Anyone know where is the best value on 25m or 50m chicken electric netting?
We've got these ones from this German shop and also this gate you can buy to go with it. We also bought a few of these extra poles which are really handy if you want to go around awkward spaces.
We've bought a lot from this shop and they've always been great. We keep a lot of birds and have four of these fences all in use and going well. We bought our first two about 4 or 5 years ago and I did a lot of research at the time to find the best one to get in terms of quality for the best value. It looks like they are even cheaper now than what we paid.
They have a few other different types and sizes. Some of them aren't as tall as the one I linked but I think it's worth going for the extra height. This one also has better poles than some of the others. You can get the same spec one in 25m or 15m lengths. Make sure you don't buy anything that says "ohne strom" because that means non-electrified.
I don't know if you already have an energiser but if you're only starting out you'll need one. You can get them separately or in sets which include lots of other bits you'll need. This is the set with the same fence and energiser we have.
If you want to buy in Ireland there is MacEoin. They are a fair bit more expensive but we've bought a lot of other bits and pieces from them as well and they're always great. You'll have the stuff the next day. That German shop are reliable and use DPD but you'd still be looking at a week or even two.
Do you clip your chickens wings?
No, I don't. I don't think it's very ethical because if somehow they did encounter a predator, they would be hindered in getting away. Also, there's no need because they stay within their areas. Only once or twice in the five years we've been keeping them has one flown over accidentally after being startled by something and then they were straight back in because they just want to stay with their flock.
I only asked because I don't see any great value in an electric fence for chickens because ours would just fly over it.
I'm not sure why you think they would. It's not the case here or for any other poultry keepers I know. Do your hens have plenty of space? They will only want to get out of an area that's too small for them or if they don't have anywhere to forage. We move our fences so they always have fresh ground and they have no need to want to go anywhere else.
I agree somewhat with that but more than likely if a predator wants to get them they will
We do have plenty of space but the birds will happily fly over the 6 foot wire I have up so can't imagine anything lower would stop them.
That obviously depends on the situation, the type of predator, time of day or night and the surrounding terrain and tree / plant cover. Of course, within an electric fence you wouldn't be expecting a non aerial predator anyway since that's the whole point. In any case, there's no need to hinder the birds' natural means of movement.
When I did think about electric fencing it was definitely to keep predators out rather than birds in.
Well exactly, I assume that's what most people would be thinking of. It's just that you asked about clipping their wings.
Its was what I read I was supposed to do to keep them in.
If you find it doesn't keep the hens in and it's more so predators out what do people use to keep hens in but a fence you can move around to fresh grass? Something easy to move
There's obviously something beyond the fence that they don't have and want access to. I assume you're talking about a permanent run?
We first started keeping hens about 15 years ago in New Zealand where there are virtually no predators to them. They were completely free range and it was hassle free. They had plenty to forage and lots of plants for cover so they never went far but they did move around a lot.
Then when we moved back here and got more hens, we were worried about foxes obviously, so we built an aviary with a top netting and kept them in that. Even though it was huge, I would say about 100m2 for just 4 hens, they stripped the grass within a couple of months and the place was a mess. It was so much work to keep it clean and, to be honest, it never really was good enough and I felt so bad for them. Every time we would go in and out they would be reaching out the gate to try and grab some grass. We brought them fresh greens and treats but it's not the same. They naturally need to forage and there's so much more that they actually forage for than just the vegetation as well. They will completely remove all invertebrates from a permanent run very quickly.
You can tell when they don't have what they need if they are trying to get out or if they hang around not doing much, waiting for you to give them something. Happy chickens will have a rest, usually in the middle of the day, and they will lie down to have a dust bath, but the rest of the time they should be quite actively digging around and will have no interest in getting out of their area.
I think it must have been about 5 years ago we switched to the electric fence and it's so much easier and they are obviously so much happier than the original hens in the aviary were. We do have to move the fence along every now and again but otherwise, the daily maintenance is so much less even though we have so many more birds - over 40 now. (It's an addictive hobby!) They eat less pellet feed as well because they get so much themselves.
We are lucky with the amount of space we have and I know not everyone is in the same situation. A lot of people would have no choice but to keep them in a permanent area. If you can't move them around onto fresh ground, there's nothing stopping them going over a fence if it's more attractive habitat on the other side. Although, I wonder if an electric fence might actually be better even in that case because they learn very quickly that it shocks them and they avoid going near it as much as the fox does.
They will absolutely stay in if you're moving them onto fresh ground and they have everything they need within the fence. If you have enough space, electric fence is definitely the way to go.
