Shade netting is the cheapest productivity tool a livestock farmer can install: a few square metres of knitted HDPE shade net can be the difference between animals that keep eating through the afternoon and animals that pant in the corner and lose condition. The trick is treating it as a real structure, not just a tarp thrown over a frame.
Above a certain temperature, livestock stop feeding, and everything downstream slows: weight gain, milk yield, egg production, fertility. The threshold is lower than most farmers think — cattle and pigs feel heat stress well before the thermometer hits what a human would call hot. Shade drops the effective temperature animals experience, so they keep eating, drinking and producing. A 70–90% shade net over the feeding or resting area is the most direct fix.
Most livestock want 70–90% shade — heavier than a crop needs, because the aim is relief, not a filtered light level. Poultry and pigs do best at the upper end (80–90%), cattle and sheep at 70–80%. Leave a little openness so air still moves through — a net that blocks everything traps heat underneath, which defeats the purpose. Our shade percentage guide covers the trade-off in more detail.
Livestock netting gets knocked around more than crop netting — birds peck at it, animals rub against it, and the sun and wind never stop. Spec a 100–180 gsm UV-stabilized net rather than the light 40–90 gsm crop grade; the heavier yarn shrugs off rubbing and lasts seasons longer. A reinforced, eyeleted selvedge is worth having too, because the fixing points are where a cheap net fails first.
Run the net over a simple post-and-wire frame at 2–3 m, tensioned like a windbreak so it does not flap. Leave the sides open — the roof does the shading; the sides need airflow. Slope the net slightly or tension it tight enough to shed water, because a sagging net pools rain and tears under the weight. And on the hot side of the pen, a windbreak net does double duty, cutting the hot, drying wind as well as the sun.
| Animal | Shade % | Suggested GSM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poultry | 80–90% | 100–150 | Reduce heat stress in layers and broilers |
| Cattle | 70–80% | 120–180 | Over feed and resting areas |
| Sheep / goats | 70–80% | 100–150 | Lighter frame, keeps flock feeding |
A solid roof shades but turns the space into a heat trap, because there is nowhere for the hot air to go. A knitted shade net shades and breathes, so the air underneath stays cooler than under tin. For most livestock, the net is not a cheaper stand-in for a roof — it is the better tool for the job.
The net itself is a multi-season asset if you buy the right grade — UV-stabilized HDPE, 100–180 gsm, with finished edges. Size it to the feed and resting areas (see our sizing guide), fix it to a proper frame, and it will pay for itself in the first hot summer in recovered weight gain alone. Tell us your animals and pen size and we will spec the shade percentage, GSM and width to match.
70–90%, depending on the animal. Poultry and pigs do best at 80–90%, cattle and sheep at 70–80%. Heavier shade than crops need, because the goal is heat relief, not a light level.
100–180 gsm is the right range — heavier than crop grade, because livestock netting takes rubbing, pecking and constant sun. A reinforced, eyeleted edge helps it last.
Usually yes. A solid roof blocks sun but traps heat, while a knitted shade net blocks sun and lets air through, so the space underneath stays cooler. The net is the better tool for most livestock.
A UV-stabilized HDPE net of 100–180 gsm typically serves 5–8 seasons. The stabilizer and a finished edge are what keep it intact under sun, wind and animal contact.
70–90% shade, 100–180 gsm, on a tensioned frame with open sides — shade that breathes is what keeps livestock eating through the heat. Tell us your animals and we will spec it.