wannabe_keeper Posted February 1, 2013 Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Well the season is now over so it's about time I make a start on my pen. Pen is approximately 50mtrs x 30mtrs. I am thinking of 8ft posts, 2.5 metres apart, 2 ft in the ground and 2 sections of 4ft wire with a ft bent over at the bottom to prevent fox digging and a ft left loose at top to prevent climbing. And also obviously electric fenced and pop holes etc... How does this sound? Any other ideas? Also where is the cheapest place to locate the posts? 8ft full or half round probably chestnut is best? Am I right? Local fencing places seem to charge extortionate prices. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clamps Posted February 1, 2013 Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 are you thinking poults or day olds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted February 1, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 Ex layers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Chestnut? Most posts are soft wood sitka/norway, when u get up to 8ft they are dear anyway, timber is dear and u will be in for a shock with the price of net. I take it u havenae priced the strainers yet either, usually 3' atleast in ground. Post spacing is personal prefernce i now space out till 4 or 5m depending on the ground if it allows it, it's not a stock fence so doesn't have the pressure on it. Generally use a rabbit net for bottom, rolls 3'6" high and 2" mesh for top can get various hieghts for that. Last few pens i've built has been using 2nd hand materials scrounged off various keepers if wee take the older pen down for them U can also use normal 5' or 5'6" 3" squares and nail a rail n to give u the hieght, not as good in my opinion and dunno how much cheaper it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Essex Hunter Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Well the season is now over so it's about time I make a start on my pen. Pen is approximately 50mtrs x 30mtrs. I am thinking of 8ft posts, 2.5 metres apart, 2 ft in the ground and 2 sections of 4ft wire with a ft bent over at the bottom to prevent fox digging and a ft left loose at top to prevent climbing. And also obviously electric fenced and pop holes etc... How does this sound? Any other ideas? Also where is the cheapest place to locate the posts? 8ft full or half round probably chestnut is best? Am I right? Local fencing places seem to charge extortionate prices. Harry What is you ground like and how are you going to fix the poles? With the amount of holes you are going to dig then quite a few will go wrong due to roots you will bump into then the holes will end up way bigger that you hoped for. Granted it won’t have horses or cattle pushing against it but I take it you are planning for it to stand for a good few years…. I would look at how the ground is and make a plan to get the best fixing for your poles first. TEH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 You want more than 2ft in the ground,nearer 3 as Scotslad said.Fair bit of money to build that size pen too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 We have the main strainer posts in wood but the rest are metal which seems to work well. You will struggle to dig in most woodland for burying the netting so see how you go on that one, a correctly placed electric fence does the job far better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 U won't have to dig a 3" post in just pinch and use a dolly/tube mel or if really brave mel of a ladder or 2 milk bottle crates. For most fencing u have post 2'6" in ground and strainers 40" in, so really be an 8'6" post for a 6' fence but u can get away with less the posts are only hold the wire up its not like a deer fence where wire is under strain.Rememder u will need stays too 50x30 is not a paticularily big pen, how many birds are u panning on putting in. There is guidelines for pen size but i cannae mind them of top off my head something like 1m perimeter per poult possibly need bigger for ex layers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Just a thought - you can buy wall plate straps (metal) usually 3 feet long with holes throughout their length - they are cheap and since they are 3 feet or longer, you can extend an expensive wooden post and add maybe 2 feet whilst also having the metal bend outwards for the last foot, providing an outward overhang which stops climbing. A poultry breeder I know uses 3 foot rabbit wire at the bottom and plastic mesh for the rest - very cheap by comparison and it works for him. Electric fence is an absolute must with both. I've even seen interlocking Herris fencing panels used for a pen if you can get them cheap. They are obviously moveable. Anyone used the ultrasonic mole detterents for foxes as an alternative to electric fencing? I think a key ingredient is a sensible pop-hole design. Something made from a steel wire grid with simple wings to get the chicks in quickly - the standard ones are not the easiest. Anyone any recommendations ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny tim Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 we use 3ft chicken wire on the bottom and plastic on top ,its cheaper and i think it looks a lot better ,sort of blends into the background...as said the electric fence is a must...you dont have to dig holes to sink the post just use a tubular post knocker and lots of elbow grease...building your own pop holes is easy when you have seen a couple.......just make sure you use proper fox guards that are the correct size....good luck just another thought ,,round post are better than halfs....shop around for the posts...our local agricultural dealer sorted us out a good deal on the post ,just ring around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 I wouldn't be digging post holes simply banging them in with a sledge hammer or post banger as ground is fairly soft at the moment. And the wire wouldn't be buried it but bent over a ft or so and pegged down and then the electric fence around the edge. Probably will go for fill round posts to be honest. Pop holes I can make myself with the addition of a fox grid. Will have to see how much I can get the posts for and as mentioned before try and scrounge as much as possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 I would off thought a auger on a mini digger would be the way to go you would dig them all out in a day 2/ 3 ft or whatever you wanted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeperdan Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Can anyone give me a rough price for the materials for building a pen,, cost per meter please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Can anyone give me a rough price for the materials for building a pen,, cost per meter please there are so many variables on quality and thickness of wire, quality of galv, size of hole, height of the lower run, plastic or wire for the top run, size and thickness of posts ........ so really price per meter and type of build been scouring the web for prices of materials myself as we hope to build a 75 or 100 meter square pen this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0vice Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 We have built 2 pens over the last 4 years 1st was 20m x 30m and the 2nd 25m x 30m As one of the previous posts said we use the rate of 1 poult per linear metre of pen for the stocking density, which i believe has been advised by the GWCT. However even when we have just released 100 birds into the pen they can't be seen as there is so much space for them For the actual construction of the pen, we dig a 300mm deep trench ( using a mini digger which we hire for the day) into this trench we drive 13ft scaffold tubes at 5m centres 5ft into the ground We brace the 4 corners and attach the straining wires We place a heavier gauge fencing at the bottom and then backfill the trench burying the bottom of the wire, for the top we use a lighter gauge wire Popholes are done using ready made grilles We also put two gates into the pen, one at the edge where the beaters usually approach from and one at the closest edge to where we access the pen with poults / feed / water etc We also use a two strand electric fence to keep the foxes away While it is not the most aesthetically pleasing it does a job and will last a long time, if you really wanted you could paint the tubes green / brown It is easy enough to build this way - I dug the trench and drove in the corner posts in a morning and drove the remainder of the posts the following day all by myself I needed a couple of helpers for putting up the wire, then it took 2 of us a couple of hours to backfill the trench by hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmateX Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 I would make sure the gates are big enough to get a crate of birds and a person carring them through or even better gates for people and a bigger gate you can back or drive into. Seen plenty of pens people have spent a lot of time on only to find the gate is to narrow for a crate to go through. Same with general acces to the pen makes life easier with filling feeders, water etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 I would make sure the gates are big enough to get a crate of birds and a person carring them through or even better gates for people and a bigger gate you can back or drive into. Seen plenty of pens people have spent a lot of time on only to find the gate is to narrow for a crate to go through. Same with general acces to the pen makes life easier with filling feeders, water etc. big enough for a small tractor / mule / quad , just in case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alycidon Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 (edited) Put standard five or six foot half round fence posts in with a Drivall, about 6 inch dimeter. The posts MUST be crerosoted ( Use Harlestone saw mills if you cant get ones locally, they have their own creosote plant). They will go in 18 inches, maybe 2 foot as its wet. 3m spacings will be ok. Don't forget you will need at least two entry/exit gates. Then get some crerosoted 6 foot fence rails, nail the rails to the posts, use 5 or 6 inch nails, 2 per rail. Then good quality rabbit wire, dont skimp on this. One level round the bottom, dug in and bent out about a foot. I did not consider the digger hire on my last one ( fool !!, I dug 1 foot wide, 1 foot deep 300 yards long, by hand !!) Then a second level of rabbit wire above it, this will give you a rabbit wire fence of about 6 or 7 feet high. Tighten it as far as you can, it looks better. In 50 years I have never had a fox climb one of my fences. Join the 2 levels together with clips, farmers stores sell a tool like a set of pliers to do this, the grips are in packs of 500 or so. Electric fence, about a foot out from the wire and about 9 inches high. If it makes you feel better run spurs from it accross any adjoining hedges. Use rubber pipe over the wire where it runs through your lead ins to your pop holes otherwise it will short out on the lead ins, This can be acquired from dairy farmers usually as they use it in milk production. Make your pop holes, one every 15-25 yards , or at least one per side if a small pen. Use ordinary weldmesh grids with vertical sections about 3 inches apart to keep foxes out. On the inside put a semi circle of rabbit wire 9 inches high and about 2 feet across around the inside of each of your pop holes and about a foot out into the pen, secure it to the side netting, this stops birds on the inside walking out. If you have used good quality wire the pen should require very little maintenance for 10 years. If you have used cheap netting you will be spendind days on your knees looking for breaks when getting it ready for birds in seasons to come., Now whats going into it, poults ideally. If you are looking at ex layers then there is little need for a pen, they will pretty soon disappear anyway. Never known anyone yet have good returns from ex layers. You cant do pheasants on the cheap, a pen as described is not cheap to build, will take a month if there is only a couple of you., (or a few days with a digger !!) A good pen will yield best results with poults bought in at 6-8 weeks old. A Edited February 6, 2013 by Alycidon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 if your able to get a small tractor around the perimiter of where you intend to build the pen then and old plough with one furrow will turn the soil / sod over ideal for burring the netting, must be done before setting posts in the ground, agree with Geoff creosote soaked posts will last years, ideal to get them bought now and soaking in a tank for a month or 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted February 8, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Thanks for all the help I think with a taking a combination of all the tips offered I will have a pretty smart pen built within the next month or so. Will try and post some progress pics once work commences. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malantone Posted February 17, 2013 Report Share Posted February 17, 2013 Use 8 ft TANALISED posts (they will do more than twenty years) 10 ft apart, for strainers ie corners use second hand used railway sleepers, 10`6" grade A on Ebay for £18 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 (edited) Well work has started on the pen so thought id upload a few pics of progress. We opted for 8ft chestnut posts in the end, banged 2ft in the ground. They are all nice and strong and about 4-5inch in diameter so very sturdy and should last a good while! Also managed to get some conifer tops for additional cover! Hopefully will be putting wire up Tuesday, weather depending! Edited March 16, 2013 by wannabe_keeper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabe_keeper Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bri308 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 Where abouts are you mate , we built a couple of pens two years ago , bigger than we needed but then you always have scope to put more birds in , we put 8 ft posts in with a bobcat with a knocker on the front , very easy not hard work at all , we got our posts from google very reasonable about 3 each Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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