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Chicken Fence. Wholesale direct DIY chicken fencing, keep chickens safe

Chicken Fence Rolls & Parts

This page explains chicken fences and will compare different chicken fence kits. Don't need a complete chicken fence with posts? Here are three quick links to take you directly to fence rolls and other parts:

Chicken Fence Comparison

Chicken fencing is a type of fence engineered to contain chickens and keep out predators. Typical applications include:

  • Creating a movable poly chicken fence surround for chicken grazing (rotational grazing)
  • Creating a permanent all metal chicken fence to enclose chickens and keep out predators
  • Using our metal chicken fencing to build your own chicken enclosure (popular)
Chicken Fencing Chicken Fencing

Typical permanent all metal chicken fences include four sides and a top. This prevents climbing and flying predators from getting at your chickens. A chicken fence kit is a selection of fencing, fence posts, accessories and hardware to build a complete fence to keep in chickens starting from scratch (pun intended).

Chicken Fence Chicken Fence Chicken Fence

Our chicken fences are not electric and cannot fail due to broken wires, dead batteries, etc. They are engineered to keep out many different animals, depending on the options you choose. If you have a specific application that needs electric fence, we do offer a poly electric chicken fence that pairs our high strength poly with strands of electric fence. 

Compare 1000+ fence kits, combinations and options within each of these types of chicken fences - since 1992 we have provided this product to our customers. 

The purpose of this page is to help you compare the choices to best select the best chicken fence for your project.

Chicken Fence Chicken Fence Chicken Fence

In general, most chicken fence customers select:

  • A chicken fence with four sides and a top. This type of chicken fence has four sides and a top designed to keep out all types of predators. Chicken fences with a top can be made of poly (light, less expensive) or all metal with a one inch opening size. An additional smaller opening size 1/2x1/2 or 1/4x1/4 metal skirt can be added to each.
  • A poly chicken fence or poly chicken fence with a chew barrier base. Chickens don’t chew and poly fence has properties that make it a great chicken fence. Poly chicken fence doesn’t have memory (if it’s hit it returns to its original shape unlike metal that once bent stays bent). Poly chicken fence is also lightweight, very strong and inexpensive. It’s easy to move. Another popular type of fence is a poly chicken fence paired with a smaller opening size (1/2x1/2 or 1/4x1/4) steel chew barrier base to exclude chewing predators. This configuration is usually made permanent and is a good side chicken fence area for an enclosed chicken coop for the night.

Below are our chicken fence kits separated by type:

Shop Chicken Fence Types

Chicken Fencing Information

chicken fence - how to use chicken fencing to build chicken fences
Chicken fence - how to use chicken fencing to build chicken fences

There are many different chicken fence options on the market. If you have a need to create a fence to keep chickens in an area, our fence is for you.

Here’s why:

  • Our chicken fencing is effective but nearly invisible from a distance. It's engineered to be as invisible as possible, to blend in with your existing landscape.
  • Completely NON-ELECTRIC, no wires to break, no parts to fail over time. A real actual physical barrier to keep chickens in. There are some poly electric physical barrier options available if needed.
  • Our chicken fences are very customizable. Choose the right strength, height, chew resistance, opening size and more for your project. This includes chicken fence gates from 3 feet wide to 24 feet wide, thicker corner posts/end posts if applicable, tensioning for your chicken fence and more.
  • Renting? Need a temporary chicken fence or a movable chicken fence for grazing? All of our chicken fences with ground sleeves can be installed permanently or made removable if needed. Use included locking set screws to release our fence posts.
  • We make our chicken fences quick and easy to install. Using ground sleeves for regular posts and gates and large ground sleeves for corner posts and driveway gates no concrete footings are needed. Posts are secured with a locking set screw inside each sleeve. Large areas can be installed in a fraction of the time it would take for conventional fencing. Most customers install this type of fence themselves without contractors.
  • Since 1992, this is our product that we ship directly to customers (homeowners, ranchers, homesteaders, farmers, etc) from our warehouses coast to coast. Some companies sell products then drop ship from another company to get to you. Please shop with confidence knowing that it's our product you are purchasing that we are shipping directly to you.
  • Note on our 1/2x1/2 wire fence - Over time this has become very popular for use in DIY chicken coops. The wire is hot dip galvanized after welding (the entire roll is dipped in zinc) then black PVC coated. This offers the best possible lifespan in the fence industry. Alot of other wire tipes are hot dip galvanized before welding, or electro-galvanized which are not as good. This is an important distinction in chicken fencing. 

