Chickens and other poultry can provide a source of sustenance, additional income and even companionship, so protect your investment in your flock with poultry wire and fencing. Whether you have a farm or suburban homestead, containment is essential to keep out predators and ensure birds don’t wander off. That’s where chicken wire and poultry netting comes in, and Tractor Supply can help you get started.
What Type of Poultry Fencing Should You Choose?
How do you want your birds to live? Some people like to keep them snug in coops and pens with the necessary chicken supplies, such as poultry nesting boxes and coop heaters for comfort. Others prefer to let their birds roam free, in which case containment might go around gardens to keep them away from plants and flowers.
In general, your two main options are permanent and temporary or movable fencing, and different materials are best suited for either. If you’re setting up permanent containment around an area of your backyard or land for poultry, chain link or welded wire fencing are popular choices for their durability and protection against predators.
Poultry wire is best when you want a temporary run that you can easily move around as containment needs change. Some common options include:
Chicken Wire
A lightweight design makes it simple to move chicken wire around as birds explore. Although this fencing can be made of durable materials such as steel and fortified with galvanized finishes, it’s best to use during the day as it’s less secure against predators at night.
Poultry Mesh
Also called garden or animal netting, poultry mesh is made of lightweight plastic. The small grid of poultry mesh keeps hens and chicks in their run or out of the garden. It’s easy to roll up when moving from one location to another. It’s also UV-protected and won’t rust or corrode, but it’s not as secure against predators as more permanent installations.
Electric Netting
If your main concern is deterring predators yet still want highly portable fencing, consider poultry electric netting with mesh strands that form a charge to shock animals. It also tends to have smaller openings near the ground so that chicks stay safe inside. You can find electric netting designed for many types of birds, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and more to help manage all your feathered friends.
Steps for Installing Standard Chicken Wire or Netting
It’s not just the portability of wire and mesh netting that makes them convenient – these chicken fencing options are also simple to install. Follow these steps to get started managing your flock and keeping it safe:
Gather Your Tools and Materials
Compared to putting up other kinds of fences, installing chicken wire fencing doesn’t involve too many materials. Other than the wire mesh, you need T-posts to hold the fence up, plus framing lumber, spray paint, poultry staples and zip ties. The project also calls for framing nails, a hammer, stapler, shovel, post hole digger, sledge hammer or post driver, level and wire cutters.
Determine the Location for Containment
Using spray paint (stakes and twine also work), outline the area you intend to fence in. This is so that you have a better idea of how much mesh you’ll need to construct it.
Set Up the Fence Posts
Fence posts stick into the areas established when planning and should be buried six inches deep or more. Ensure posts are evenly spread out and have no more than 10 feet between them. You might either install wooden or metal posts (also called T-posts or U-posts).
With metal posts, you must first create a frame with framing lumber, which is precut into your desired dimensions, and then attach it to the posts during the installation. A sledge hammer will help you drive these posts into the ground.
Before you can install wooden fence posts, grab the shovel or post hole digger to make holes to stick them in the ground and keep them in place. Next, these posts require rails at the top and bottom for structural support and stability.
Dig a Trench and Set Up Framing
Hungry critters might attempt to dig under the fence to get to your birds, so trenches are essential for keeping poultry safe. Trenches go along the entire path of the fence and should be about one foot deep between each post.
Wood framing outlines each section of the fence, and to create it, you fasten framing nails into the lumber with a hammer until you have a connected piece that fits in the area between two posts. The bottom portion of the frame should rest in the trench.
Attach the Poultry Wire
Your poultry wire should match the height of the posts, so five-foot-tall posts for five-foot-tall wire mesh. Once you unroll the mesh, align an edge with the starting post or area of the wood frame and use zip ties to connect the wire to the post. Then, use the stapler to fasten the mesh to the frame.
Stretch Wire Across the Fence and Ensure It’s Secure
Using poultry staples, fasten the wire at the top, bottom and center of the post or wood frame. Then, get another set of hands to help stretch the wire to the next post, once again securing it with poultry staples. The process repeats until you go all the way around the fence, and you might use a hammer or stapler – whichever works best for your project.
Remove Excess Wire
Your poultry fence is complete, but if there’s any unneeded wire mesh remaining, grab the wire cutters to trim it away. More than making the fence look neat, removing excess wire can prevent injury from sharp strands.
Steps for Installing Electric Poultry Netting
Although it’s also portable and a cinch to set up, electric netting involves different considerations for a successful installation, including:
- Prepare the site: Mow any vegetation in the area where you will install the fence to be under four inches tall.
- Unroll the netting: Once you remove any strings or clips, grip the posts before unrolling so the netting unfolds in pleats, laying each pleat on the ground and unraveling sections at a time as you insert the posts.
- Install the first post: The first post should go into the ground beside a support post or an existing fence, and you can use the included tie strings to fasten these together. Make sure end posts are at least two feet from any conductive material such as metal or wood.
- Set up line posts: After unfolding the entire netting, go along the fence, lift each post and push it firmly into the ground, with just enough tension so the netting stays upright. Stretching the netting keeps it taut, but you should avoid stretching so tightly that you can’t adjust it.
- Join more than one roll: If your project requires using more than one roll, connect its first post to the last post of the initial roll using string ties. Consider added support such as extra electric fence posts at corners and curves.
- Connect the electric fence charger: The charger or energizer delivers the shock upon touch, and these attach at the top and bottom of the fence.
- Confirm voltage: Use an electric fence tester to ensure enough voltage before putting poultry in the contained area. The typical voltage on a new electric fence should be higher than 3,000V, but this may differ depending on your requirements.
Manage Your Poultry with Fencing and Wire from Tractor Supply
You might raise them for eggs and meat or simply keep them as pets, but one thing is certain – you value your birds. Poultry fencing such as chicken wire and netting helps you contain them temporarily, and we offer a wide range of poultry supplies to help you make the most of Life Out Here with your birds. Visit your local Tractor Supply store today or browse our inventory online.