Backyard Chickens


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 Knowing the source and origin of your breakfast, lunch, and dinner has become important to families across the United States in recent years. In the past, each family had their own garden, milk cow, hogs, and flock of chickens to support their family’s nutritional needs. As America has pushed away from the backyard farm, the safety, value, taste, and cost of food has changed drastically. 

Today, however, backyard farms are making a comeback. It’s not uncommon to see a flock of chickens in your neighborhood or find ads at the gas station or on social media for fresh eggs. Backyard chickens are no longer something that our grandparents used to have.  

For the novice backyard chicken farmer, a simple coop purchased from the local feed store with a small run may do. Other avid poultry farmers prefer coops with large runs or portable fences for free range chickens. Although they are called “free range,” it’s important for the bird’s safety to have some type of barrier between your avian friend and busy roads, your prized vegetable garden, stray dogs, and other predators.

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We offer a variety of nets ranging in color, height, and length. For chickens, however, we recommend using the NPC. With 14 horizontal lines and 3 ½” line spacing, the NPC is able to contain large poultry such as adult chickens and keep predators out. In order to make your net as effective as possible, always keep it electrified. The NPC is 48” tall, and since chickens are winged animals, it is best to prune/clip one of their wings to inhibit flight. Although flight is one way for chickens to escape predators, the addition of an electric net will safely keep your chickens out of the mouths of hungry animals. It is important to monitor your chickens and net to prevent accidents and injury to the animal and damage to the net. The cost associated with electric netting is fairly low. You will also only need 0.25 joules to power your net. With the ability to move your net, you don’t have to worry about fencing in your entire backyard. You can simply move the net daily to give your chickens fresh grass and grubs to eat.

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Kencove also offers a more permanent and secure fencing option for your backyard feathered friends. Our PVC-coated hex wire is great for small runs, coops, and additional security for prefabricated coops. By burying the hex wire, you can prevent predators from digging under your coop or run. And by fencing in your entire frame, you can keep winged predators out and those feisty raccoons that seem to climb over and into anything at bay. Although you cannot electrify the hex wire, you can add a few hot wires around your coop to prevent predators from leaning against or reaching through your fence. This wire comes in 150’ rolls and heights ranging from 2’ to 7½’ (7½’ rolls are 100’ long). This is an affordable, durable product that allows you to build or add additional run space to your coop. 

In addition to portable nets and PVC-coated hex wire, Kencove carries all the additional pieces for your complete poultry set up. We have an extensive line of fence energizers to electrify your portable net, soft and high-tensile wire to add additional security to your permanent housing, as well as t-posts and fiberglass rods to provide additional support for your hex wire.

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In a perfect world we could let our chickens freely move throughout our backyards. The harsh reality of predators, however, prevents poultry from safely roaming freely. With the help of electric netting or PVC-coated hex wire, we are able to provide your chickens a safe oasis in your backyard. The next time you are planning to make an addition to your poultry friend’s home, or you are starting your own backyard flock, call 1-800-KENCOVE. We can’t wait to help you!

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