Predators will always act as predators, and if you have roosting or foraging chickens, you need to hedge your chickens in and deter predators from attacking your livestock. One of the best ways to deter would-be predators is to get yourself a portable electric fence. This portable electric fence will deliver a minimal shock to potential predators attempting to attack your hapless chickens.
Predators usually attack at nighttime when everyone else is asleep. Once these predators experience the initial electric shock from your electric fence, they will associate your poultry with this electric shock and the unpleasant sensation concomitant with that shock, making them refrain from even trying to encroach into your poultry.
Portable Electric Fence for Your Chickens
Portable electric fences come in a wide variety of brands and models. So, if it is your first time buying one, you might get confused about which one to choose. To reduce your options to the best options, we have delineated here the most recommended portable electric fences for chickens:
Last update on 2024-12-06 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
1) Premier PoultryNet Electric Fence
One of your best electric fence options is the Premier PoultryNet Electric Fence. You can rely on this electric fence to keep your chickens inside while preventing foxes, coyotes, and other predators from encroaching on the poultry. It is easy to install and conducive for poultry use.
The Premier PoultryNet is a 48-inch prefabricated fence ready to install out of the box. You will only consume fifteen minutes when setting it up. You need to use non-conductive posts for this electric fence at corners and ends.
This electric fence features stainless steel built with copper as a superconductor to make the electric fence more conductive. Once installed, you only need to remove weeds around this electric fence regularly. It will be best if you energize the fence well for this electric fence to be very effective.
What We Like:
- Quick installation
- Allows protection of larger animals like dos and goats
- Offers double-spiked posts for better fence stability
- Offers high conductivity
What We Don’t Like:
- Might not work well with hilly terrain
2) Starkline Standard Electric Poultry Netting Solar Kit
Another excellent electric poultry netting kit option is the Starkline Electric Poultry kit. This kit comes with everything necessary for you to get your electric fence started. It is easy to set up and very simple, powered by solar energy.
This electric netting fence is prefabricated. It includes a 42-inch poultry netting with PVC posts and galvanized double-spiked six-inch stakes, providing a rigid support for this netting.
With this electric poultry netting, you can keep your livestock inside while preventing predators from ravaging your poultry. Its mesh comes with eleven horizontal strands and ten conductive strands.
What We Like:
- Comes with a solar energizer
- Relatively easy to set up
- Best suited for protecting chicks
- Perfect for temporary and permanent fencing
What We Don’t Like:
- Quite expensive
- Might not be entirely impregnable for small breeds
- PVC is not suited for uneven and rough terrain
3) RentAcoop Poultry Netting Electric Fence
Another well-known and respected model of electric fence is the RentAcoop Electric Fence. This electric fence can help you keep those voracious predators out of your poultry, allowing you to keep your chickens safe. However, the kit doesn’t come with an energizer, which you need to buy separately.
This electric netting fence is not difficult to install, and you can complete the setting up within fifteen minutes. Furthermore, if you have a helping hand, you can further shorten the installation process of this electric fence.
You can position the stakes 12 feet from each other, and it comes with 4 guy lines, preventing the sagging of this electric fence. Moreover, its posts feature double-spiked for added support.
What We Like:
- Easy to assemble in whatever shape
- Lightweight and easy to move around
- Allows for multiple rolls connections for extended range
What We Don’t Like:
- Doesn’t come with an energizer
4) Petween Electric Fence Netting
Another excellent option for electrifying your fence is the Petween Electric Fence. This electric fence netting is perfect for installing on rocky or hilly ground. It works well with other netting types. Besides, you can use it for different animal types, including geese, chickens, and ducks.
This fence netting comes with smaller mesh width along its lower parts. Thus, it can make it almost impossible for chickens to get out of the fence’s lower portions. Furthermore, even tiny chicks will find it hard to escape through its mesh.
Its posts are wrought in plastic which may not be likable, but since the posts are UV resistant, they will not become brittle over time. Besides, they are less likely to snap or wear down over time, even if exposed to UV rays.
However, it has fluorescent green and yellow strands making it more noticeable even during nighttime. With this feature, you will not accidentally hit them with a mower or weed eater.
What We Like:
- Easy to install and lightweight
- Not expensive
- Easy to notice because of its fluorescent strands
What We Don’t Like:
- Poles and strands are thin
- Can’t bear much pressure
5) L-FENCE LYDITE FENCE
This poultry netting is made of semi-rigid plastic, which means it sags less than soft nets. It has fourteen galvanized fiberglass stakes (double-spiked) to keep your fence more secure and rigid. These fiberglass rods are not easy to break.
Its mesh also has around ten electrically conductive strands and eleven horizontal strands. Its vertical struts are also evenly spaced with thirteen feet intervals.
However, the lower portions of this net have a smaller mesh width. Thus, even smaller animals like chicks will find it hard to escape through this net. Besides, it is easy to assemble and install. Moreover, it has a noticeable color for ease of visibility.
What We Like:
- Light and easy to install
- With highly visible color
What We Don’t Like:
- Lacks user manual
Factors to Consider When Choosing Electric Fence for Chickens
Knowing the most recommended electric fence for chickens allows you to narrow your options to the best ones. Nevertheless, it will help if you are familiar with the essential factors to consider when choosing to let you zero in on the best choice for your needs:
Materials and Made
One factor you need to consider when selecting an electric fence is the materials out of which the electric fence is wrought. Three primary materials are used for electric fencing: galvanized, aluminum, and poly rope.
