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What is poultry netting?


An electrifiable prefabricated fence that arrives at your door as a complete roll with the posts already built into the mesh/fence.

One roll (164 ft) weighs only 23 lbs. White vertical plastic strings are "welded" to black and white electro-plastic horizontal strings. They are supported by 1/2 in. diameter white plastic PVC posts--which are spaced throughout the netting. Each post has a small, steel spike that's inserted into the ground for support.

The process, in simplified form, is:

  • Untie the strings that keep the 164 ft roll together.
  • Unroll just 6 ft of it.
  • Unfold just 14 folds (each fold is 6 ft).
  • Insert the posts by hand or foot.
  • Attach a suitable fence energizer.

And it's ready to keep your poultry in and their predators out.

Why is it popular?


  • Because it works. It really does keep birds in and four-footed predators out.
  • Because it's so much easier and faster than other fences to install, adjust and remove.
  • Because it's so flexible. It takes only minutes to pick it up and move it.
  • No tools are needed. Plastic step-in posts are enough support for corners and ends. It's hand-tensioned only, so it adapts easily to curves, hills and corners.

How proven is it?


It's been widely used in the US and Europe for over 20 years. Demand for it increases annually here and there as more folks appreciate its potential.

What's its history?


Invented in England as sheep netting in the 1960s. Design changes were made for poultry purposes in the 1980s.

It was originally orange. Premier introduced to black and white to increase its visibility to humans and animals--particularly at night.

We also increased its conductivity. In 2007 Premier introduced a version with heavy-duty posts.

How reliable is it?


Very--if it is adequately electrified.

How does it work?


As you can see in the photos at right, the close spacing of the verticals and horizontals (2 in. x 3 in. at bird height) combine to create both a physical and a pain barrier to birds (and pain to their predators). Only the black/white horizontals are energized.

What's the best energizer?


Poultry, due to the nature of their legs (minimal internal fluid) and light weight, have higher internal resistance to electricity than a cow, horse, pig or dog. And the fence, by its low-to-the-ground nature, is prone to weed contact. So low output units (such as those often sold in farm stores to appeal to your pocketbook) often disappoint.

We suggest wide-impedance energizers as better choices for poultry than the more-common, low-impedance energizers.

What about grass contact?


Too much is a problem. So:
  1. When grass gets 6 in. high, mow carefully along the fence. (If you mow into the fence, then you, the mower and the net will all regret it.) Move net over into the mowed strip by removing and reinstalling one post at a time. (First turn off the energizer!) This takes about 5 minutes per net.
  2. Or, you can spray herbicide in a narrow strip under the fence. But no herbicide lasts forever, so expect weeds to appear first.