Meet Megan from Croft 167! Nestled in the picturesque East Sutherland, Scotland, Megan is dedicated to restoring her mixed-use croft. With a passion for sustainability, she skillfully combines nature and food production, focusing on food, fibre, flora, and fauna. In this review, she shares her experiences with our chicken netting, highlighting how it contributes to her efforts in creating a thriving ecosystem that nurtures both her land and livestock.
I had previously bought a 50m roll of the double-pin Gallagher sheep net fence from Electric Fence Online, for the goats, rather than the sheep, and it’s worked really well to prevent them from pushing their luck and trying to get into the vegetable garden. They don’t really test the mains electric fence, but a Polycrub and veg garden full of greenery and vegetables is just a bit too tempting and I’ve learned the hard way that goats require a ‘Belt and Braces’ arrangement.
I was then asked by the company if I would like to trial their electrified netting and review the Gallagher 50m poultry netting for our chooks, and I was more than happy to give it a go in a real world setting.
I have to say I’ve been really pleased with it…once I sussed out the best way to use it and get it set up!
I’ll start off by saying you ideally need a good amount of space to get it rolled out properly, otherwise, especially with the double pins, you get into an infuriating tangle, very quickly. I found the best option for initial set-up was to unroll it all roughly where I wanted it set up, then begin to pin it out and finally tension it once I was happy with the alignment.
Space is your friend when you’re getting this stuff set up and rolled out – trust me!
The chicken fencing, unlike the sheep/goat fencing, also comes with a pile of ground pins, so you can hold the base of the fence tight to the ground. The bottom six horizontal wires of the net get closer together towards the ground, reducing space for predators to squeeze through, bearing in mind it will be shocking them as they’re trying to get in, so it’s quite a good deterrent.
The gaps in the net are definitely too small for a pine marten to get through, and I think even a stoat would get a zap if it tried to get in. At 112cm it’s quite a leap for any animal to jump into the enclosure and it’s far too wobbly to them to climb up, again whilst being shocked. The height also seems to be enough to dissuade the chickens from being bothered about flying out.
The double-pin arrangement works really well – it’s just far more stable and secure than single pin fencing we’ve previously used
I think, if you can, you’re best to strim or cut any high grass or rank vegetation from your proposed fence line before you get set up. In the worst-case scenario, you can just trample the grass, and the fence seems to burn off any vegetation it rests on, but the downside of this approach is a loss of voltage and decreased efficacy, so you’re best to clear it in advance, if you can.
If you’re moving the fence to a new location, there’s a bit of an art to pulling out the posts and bundling them together, whilst keeping the netting out of the way. It’s a bit of an artform and will undoubtably provide plenty of entertainment for your neighbours until you get a system organised that works for you. It’s a definite downside of using this set-up but, seeing as I’m not moving the chickens every other day or even every other week, it’s something you can plan for and give yourself plenty of time to do – and for your own sake, DO NOT try and get it organised when the midgies are out, you’re asking for a disaster and tangle that would make the Gordian Knot look like child splay.
The netting has had a good weather testing over the last few months, we’ve had some pretty strong late summer/early autumn gales, and it has quite capably stood up to them. I think the double-pin system is partly responsible for this success, it just seems to add grip and stability that I haven’t seen with other conventional single-pin fencing. It will be interesting to see how it does in the winter weather, but honestly, I think it will be absolutely fine.
Good for goats and chickens!
Overall, I’m very happy with this fence. The build quality, like most Gallagher products, is great, and the design is well thought out. I know I’ve critiqued the ease with which you can get it set-up and moved, but realistically, I can single-handedly get the whole 50m enclosure shifted and set up somewhere new in about half an hour.
If nothing else, it’s given me peace of mind that my girls have an extra layer of security, especially if I have to be away from home and the croft for any reason, and that alone is worth its weight in gold.
We recommend reading the full article on Megan's blog! And if you yourself would like to review one of our products, please reach out to us via the link to the ambassador programme. the ambassador programme for everyone who loves farming, animal care, wildlife protection and loves to share their passion with others. We are looking for content creators, influencers and website/blog owners who would like to collaborate.
