7 Best Portable Sheep Fences For 5 Acres That Old Farmers Swear By

You’ve got the sheep and you’ve got the five acres, but the grass in their main pasture is starting to look a little tired. The key to healthy land and healthy animals is moving them, but building a dozen permanent paddocks is a back-breaking, budget-busting nightmare. This is where portable fencing becomes the most valuable tool on your small farm, allowing you to unlock the full potential of your land with minimal effort.

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Key Factors in Portable Sheep Fencing for 5 Acres

The whole point of portable fencing is to make rotational grazing easy. You’re creating temporary paddocks to give your main pastures a rest, which breaks parasite life cycles and allows the forage to recover and thrive. For a 5-acre plot, this means you can subdivide a one-acre field into smaller sections, moving the flock every few days to provide fresh grazing and protect the land.

When you’re comparing options, a few things matter more than anything else. Visibility is crucial; sheep need to see the fence to respect it, and a visible barrier can be a first-line deterrent for predators. Conductivity, measured by the power of your energizer in joules and the quality of the wires in the fence, determines how "hot" the fence is—a weak shock teaches sheep to test it.

Finally, consider the reality of your daily chores. Portability is about more than just weight; it’s about how easily the fence untangles, how quickly the posts go in the ground, and how compact it is to store. A fence that’s a tangled mess every morning is a fence you won’t want to use. You’re balancing the need for a sturdy, reliable barrier with the need for a system you can move in 20 minutes before you head to your day job.

Premier 1 ElectroNet Plus: The Gold Standard

When you talk to seasoned shepherds, Premier 1 is the name that comes up again and again. Their ElectroNet Plus is widely considered the benchmark for electric netting because it’s built to solve the most common frustrations that come with cheaper options. It’s a system designed for people who use it every single day.

What sets it apart is the attention to detail in its construction. The vertical lines are rigid, which dramatically reduces the sagging that can short out a fence on tall, wet grass. More importantly, the posts are double-spiked at the bottom. This small feature makes a massive difference in holding power, whether you’re setting it up on a windy hillside or in soft, rain-soaked soil. The conductivity is top-notch, delivering a sharp, memorable shock that trains animals quickly.

Of course, this quality comes at a price. Premier 1 is an investment, and it can be hard to justify when you’re just starting out. But if you have high predator pressure or valuable livestock, the peace of mind is often worth the upfront cost. This is the fence you buy when you’re done fussing with lesser gear and want something that just works, every single time.

Gallagher SmartFence 2.0: All-In-One Portability

The Gallagher SmartFence is less of a fence and more of an ingenious system. It’s designed for one purpose: maximum speed and convenience. The entire 330-foot, four-strand fence—including posts, wire, and reels—is integrated into a single, easy-to-carry unit. You walk your fence line, and the posts and wire deploy behind you. Takedown is just as fast, with a geared reel to wind it all back up neatly.

For a hobby farmer with limited time, this is a game-changer. You can set up or take down a paddock in minutes, not a half-hour. This makes daily moves practical, even on busy mornings. It’s perfect for strip-grazing across a large field or quickly cordoning off a section of pasture you want to protect.

The tradeoff for this incredible convenience is in the barrier itself. It’s a four-strand polywire fence, not a net. While highly effective for sheep trained to electric, it’s not a physical deterrent for a determined predator or a naive lamb that might slip through. The SmartFence is a psychological barrier, not a physical one. It’s an excellent tool, but it relies entirely on a good energizer and well-trained animals.

Starkline 42" Netting: A Durable, Reliable Choice

Starkline has carved out a space as the workhorse of the electric netting world. It offers many of the premium features you’d find on a brand like Premier 1 but at a more accessible price point. This makes it a fantastic, no-compromise choice for most small-farm situations.

The most notable feature is the rigid plastic "verticals" that connect the horizontal hot wires. This design is a huge advantage over netting that uses simple poly string, as it provides structure and keeps the fence from collapsing into a sad, droopy mess. The posts are sturdy, and the poly material is well-treated for UV resistance, ensuring it won’t get brittle after a few seasons in the sun.

