Nice looking easy fence?

[Stephine]

Is there possibly a nice looking, easy to set up fence that would keep sheep and chickens in? We just need some fencing to keep them away from the house and cottage. We are dreaming of something we could put up ourselves. Is there any woven wire fencing that doesn’t need stretching with heavy machinery? We work by hand and have neither truck nor tractor, plus the area isn’t really accessible for either anyway.
We have some lovely no climb fencing at the horse pasture put in and it cost a fortune. Looking for something more affordable if that’s possible.

 

[farmerjan]

Electric netting? If you are not going to move it then that might work. Premier has a couple of different colors I think... there are 2 different companies that I looked at for electric netting... one had green and black, orange and black, and a white and black I think....
Nice looking would be something like picket fencing.... 4 ft high.... but don't know if the breeds of chickens are flyers.... I am looking at 4 ft high privacy fencing from Lowes; as a possibility of privacy with being able to see down the road for traffic... along the road side. But that is digging post holes every 8 ft. it will be solid to keep stuff in.... and nosy people out; with the garden area behind some of it along the road. I am going to put woven wire along the trees on the fenceline next to the christmas tree farm next door.... chickens over there won't hurt anything and it is far enough away that I doubt they will travel there much....
All woven wire fencing needs stretching... you can do it with a come along to stretch if the posts are planted deep.... but it takes some work and expertise to do corners.

The no climb, sheep and goat type fencing, is still the best to keep stuff in. The cattle panels have too big a hole for the chickens but you can use chicken wire on the lower 2+ feet. If you get the "combination panels" the holes are smaller at the bottom; they are a combination of "hog panels and cattle panels"..... they only take T-posts to pound in. Still might need the chicken wire to keep the birds in.

 

[Baymule]

The sheep and goat fencing has 4" holes and would keep in/out the chickens and sheep.

 

[Stephine]

Electric netting? If you are not going to move it then that might work. Premier has a couple of different colors I think... there are 2 different companies that I looked at for electric netting... one had green and black, orange and black, and a white and black I think....
Nice looking would be something like picket fencing.... 4 ft high.... but don't know if the breeds of chickens are flyers.... I am looking at 4 ft high privacy fencing from Lowes; as a possibility of privacy with being able to see down the road for traffic... along the road side. But that is digging post holes every 8 ft. it will be solid to keep stuff in.... and nosy people out; with the garden area behind some of it along the road. I am going to put woven wire along the trees on the fenceline next to the christmas tree farm next door.... chickens over there won't hurt anything and it is far enough away that I doubt they will travel there much....
All woven wire fencing needs stretching... you can do it with a come along to stretch if the posts are planted deep.... but it takes some work and expertise to do corners.

The no climb, sheep and goat type fencing, is still the best to keep stuff in. The cattle panels have too big a hole for the chickens but you can use chicken wire on the lower 2+ feet. If you get the "combination panels" the holes are smaller at the bottom; they are a combination of "hog panels and cattle panels"..... they only take T-posts to pound in. Still might need the chicken wire to keep the birds in.

Thank you for the ideas!
Anything electric is a bit tricky here because it gets so dry over the summer the ground will not act as a return for months. I have some of the premier temporary electric netting and it’s very practical, but I am hoping for something long term thats a bit prettier.
My chickens could probably be contained by a two foot fence! They are mostly dual purpose breeds and not interested at all in challenging boundaries - I am lucky! The sheep will be babydolls, so they don’t need a high fence either. Four feet would be ample.
That’s too bad about the wire fencing all needing stretching... I don’t even know what a come along is!
I have thought about a picket fence style, but that is a lot of wood... We burned to the ground in 2017, so wildfires are always a consideration. (We had three rail fences along the drive and at the pastures - I picked up soooo many nails....
And even the stretches that didn’t burn up all
the posts were burned at the base and had to be replaced.)
I will look into the combination panels -
those seem more manageable than rolled wire fence, no stretching!
Thanks again!

 

[Beekissed]

Is there possibly a nice looking, easy to set up fence that would keep sheep and chickens in? We just need some fencing to keep them away from the house and cottage. We are dreaming of something we could put up ourselves. Is there any woven wire fencing that doesn’t need stretching with heavy machinery? We work by hand and have neither truck nor tractor, plus the area isn’t really accessible for either anyway.
We have some lovely no climb fencing at the horse pasture put in and it cost a fortune. Looking for something more affordable if that’s possible.

 

[Baymule]

A come along is pretty simple to operate. You might need a 20' chain or two to anchor to, to stretch the fence.

 

[farmerjan]

I didn't watch the videos that @Beekissed referenced yet, but we have a simple fence stretcher like the wooden one in the second picture. They work good.....
If you are saying that the chickens and the sheep would not challenge a fence that was 4 foot, that the chickens would probably not challenge a 2 foot fence. There are hog panels that are about 39 inches tall. They are even better size wise for you..... not as tall as the true cattle panels and the combination panels. They are 16 ft long... you can use T-posts to keep them upright and anchor them. I think that the hog panels will work for you if you say that the birds will not challenge a couple foot high fence. If necessary you could use chicken wire around the bottom....

Hope this helps. I understand not wanting to use the wood, and the dryness making it difficult to use the electric.

 

[Stephine]

The hog panels are a splendid idea - they seem just right! We‘ll get a few nice wood posts and some tposts in between and that should work nicely...
Thanks so much everyone!