Chicken Fence Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best chicken fence?
The best type of chicken fence is strong enough to keep chickens in and predators out. Permanent chicken fences are usually made of one inch or smaller metal, while movable chicken fences are usually made of polypropylene which is a type of plastic. Poly chicken fences are lightweight and easier to move than heavier all metal chicken fences.
How do I build a chicken fence?
Chicken fences are made of support posts, rolls of fencing material and hardware. Ground sleeves are first driven into the ground with a sledge hammer, posts then slide in the ground sleeves and secure with locking set screws. Fencing material is either attached to the posts directly with fence ties or attached to tension cable which offers additional support. Chicken fences can be buried at the bottom of the fence or overlapped and pinned to the ground with stakes to prevent predators from pushing up under or digging under the fence.
What is the easiest chicken fence to install?
The easiest permanent chicken fence to install uses ground sleeves. Ground sleeves are first driven into the ground with a sledge hammer, posts then slide in the ground sleeves and secured with a locking set screw. The posts can be permanent or removable. Chicken fences with tensioning are not removable. It’s easier to remove a chicken fence without overlap, than one with overlap.
What is a chicken fence made out of?
Chicken fencing is usually made out of black polypropylene plastic or black PVC coated galvanized steel. Here’s some information on each:
  • Polypropylene plastic chicken fence: Small opening size 3/4"-1" to larger 2" opening size carbon black fence mesh is available in different opening sizes and strengths. This mesh is black to inhibit breakdown from UV rays and different types of this mesh will have different longevity outdoors in sunlight; as little as 3 years to as much as 25 years. It can consist of all virgin polypropylene or a small percentage of recycled material. The black color also makes this mesh not very visible. This type of chicken fence does not rust with water or salt water exposure. The smaller opening size mesh is usually not very strong and designed to be draped over vegetation as opposed to a physical barrier type of fence. The larger 1 3/4 to 2" opening size can be used as a physical barrier and can range from 400 pounds of breaking strength per square foot up to 1400 pounds of breaking strength per square foot. The higher strength versions of this poly chicken fencing can repel most animals running at any speed. 
  • Metal chicken fence: Small to large opening size wire fence of various thicknesses and strengths. This wire fence can be welded or woven. Woven wire is bent into shapes by a machine and can be knotted like traditional field fence or twisted like traditional hex type mesh (chicken wire). Metal chicken fence can be plain galvanized or galvanized painted black or galvanized then black vinyl coated. Galvanization can be before weaving or welding or after welding or weaving (in galvanized after welding/weaving the welded joints are also covered with zinc for the best rust resistance). Some more common knotted metal animal fence is graduated with smaller opening size 2"x4" wire spacing at the bottom to larger 4" opening size wire spacing at the top. This wire fence and other large opening size wire fence can trap animals that run into the fence causing injury or death. Two inch opening size or smaller wire chicken fence is much less likely to harm animals and just as effective. The black vinyl coated versions of this metal chicken fencing are also not very visible like black polypropylene chicken fencing. It is not rust proof like polypropylene but can last from 5 years to 25 years depending on the type of coatings. Metal chicken fence is very strong and can range from 800 pounds of breaking strength for the woven wire hex (chicken wire) types to over 2000 pounds of breaking strength per square foot for some of the welded wire types. 1"x1" metal or smaller can also be used as a chew barrier or rodent barrier at the base of a poly chicken fence. 
How tall does a chicken fence need to be?
A chicken fence needs to be 4 to 7 1/2 feet tall. This chicken fence height depends on different factors such as the length of the chicken fence and the types of animals you are trying to keep out – or if you are keeping in chickens only.
  • 4 feet tall for areas that customers use for chicken grazing
  • 6 to 7 1/2 feet tall for most permanent chicken fences, with or without a top.
How strong does a chicken fence need to be?
A chicken fence needs to be 400 pounds of breaking strength to 950 pounds of breaking strength or more depending on your application. The strength of a chicken fence is determined by taking a one foot by one foot sample of fence material and pulling it on a calibrated machine with clamps that run along the full top of and bottom of the sample until it breaks. In general, the higher the breaking strength the better the protection which may or may not be needed. In general:
  • For grazing areas customers typically use our 700 poly. It’s a nice balance between economy and strength. The 1100 poly is similar but more expensive.
  • For permanent grazing areas around a chicken coop, the most popular mesh is the 1x1 metal. It’s strong, metal and will keep out most animals.
  • For chicken coops the most popular chicken fencing to install on a coop is the 1/2x1/2 black PVC coated steel mesh.
  • The best to keep out snakes from a chicken area is the 1/4x1/4 – this will keep out almost every snake.
What is chicken netting or aviary netting?
Chicken netting or aviary netting is typically used by customers that raise game birds or other birds. It’s a larger opening size netting that is typically knotted nylon. It’s draped over the top of typically a metal sided fence. The opening size is large, it will not help with predators and this type of netting is mostly designed to keep birds from flying out.
How much does chicken fence cost?
A chicken fence will range in price from $1 a foot to $10 a foot or more depending on the width and type of chicken fence and if you are purchasing rolls of chicken fence only or a complete chicken fence kit. Rolls of polypropylene chicken fence will cost less than all metal chicken fence.
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