Think of Starkline as the perfect middle ground. It’s a significant step up in durability and ease of use from entry-level options, but it doesn’t carry the premium brand-name price tag. For a 5-acre operation where you’re moving fences once or twice a week, this netting provides an excellent balance of performance, longevity, and cost.

Kencove Electric Netting: Value and Performance

Kencove is a go-to supplier for farmers who want functional, no-frills equipment that gets the job done. Their electric netting is a prime example of this philosophy. It’s a straightforward, reliable product that delivers effective animal containment without breaking the bank. It’s the fence you buy when you need to cover a lot of ground on a tight budget.

The construction is solid and functional. While the posts are typically single-spiked and the vertical stays may be less rigid than premium brands, the fence is more than capable of creating a secure paddock. The conductivity is good, and when powered by an appropriately sized energizer, it provides a sufficient shock to teach sheep to keep their distance.

This is the ideal choice for expanding your operation or for use in lower-pressure situations. If you’re just starting rotational grazing and want to test the waters, or if you need a few extra rolls to subdivide a back pasture with low predator risk, Kencove offers unbeatable value. It proves that effective management doesn’t always require the most expensive gear.

Zareba Electric Fence Kit: A Complete Starter Pack

For someone completely new to sheep or electric fencing, the sheer number of components can be intimidating. You need an energizer, ground rod, netting, connectors, and a tester. The Zareba Electric Fence Kit is designed to eliminate that confusion by bundling everything you need into one box.

The primary benefit here is simplicity. You walk out of the store with a single purchase and have a complete, functional system ready to set up. This lowers the barrier to entry and gives a new shepherd the confidence to implement rotational grazing from day one. It’s a fantastic way to learn the principles of electric fencing without the risk of buying mismatched or underpowered components.

However, it’s important to view these kits as a starting point. The included energizer is typically a low-power model designed to run just the single roll of netting in the box. This limits your ability to expand by connecting multiple nets later on. The components are entry-level, but they are perfectly adequate for getting started on a small scale. Many farmers start with a kit like this and upgrade the energizer or add more nets as their flock and experience grow.

Hog Panels: A Rugged, Non-Electric Alternative

Sometimes, you need a barrier that is more physical than psychological, and electricity isn’t practical or desired. This is where hog panels, or utility panels, shine. These are 16-foot-long sections of heavy-gauge welded wire, typically 34 to 48 inches tall. You set them up with steel T-posts and wire clips, creating an incredibly strong and secure enclosure.

Their strength is their biggest asset. A hog panel fence will stop a charging ram, contain a flock in a high-traffic laneway, and present a formidable challenge to most predators. They are perfect for creating semi-permanent pens, separating groups of animals, or securing a perimeter around a barn or winter feeding area.

The obvious downside is their lack of portability. A single panel is heavy and awkward for one person to move. Setting up a line of them is a chore. This is not a fence for daily paddock shifts. Instead, it’s the solution for enclosures you plan to leave in place for a few weeks or months at a time, where absolute security is more important than mobility.

Polywire & Step-Ins: The Customizable Low-Cost Option

This is the classic, old-school approach to portable electric fencing and remains the most affordable and customizable option available. The system is simple: you string multiple lines of conductive polywire or polytape through a series of lightweight step-in fiberglass or plastic posts. You can create a paddock of any shape you can imagine.

The biggest advantage is cost. You can fence a large area with a few rolls of polywire and a bundle of posts for a fraction of the cost of netting. It’s also incredibly lightweight and easy to carry. You can tailor the fence to your specific needs, adding more lines for smaller lambs or raising the top wire to deter jumpers.

However, this system demands well-trained sheep. A polywire fence is almost purely a psychological barrier; there’s nothing to stop an animal from simply pushing through it if it’s not afraid of the shock. Setup is also more involved, as you have to string each line individually, and the wire has a notorious tendency to tangle if you’re not careful when reeling it in. It’s a great tool for those on a tight budget who have the time and patience to manage it correctly.

Ultimately, the best portable fence for your five acres is the one you’ll actually use consistently. Whether it’s the all-in-one convenience of a SmartFence or the rugged simplicity of hog panels, the right choice depends on your animals, your land, and the time you have. Investing in a reliable system is the first step toward healthier pastures, happier sheep, and a more sustainable small farm.