6 Best Electric Netting Kits for Small Acreage
Secure your small acreage with ease. We review 6 top electric netting kits for beginners, focusing on the reliable, time-tested options old farmers trust.
You’ve got a few acres, a small flock of chickens, and a persistent fox that thinks you’ve set up a personal buffet. Or maybe it’s a handful of goats with an uncanny ability to find the one weak spot in your brand new garden fence. For a small-scale farmer, managing animals means managing boundaries, and that’s where the real work begins.
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Why Electric Netting is a Small Farm Essential
Electric netting is more than just a fence; it’s a flexible management tool. Its primary job is containment and predator exclusion, but its real power lies in its portability. You can set up a 164-foot paddock in under 15 minutes, allowing you to move animals to fresh pasture effortlessly. This is the heart of rotational grazing, a practice that builds soil health, reduces parasite loads, and lowers your feed bill.
Unlike permanent fencing, which is costly and locks you into a fixed layout, netting lets you adapt to the seasons. You can fence off a garden to let the chickens clean up pests in the fall or create a temporary holding pen anywhere you need it. The electric pulse provides a sharp but safe psychological deterrent that animals learn to respect quickly. For predators like raccoons, coyotes, and foxes, that shock is often the only thing standing between them and your livestock.
Premier 1 PoultryNet: The Go-To for Pastured Birds
When you see photos of chickens on pasture, chances are they’re behind Premier 1 netting. This brand has become the standard for a reason: it’s designed specifically for birds. The vertical lines are spaced closely together, preventing even small chickens from squeezing through, while the bottom line is set low to the ground to deter digging predators. Their posts, particularly the double-spiked FiberTuff models, offer excellent stability even in soft or uneven soil.
The trade-off for that tight mesh is a greater potential for the fence to short out. You must keep the fenceline mowed or trimmed. If tall, wet grass touches the lower hot wires, it will ground out the fence, rendering it useless. Setting it up on a dead-straight line with good tension is also critical to prevent sagging, which can create escape routes for birds and an easy entry for predators. It’s a fantastic, reliable system, but it demands proper maintenance.
Kencove Sheep & Goat Netting: Taller & Stronger
Goats are notorious escape artists, and sheep will test any boundary that looks weak. Kencove’s sheep and goat netting addresses this head-on with a taller profile, typically 42 or 48 inches, which is a significant deterrent for animals that like to jump. The vertical plastic "stays" are more rigid than those on many poultry nets, which dramatically reduces the sagging that can plague longer runs of fence.
This sturdier design comes with a different set of considerations. The horizontal line spacing is much wider than on a poultry net, making it unsuitable for chickens or other small fowl who would walk right through it. It’s built for the pressure of larger animals. This is a perfect example of choosing the right tool for the job—what works for a 150-pound ewe won’t work for a 5-pound hen. If you’re managing mixed species, you’ll need separate systems or a more specialized net.
Gallagher SmartFence 2: Ultimate Portable System
The Gallagher SmartFence isn’t a net at all, but it deserves a spot on this list for its sheer ingenuity and portability. It’s an all-in-one system with four polywires, posts, and corner anchors integrated into a single reel-and-post unit. You can deploy a 330-foot fence in about five minutes. It’s incredibly lightweight and compact, making it the absolute best choice for daily or frequent moves.
This system is a psychological barrier, not a physical one. It works exceptionally well for training cattle, sheep, and goats that already respect electric fencing. However, it’s a poor choice for poultry, as they can easily walk through the wires. It’s also less effective against smaller predators like weasels or raccoons that might slip through. Think of it as a highly mobile cross-fencing tool, perfect for strip-grazing within a secure perimeter fence.
Starkline 42" Netting Kit: A Reliable Value Pick
For the beginner who needs a solid, all-purpose net without the premium price tag, Starkline is an excellent starting point. Their 42-inch kits offer a great balance of height, durability, and cost. They typically feature double-spiked posts for stability and a mesh size that can work for sheep, goats, and larger poultry, making it a versatile option for a mixed-species homestead.
Where’s the compromise? While perfectly functional, the materials may not feel as robust as the top-tier brands. The plastic on the posts might be a bit more flexible, and the polywire might not have as many conductive filaments. For most small-acreage applications, these differences are minor. Starkline proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a secure, effective electric fence. It’s a workhorse that gets the job done.
Zareba Poultry Fencing Kit for Predator Control
Zareba is a well-known name in electric fencing, and their poultry kit is designed for one thing: keeping birds in and predators out. These all-in-one kits are a huge advantage for beginners because they often bundle the netting, posts, and a properly matched energizer. This removes the guesswork of trying to pair components yourself, which can be a common point of failure.
The key feature of these kits is often the focus on predator deterrence. The mesh is typically tighter at the bottom to stop digging and squeezing threats. While the included energizers may not be the most powerful on the market, they are sufficient for the length of netting in the box. This is a plug-and-play solution for someone who needs to protect a flock in the backyard or a small pasture paddock immediately.
Fi-Shock Poultry Kit: A Simple, All-in-One Start
Much like the Zareba kit, Fi-Shock offers a straightforward, complete package for the first-time user. It’s one of the most accessible options available at farm supply stores and is designed for simplicity. You get the net, the posts, and a low-impedance energizer that can handle some light weed contact without losing its entire charge.
This is the kit you buy when you bring home your first chicks and realize you need a secure outdoor space for them next week. It’s not the most heavy-duty system, and you’ll want to be diligent about keeping the fenceline clear. But for establishing a small, temporary run quickly and affordably, it’s hard to beat the convenience. It’s an entry point that lets you learn the principles of electric fencing without a major investment.
Choosing Your Energizer: Solar vs. AC/DC Power
Your netting is useless without a good energizer, or "fencer." The choice between a solar-powered unit and one that plugs in (AC) or runs off a battery (DC) is critical and depends entirely on your setup.
AC (Plug-in): If your paddock is within reach of an outlet on a barn or house, AC is the way to go. It delivers the most consistent, powerful shock for the lowest cost. It’s reliable, maintenance-free, and gives you the most joules (the measure of energy per pulse) for your dollar.
DC (Battery): For more remote locations, a 12-volt deep-cycle marine battery can power a DC energizer for weeks. This is a great portable option, but it requires you to haul the battery back for recharging. It’s a solid middle ground between AC power and solar convenience.
- Solar: A solar energizer is the king of portability. With an integrated solar panel and battery, you can place your fence anywhere the sun shines. The major trade-offs are higher initial cost and lower power output compared to AC units. A few cloudy days can also weaken its performance. Always buy a solar energizer with a higher joule rating than you think you need to compensate for less-than-ideal weather conditions.
The Weize 12V 100Ah AGM battery delivers reliable power for RVs, solar systems, and more. Its maintenance-free design and low self-discharge rate ensure long-lasting performance.
Ultimately, electric netting is a tool that grants you control over your land and the well-being of your animals. It allows you to be a grass farmer first, building healthy soil and healthy livestock through managed grazing. Start with a kit that matches your animals and power source, learn to keep it hot, and you’ll unlock a new level of efficiency on your small farm.
