6 Best Plastic Poultry Netting For Temporary Fencing On a Homestead Budget
Find lightweight, affordable plastic poultry netting for your homestead. Our guide reviews the 6 best options for easy, temporary fencing on a budget.
Moving your chickens to fresh grass is one of the best things you can do for their health and your land. But building permanent paddocks is expensive, time-consuming, and locks you into a system that might not work next year. This is where temporary plastic poultry netting becomes a homesteader’s best friend, offering a flexible and affordable way to manage your flock’s grazing.
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Why Plastic Netting is Ideal for Pasturing
Plastic poultry netting is the ultimate tool for rotational grazing on a small scale. Its primary advantage is mobility. You can set up, take down, and reconfigure a paddock in under 30 minutes, allowing you to move your flock to fresh pasture daily or weekly with minimal fuss. This constant movement is key to breaking parasite life cycles and giving the land time to recover and regrow.
Unlike heavy wire fencing, which is a permanent decision, plastic netting is light and adaptable. You can fence around a garden bed one week and then move the whole operation to fertilize a future corn patch the next. It’s a system that works with the seasons and your changing homestead goals, not against them.
The affordability is another huge factor. Outfitting several acres with permanent fencing is a massive capital investment. A roll or two of plastic netting, however, puts effective pasture management within reach of almost any budget. It’s the difference between dreaming about rotational grazing and actually doing it.
Premier 1 PoultryNet: For Serious Rotations
If you plan on moving your flock frequently and want a fence that will withstand years of use, Premier 1 is the standard. This isn’t the cheapest option, but it’s an investment in durability and ease of use. The posts are rigid, the double-spiked design provides excellent stability in most soils, and the overall construction is simply heavier-duty than many competitors.
Think of this as the tool for the homesteader who is fully committed to daily or every-other-day moves. When you’re handling a fence that often, small frustrations become big problems. Premier 1’s pre-installed posts and well-designed structure minimize snags and setup time, which is invaluable when you’re trying to get chores done before work.
The main tradeoff is the upfront cost. It can be tempting to go for a cheaper alternative, but if rotational grazing is central to your poultry plan, the Premier 1 will likely save you money in the long run by not needing to be replaced. It’s built for work, not just for occasional use.
Starkline Net Fence: Easiest All-in-One Kit
For the homesteader just getting into rotational grazing, Starkline offers one of the most straightforward entry points. Their kits often come with everything you need right in the box: the netting, posts, and even basic repair supplies. This removes the guesswork and a lot of the initial intimidation.
The real value here is convenience. You don’t have to worry about sourcing the right number of posts or wondering if you bought the correct type. It’s a complete system designed to get you up and running quickly. The posts are typically single-spiked and lighter than premium brands, making them incredibly easy to push into the ground, especially in softer soils.
This convenience comes with a tradeoff in ruggedness. While perfectly adequate for many situations, it may not hold up as well as heavier-duty options in rocky soil or under high tension. It’s the perfect choice for someone with a smaller flock on relatively flat ground who values a quick and painless setup above all else.
Tenax Poultry Fence: Top Value for Large Areas
Sometimes you just need to enclose a large space without breaking the bank. Tenax poultry fence is a non-electric, bulk-roll option that delivers maximum coverage for your dollar. This is just the netting itself, meaning you supply your own posts, whether they are metal T-posts or fiberglass step-ins.
This is the DIY approach to temporary fencing. By separating the netting from the posts, you can customize your setup and save a significant amount of money, especially if you need to fence a large garden perimeter or a new orchard. If you already have a supply of T-posts on the homestead, this is an incredibly economical way to put them to use.
The downside is labor. You have to measure your post spacing and attach the netting yourself, which takes more time and effort than an all-in-one system. But for a semi-permanent daytime pen that you might only move a few times a season, the cost savings can be well worth the extra work. This is the best option when square footage is more important than mobility.
YARDGARD Poultry Netting for Bantam Flocks
Not all chickens are created equal, and standard poultry netting can have holes large enough for small bantam breeds or young chicks to slip right through. YARDGARD and similar brands often offer a lightweight plastic netting with a much smaller mesh size, typically around one inch. This is purely for containment, not predator protection.
This type of fencing is ideal for creating secure daytime pens for your smallest birds. It’s lightweight, easy to handle, and effective at keeping tiny escape artists where they belong. You can use it to create a brooder pen on grass or to give your Serama or Silkie flock their own safe grazing area away from the larger, more boisterous standard breeds.
It’s crucial to understand the limitations here. This light plastic mesh offers almost zero defense against a determined predator like a raccoon or a fox. It should only be used within a larger, secure area or during times when you are nearby and vigilant. Think of it as a baby gate, not a security door.
Fencer Wire 48-inch Net: Containing Fliers
You can have the best fence in the world, but it’s useless if your chickens can simply fly over it. For flighty breeds like Leghorns, Hamburgs, or many game fowl, a standard 42-inch or 44-inch net is more of a suggestion than a boundary. A 48-inch tall net provides a much more formidable barrier.
That extra height makes a significant psychological and physical difference. While a determined bird might still clear it, the taller fence discourages most casual attempts at escape. This is the fence you choose when your primary challenge isn’t predators, but keeping your flock contained within their designated pasture.
Remember, no open-topped fence is 100% effective against fliers. Proper management, including wing clipping if necessary, is part of the solution. But starting with a taller fence like this one gives you a major advantage and can dramatically reduce the time you spend chasing escapees.
Zareba Poly-Netting: Best for UV Resistance
Plastic’s greatest enemy is the sun. Over time, ultraviolet radiation makes plastic brittle, leading to cracks and breaks that render a fence useless. In high-sun environments like the American Southwest or Southeast, this degradation can happen in just a couple of seasons.
Zareba is a well-known name in electric fencing, and their products are generally built with UV resistance in mind. Investing in a net with good UV inhibitors means you’re buying longevity. The fence will remain flexible and strong for more seasons, protecting your initial investment from literally falling apart in the sun.
While any plastic will eventually degrade, choosing a brand known for its durability in harsh climates is a smart move for anyone farming south of the 40th parallel. It might cost a little more than a generic brand, but replacing your entire fence system every two years is far more expensive in the long run.
Tips for a Sag-Free Temporary Fence Setup
A sagging, sloppy fence is ineffective and frustrating. The key to a tight, functional poultry net isn’t brute force, but smart setup. Follow these steps, and any of the nets listed above will perform better.
- Mow First: Always mow a path for your fenceline before you start. This prevents grass from catching on the bottom line, which can cause sagging and, on electric nets, short out the entire system.
- Anchor Your Corners: Start by staking your first corner post securely. Then, walk the entire bundle of posts to the next corner and stake that one. A tight line between well-set corners is the foundation of a good setup.
- Don’t Over-Stretch: Pull the netting taut, but don’t stretch it like a guitar string. Over-stretching pulls the vertical lines out of plumb and causes the middle of the fence to droop. The goal is to remove slack, not to deform the net.
- Use Extra Posts: The posts included with a kit are a minimum. Use extra step-in posts to support the fence in low spots, on hills, or at any point that looks like it’s starting to sag. This is the single best trick for a professional-looking setup.
Ultimately, the right poultry netting is the one that fits your land, your birds, and your management style. Whether you need the rugged mobility of a premium kit or the sheer square footage of a bulk roll, temporary fencing is a powerful tool. It empowers you to build soil, raise healthier birds, and manage your small farm with flexibility and confidence.
