What Is Sheep Netting?

Sheep netting is a light-weight fence used for protecting sheep from predators such as foxes and dogs. It comes in a variety of forms, including wire or steel and electrified fences.
  1. Wire/Steel

    • Galvanized steel netting will not rust when exposed to rain or snow, and it does not require the extra materials and set-up that electric fences do. A roll of this type may cost $30 for 162 feet of wire that is 39 inches high, as seen on AgriSupportOnline.

    Electric

    • Electric fences are composed of a power source, a stake that connects the power source to the ground and the wire fence itself. Suppliers may sell these fences with the necessary accessories, like Drivall Limited from the United Kingdom, which sells a 165-foot roll of wire with 14 support posts, guy ropes, pegs and a repair kit. Some vendors also sell kits that include power sources, such as Agrisellex Electric Fencing.

    Weave Dimensions

    • Electric fences come in a variety of dimensions. For example, Agrisellex Electric Fencing's Livestock Sheep Netting has a gap of 11.8 inches between its vertical wires, while the Livestock Super Sheep Netting has a gap of 6.1 inches between its vertical wires.

    How Electric Fences Work

    • The power source is connected to the fence wire, as well as to the ground by a ground stake or post. When the animal touches both the wire and the ground at the same time, the electrical circuit is completed, and an electric current flows from the power source through the wire, animal, ground, stake and back to the source again.

    Psychological Component

    • As Agrisellex describes it, when an animal touches the electrical wire, it causes a muscle contraction in the animal that is similar to what humans feel as a leg cramp. The animal will associate this unpleasant feeling with touching the fence, and will be discouraged from touching it again in the future. Thus it is not that the fence causes physical injury to the animal, but rather that it acts as a learning tool to prevent it from happening again.