Your experience - how effective is electric netting for free ranging during the day?

[Scatterknit]

I'm working through a plan to have a flock of free range layers. (About 50). I want to rotate the birds from pasture to pasture after some cattle that will also be rotating pastures.

I have a mobile coop that's about 10' by 4'. I plan to put up a perimeter of electric fencing (100' x 100' square) around the mobile coop. I'll close up the birds in the coop in the evening and open the door back up in the morning. They'll be able to go in and out of (and under) the mobile coop during the day.

Can folks share their experience on electric netting and how effective you think it would be in this scenario?

I'm trying to decide whether I should add a second layer of protection, e.g. an attack donkey or something similar.

Or to scrap the plan and just build permanent fencing with a hot wire around the base and at the top.

 

[centrarchid]

I do it but have a second (cover within fenced area) and third (dogs) layer of protection. Fence alone, especially with out cover and good rooster is going to get you harvested by hawks at some point.

 

[Scatterknit]

I do it but have a second (cover within fenced area) and third (dogs) layer of protection. Fence alone, especially with out cover and good rooster is going to get you harvested by hawks at some point.

How is your cover constructed?

 

[centrarchid]

Brambles, high grass, groves of sumac and other plants cannot approach chickens through or under while in flight. I have some pens tipped up, but they are so small hawks can flush chickens out where they a vulnerable.

 

[JackE]

This is what I use: http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?mode=detail&fence_id=93

I have 650' of it, and it has worked out very well for me, even more so for the chickens. Premier has less expensive versions of the netting. But the poles are flimsier, and set farther apart. So that netting can have sagging problems. That is not a problem with the netting I posted the link for. You can either use 110VAC, or solar to charge the fence.
I had a bad fox problem around here, along with every other predator, short of a bear, and this fence(Netting) has taken care of the threat. I have hawks around here also, but my birds have ground cover/places to hide. They really get clued into what's a threat, and what's not. Here's a pic.

 

[WthrLady]

I use the same net as Jack, but with a solar charger.... oh and mine is green.

 

[Scatterknit]

Those are some nice straight top lines - no sagging! Looks great!!! Jack do you have any backup system like a dog, etc.? Any problem with the birds flying over? Looks like a good idea to RoundUp around the perimeter?

 

[centrarchid]

I move fence and mow very close to the ground. Close enough snakes come up.

 

[thomasboyle]

I have Premier 1 netting that is 48" high, and I went from 1-2 losses a month before the fence to 0 losses in the past 3 years. I use a decent AC charger so it puts out 8000+ volts, so if a predator touches it, he gets curly hair!

 

[centrarchid]

I am using the Kencove version but will try the Premiere version for comparison.