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Hog ring pliers for chicken wire

Updated: 16 October 2026

You are clipping chicken wire, or rabbit netting, to a run or to a fence that is already standing, and the plier has a wide magazine nose. The first question is whether that nose enters the hole. The ring family comes second. Hog ring pliers for chicken wire in this set were used by some UK buyers on that job, and they say the nose is tight on small mesh. Chain link is a different fence, on the [wire fixing pliers comparison](/hub/pliers/wire-fixing-pliers). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Products Compared wrote this on 16 October 2026 from listings and UK tool pages, not a lab.

You are clipping chicken wire, or rabbit netting, to a run or to a fence that is already standing, and the plier has a wide magazine nose. The first question is whether that nose enters the hole.

Our top picks

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings

Best overall

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings
8.6/10about £35.71
View offer
QWORK QWORK C-type hog ring kit

Preis-Tipp

QWORK QWORK C-type hog ring kit
8.3/10about £18.98
View offer
BREUAILY BREUAILY wire fixing pliers

Alternative

BREUAILY BREUAILY wire fixing pliers
5.8/10about £13.49
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Will the nose enter the mesh
  2. 2.What UK buyers of these pliers used them on
  3. 3.M-clip kits on a chicken-wire run
  4. 4.Rabbit netting is the same nose test

Will the nose enter the mesh

MeshDirect publishes a practical limit: a magazine head suits holes of about 25 mm and larger, and smaller holes need a tool that takes one ring at a time. They assign chicken wire and light mesh to the FP216, which takes VR16 rings that Rapid says close 2–8 mm. The FP222, in their split, is for chain link and heavy mesh. The FP216 and the magazine-free FP20 are not in this comparison. If your hex is clearly under that 25 mm line, a magazine plier from this set is the wrong head. The Fencing Centre lists an FP222 pack as suitable for chicken or rabbit wire. English Brothers sells a one-ring plier for that job, at £17.66, and that tool is not one of these ASINs. Push the nose at a crossing on an offcut. If it will not sit over both wires, stop.

What UK buyers of these pliers used them on

UK texts on the Rapid FP222 name chicken runs, and they also say the nose is large for small mesh, including mesh they call 25 mm. The kit at £35.71 includes 200 VR22 rings. The tool-only listing at £29.64 does not. Either way the nose is the same magazine head. A run with holes around 25 mm and up is where those reviews say the tool can earn its place. Chain link is a different fence, on best wire fixing pliers. QWORK at £18.98 is the other listing UK reviewers put on this job. Thirty-one United Kingdom texts include chicken wire and rabbit fence. The bullets state an 8 mm closure on a 20 mm C-type ring, which is a closure, not a mesh-hole size, plus 2,500 galvanised rings. Loading is fiddly, and rings jam, including about every fourth clip. How to clear a jam is on how to use hog ring pliers.
Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings

Testsieger

Rapid Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings
8.6/10about £35.71
View offer

M-clip kits on a chicken-wire run

BREUAILY at £13.49 includes 600 M clips. One UK buyer ran about 100 m of chicken wire and then the jaws stopped crimping. The file has nine United Kingdom texts, so that is one report, not a rate. Short notes also call it a bargain for a quick repair. GMMG at £10.99 includes 600 M clips and its bullets name chicken coops, with no United Kingdom review text in the file. Do not plan a long run on either kit.

Rabbit netting is the same nose test

Rabbit netting is the same nose test, and the shops still disagree about the ring. Rapid’s UK guide puts a rabbit hutch and a chicken coop under thinner netting. McVeigh Parker’s Rapid 22 page names rabbit netting and hexagonal wire with a VR22-class close. The Fencing Centre sells an FP222 pack for chicken or rabbit wire. If the hole takes the magazine, UK reviewers of the FP222 and of QWORK have described rabbit fence. If it does not, you need the single-load plier this set does not contain. Once the nose fits, the diameter is a separate choice on the wire fixing pliers buying guide. Rings that clip netting to a line wire can open under snow or animals. If the wire is a new boundary that should meet BS 1722, that is a fencer.

Common questions

Which of these five listings do UK reviewers mention on chicken wire?
The FP222 reviews name chicken runs, with the bulky-nose complaint attached. QWORK reviews name chicken wire and rabbit fence, with jams and a fiddly load. One BREUAILY review describes about 100 m of chicken wire and then jaws that stopped crimping. GMMG’s bullets mention chicken coops, and the file has no United Kingdom review text.
Are cable ties the fallback when the nose will not enter?
One QWORK reviewer switched to cable ties after they could not load the plier. That is an outcome in a review, not a specification for the fence. If the nose will not enter, look for a single-load ring plier. English Brothers sells one for chicken wire and rabbit fence, and it is not one of these five ASINs.
Is rabbit netting the same choice as chicken wire?
It is the same nose test, and it is not automatically the same ring. Rapid’s guide groups a rabbit hutch and a chicken coop with thinner netting. McVeigh Parker and the Fencing Centre still name rabbit or poultry wire beside an FP222. Measure the hole, then choose VR22 or the QWORK C-type ring by the closure the listing names.
Why is the FP216 missing from this comparison?
It was not among the five amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. MeshDirect assigns it to chicken wire and light mesh, with VR16 rings that close 2–8 mm on Rapid’s pages. The FP20, which takes both rings and has no magazine, is also absent. A light-mesh job that needs VR16 has to be bought as that other plier.
Can a cheap M-clip kit finish a long run of chicken wire?
One UK buyer on the BREUAILY kit got through about 100 m of chicken wire and then the jaws stopped crimping. That is a single review among nine UK texts, so it is not a failure rate. It is enough to keep a long run off this kit. GMMG is cheaper and has no UK review text to compare.

Related pages

Wire fixing pliers ring sizes

Wire fixing pliers

Best wire fixing pliers for chain link or stock net

Wire fixing pliers: buy the right ring family first

How to use hog ring pliers: load, close, and unjam

Sources

Public UK sources and amazon.co.uk listings, checked on 16 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the figures in the display file. The same Rapid kit was also seen at UK trade shops at about £42 to £69 including VAT. That is not the Amazon shelf price.

  1. Rapid: Fence pliers guide (VR16 and VR22) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. MeshDirect: Small hog-ring pliers and mesh hole size (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS 1722-2:2020 strained wire and wire-mesh fences (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Conservation Handbooks: Handling, straining, fixing and joining wire (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE: UK law on design and supply of work equipment (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. amazon.co.uk: Rapid FP222 with 200 VR22 rings (B00H2KCXDS) (retrieved 16 October 2026)