The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: gandygoose on June 04, 2020, 12:16:17 pm
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Hi,
We use electric mesh round the hen run, similar to this https://www.electricfencing.co.uk/standard-poultry-net-50m-x-1-1m-poultry-net.html (https://www.electricfencing.co.uk/standard-poultry-net-50m-x-1-1m-poultry-net.html) The horizontal wires are energised, except for the black one along the bottom.
Something we always struggle with is the fact that it is square mesh rather than diamond, so unless the ground is completely flat and posts completely vertical the mesh doesn't fully spread out and the bottom part sags. It happens a bit even on straight runs. This sagging means that the bottom few strands want to sort of roll up and lie on the ground. The attachment shows an example.
Has anyone found similar, and if so have they come up with some convenient solution? We've been making do by tweaking the bottom the fence to try and get the lower meshes to stand up, and using odd pegs and bits of stick to try and keep it propped up.
Thanks,
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We use electrified poultry netting that looks very similar to that. Our set up has three long straight lengths forming a triangle. I put in sturdy posts at each corner, tensioned a single wire between the posts at fence top height and used cable ties to fasten the netting to the wire. I also put in an 18" wide strip of weed suppressant fabric along the line of the fence fastened down with pegs to stop grass growing and shorting the current. A bit of prep time but whole setup has worked a treat for several years with no further attention.
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I agree with GribinIsaf. Sturdy poles at each corner to allow tensioning is very helpful. An alternative to weed suppressing fabric on the ground is lengths of damp proof course plastic. You can get rolls of it very easily at DIY stores.
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Sorry to hijack but we are having the same issue and I am very confused.
Do you mean wooden fence posts or just more plastic electric fence posts? I read on flytes of fancy that you should only ever use plastic in contact with electric fencing. Wood posts would be ideal but I wasn't sure if it would short the fence. We have the same poultry fence that is a net as pictured above.
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Wooden posts driven into the ground so they are secure and permanent(ish). This allows you to put a metal wire between them which you can tension and then use cable ties or similar non conductive material (plant ties are easy too) to hang the electric netting off it. Should you ever want to use wooden posts for electric fence you need to buy plastic insulators which screw into the post and hold the fence off it, but this is a bit different.
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Same as Steph Hen says - We used 6 foot posts with 2 foot in the ground - I know because I dug the holes by hand and rammed them firm! Picture attached.
Don't think I said in my first post - bottom of net is pegged down through the ground covering so between the tensioned wire at the top and the pegged bottom the fence is tight as a drum!