The Turbomax Sheep Net.

Some of the hassles that large scale sheep producers have encountered with sheep netting are primarily caused by two problems.

The first is around the rigidity of the net. Netting is very easy to erect but can be a bit floppy and

Plain twine detail showing soft twine between horizontals.

over undulating ground may be a tad difficult to maintain the upright aspect. Traditional nets had plain twine risers giving a loose connection where the horizontals easily come together.

This was corrected some years ago and this has proven popular with many producers. This improvement involved replacing the soft risers with more rigid 3mm poly-plastic risers resulted in a

More rigid poly-plastic risers in the Livestok Net.

net that was easy to erect and held its' shape much better over undulating ground. This is clearly visible in the image. A secondary benefit showed that this net was more stable in high winds. As a result the Livestok Sheep net came to be a more popular option with most customers.

The second issue surrounds the growth of grass through the weave of the net. As the first electrified line is just 10 cm (4 inches) off the ground the grass does not have to grow very long to begin making contact and starting to draw energy off the fence.

Many customers found the grass growing into the net to be a constant grind to keep clear so trials were done to see if the second line was totally necessary and could be done away with. This was not possible as now lambs were seen to get underneath the net however when the line was replaced without electricity this problem was solved.

As a result the TURBOMAX SHEEP NET has been developed and is now on the market. Here the bottom two strands are not energised so that there is now a 20 cm (8 inch) clearance. The rigid risers have been retained resulting in a net that will have the best of both features. A net that retains its shape better, more stable in wind and requires less maintenance. Sample nets were trialed in Germany and the response has been positive so the net has been made available.

Close up of the non-energised two bottom wires

New Turbomax Sheep net with bottom two wires not energised.