Aluminum wire is relatively light and is a good conductor. Hence, if you want something light, you should go for aluminum wire. It is lighter than galvanized wire and will not tire your hands when installing it. However, its downsides include its higher price and its tendency to break.
Galvanized steel, on the other hand, is heavy. It is heavier than aluminum. Nevertheless, it is not prone to breaking and is more robust than aluminum wire. Besides, it is less expensive. Its downside, however, is its less able to conduct electricity compared to aluminum. Hence, it necessitates a higher voltage or power output to be more effective.
Polyrope, however, is a blend of plastic fibers. It will not rust, compared to aluminum, and is perfect for setting up a temporary electric fence.
Power Source
Another excellent feature you should consider when selecting a portable electric fence is the power source. You can power your electric fence in three ways: DC, AC, and solar power. You are undoubtedly familiar with AC power, and if AC powers your electric fence, you only need to plug it into the nearest power outlet.
On the other hand, DC is Direct Current, meaning you need to power your electric fence using a battery. Solar power, however, means electric power comes from solar energy. You only need to position the solar cells where there is abundant sunlight to get your electric fence powered.
The initial cost of using solar-powered electric fence is expensive, but over time, you will get free energy for your electric fence.
AC, of course, is your second-best option for powering your electric fence. You will not need batteries to power your electric fence if you have AC-powered electric fence. You only need to plug the power cord into the nearest AC power outlet, and you will get continuous electrification for your electric fence. It can be less expensive than DC.
Power Output
You will need an energizer to get your electric fence going. This energizer supplies electric current to your electric fence. Energizers, however, come with varying joule ratings to indicate the amount of electricity they can provide.
The number of joules needed by the energizer usually hinges on several factors, like the number of strands of the fence you need to electrify, the length of the electric fence, and the number of weeds in contact with the electric fence.
Nettings usually come in rolls of 165 feet. Hence, the power output needed for this roll is 0.25 joules. You will need an energizer with 0.5 ratings to supply two poultry netting rolls.
Electric fence for chickens usually has a higher Joule-to-Length ratio because the electrified fence is set closer to the soil or ground and typically gets in contact with weeds.
Expandability
Another factor you need to consider is the expandability of the electric fence. There will surely come a time when you need to expand the fence and add more nets. Once this happens, you need stronger energizers. So, it will be best to consider the prospect of expansion when selecting energizers to ensure that the fence system can accommodate added nets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you know the most recommended brands and models and the factors to consider when selecting an electric fence for chickens, you can now better select the most suitable one for your needs. Nevertheless, it will also help if you are familiar with the following FAQs about an electric fence, for they might also be the questions playing on in your mind:
Is Electric Poultry Fence Effective?
In my experience, I can say that electric poultry fences work. They could prevent chickens from getting out and deter predators from foraging on poultry. Once you’ve installed an electric fence, you can confidently let your chickens free-range without worrying about predators.
If you want your electric poultry fence to work efficiently, you must maintain the ground around the fence. During summer, weeds can grow feverishly, preventing the bottom netting from holding an electric charge.
Is It Difficult to Set Up an Electric Fence?
As you read through the features of the most recommended electric fence, you will notice that most of them are easy to set up. Installing them can take as quick as fifteen minutes. You will also not need the service of a certified electrician, for you got everything needed in the kit, except for those with no energizer included in the kit.
Besides, if you got a solar-powered electric fence, you only need to set up the fence anywhere there is enough sunlight without worrying about an electrical outlet or batteries. Overall, setting up of electric fence is not that difficult.
Would Your Poultry Netting Energizer Require Many Joules?
Determining the power amount for your electric fence can be a bit of a challenge. However, if you install more netting rolls, you will need around 0.5 joules or higher. It will be best, however, to check the user manual for the recommended power required by your electric poultry netting.
What is the Optimal Height of Electric Fence?
The ideal height of the electric fence is anywhere from four to six feet. If your chickens are not fond of flying, like those chickens raised for their meat, you can go even shorter with your electric fence. Nevertheless, you better go for a taller electric fence if you have chickens notorious for escaping.
Is Having An Electric Fence Safe for You and Your Pets?
The electric shock given by an electric fence is not designed to kill anything living. It is enough to provide predators and other animals an unpleasant feeling that would prevent them from further encroaching on your poultry.
Nevertheless, it will help if you orient your kids about the electric fence and the unpleasant electric shocks it gives. This way, they will refrain from touching or getting near the fence.
It will be best to prevent your pets from getting near the fence because they might get entangled with the netting.
My Final Thoughts
Escaping chickens and predators can be significant issues when you are raising chickens. So, you must think of ways to prevent these issues. One way to avoid these issues from arising is electrifying your fence. Choosing the best electric fence for chickens will allow you to sleep peacefully every night, knowing that your chickens are safe.
However, if it is your first time buying an electric fence, knowing the best options and factors to consider when selecting will genuinely help you in the buying process. This way, you can choose the best for your poultry and reduce problems of escape and intrusion into your poultry by predators.
