so it is faster to set up and take down.

I recommend the fences with posts that have a single spike. I have another brand of electric netting with double spiked posts and I do not like them at all. The spikes bend and break in rocky soil and end up misaligned which makes them difficult to replace into the ground.

 

[ChaosMom]

I have the 48" tall Chicken Net and I love it. I don't electrify it and it keeps my adult ducks (wings are clipped) and chickens in most of the time. The downside to this cheaper netting is the rather floppy posts and spacing between the posts which results in sagging. It needs to be supported with extra posts, especially at the corners, and staked to the ground to prevent the birds from escaping underneath (it comes with stakes). I don't move it as often as you plan to so I have T-posts at each corner and fiber rods between each post.

Since you want to move it often you may want to go for one with posts that are closer together so it is faster to set up and take down.

I recommend the fences with posts that have a single spike. I have another brand of electric netting with double spiked posts and I do not like them at all. The spikes bend and break in rocky soil and end up misaligned which makes them difficult to replace into the ground.

I finally found the pages with non-electrified fencing!
Chick Fence: https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=150 (This one is 50 linear ft., 4' tall.)

Hen Pen: https://www.premier1supplies.com/poultry/fencing.php?fence_id=155 (This one includes a sorta-gate and either 39 or 68 linear ft., both 4' tall.)

@StinkyAcres what spacing did you use between poles?

 

[StinkyAcres]

@StinkyAcres what spacing did you use between poles?

They are 6-7 feet apart.

 

[ChaosMom]

They are 6-7 feet apart.

Perfect, thanks.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Perfect, thanks.

No problem!