Keep grass, weeds and soil away from the live strands of electric poultry netting. Some nets have a non-electrified bottom strand designed to sit on the ground, but that does not make it fine for the live wires above it to sag into grass.
The distinction is between the physical mesh and the conductors carrying the electric pulse. Find out which strands are live on your particular net before deciding what can touch the ground.
Questions answered in this guide
Can the bottom of the net rest on the lawn?
On a design with a non-electrified bottom strand, that strand can sit where the manufacturer intends. For example, Thunderbird identifies a non-electrified bottom wire on its poultry netting.
Other nets arrange their conductors differently. The i.Pet 25 m poultry net in our range lists four live wires, rather than every horizontal strand being live. Its diagram shows the lowest live wire above the bottom of the mesh. Follow the supplied instructions when setting it up.
Why does wet grass make a difference?
Green or wet vegetation touching a live conductor gives current another route towards the ground. Enough contact can lower the voltage available along the fence. A net that worked on a freshly mown strip can perform differently after the grass grows or becomes wet.
Gallagher explains the conductivity of damp or green vegetation, while its low-voltage guide identifies vegetation contact as one source of fence loss.
This does not mean one blade of grass always stops the fence. It means a flashing energiser light is not proof that the far side of the net is delivering the voltage it should.
What should I do when grass reaches the live wires?
- Contain the birds somewhere else before opening or moving their boundary.
- Switch off the energiser before handling the net or working beside it.
- Move the net clear of the cutting area. Do not mow or use a line trimmer through mesh or wires.
- Clear the vegetation and reset the net upright. Pay attention to dips in the ground and leaning posts where live strands can end up lower.
- Reconnect and test according to the net and energiser instructions before relying on the fence again.
Check the low points, not just the easy stretch beside the gate. A corner that leans after wind or a section pushed down during mowing can create contact even when the rest looks tidy.
How do I check whether clearing the grass helped?
Use a purpose-made electric-fence tester, following its instructions. Compare the result with the operating range specified for your system. Do not test with your hand, a blade of grass or a pet.
If voltage remains low after clearing vegetation, there may also be an earthing, connection, battery or energiser problem. Do not assume a larger energiser is the first fix. A working electric poultry fence needs the net, power supply and earth system to work together.
Add a quick walk around the net after rain and during fast grass growth. It is much easier to clear a few contacts than to discover the whole lower section has disappeared into weeds.
