I think I want to cover my entire yard with poultry netting!

[springvalley123]

Sounds like a huge eyesore, more like a junkyard.

It's all in the arrangement, some people could make it look like "yard art".

 

[kodster]

I'm also in Colorado. We are at about 8.5k feet elevation and do have trees. I have bird netting on run addition. The recent snow storm dumped about 12" of snow, in 12 hours...bird netting could not withstand the weight of the snow. I had to go dig the netting out of the snow and reattach.

Yep, that's the only thing that stops me from putting such a cover on my run... we get snow during the winter that would end up being weighed down by it. I'm in northwest North Dakota, near the Canadian border. I don't see the aerial predators as much around my location simply because the run is only 8 ft wide (narrow end of my 8x10 shed that I converted to a coop), but 21 feet long... my guess is that the aerial predators don't like the narrow approach to get in and out quickly of that space as they have to come in and swoop to get out, and they can't do that easily.

 

[kodster]

My suggestion is to get a carport shelter, one like ShelterLogic, with a rounded top so that the snow will slide off, and put that up over your coop/run area. Leave it open year-round so that the flock can come and go at will, and if they see a predator, they've got an area to go to without the predator following them.

 

[Novice Homesteader]

fishing line (braided 40lb or thicker) crisscrossed in all directions works for us. Cheap, not affected by wind or snow, and virtually invisible. But birds of prey see it as a trap set for them and not even getting close.

Similarly, I used neon colored twine criss crossed and tied to poles supported by heavy iron umbrella stands (like for a patio table. These were easy to move around to different areas and my husband could easily mow the yard by moving them around.

 

[Thomas70]

I live in the high desert of Colorado where aerial predators are constantly present. Anyone have design ideas for protecting about 700sf of yard? I keep imagining a circus tent of camo netting

I covered my fence and run cover with wildlife netting, and it is very effective.

 

[HighlandRogue]

fishing line (braided 40lb or thicker) crisscrossed in all directions works for us. Cheap, not affected by wind or snow, and virtually invisible. But birds of prey see it as a trap set for them and not even getting close.

I have read this multiple times in other posts. I think some have even tied silver ribbon to the string? It's worth investigating further since I've seen this posted so many times before. Also, I know a covered hoop coop sheds rain, snow, leaves, and other stuffs easily. And I have seen many use them for temporary runs or for chicken tractors.

 

[linguini]

I think some have even tied silver ribbon to the string?

Don't know if it was useful, but we did it anyway (reflective bird ribbon). The only problem is that the tapes disintegrate (fell apart, broke) after a few months and I had to pick them up - didn't want our chickens to eat them!

They do look kind of cool, and the most functional part for me is that I can always tell which way the wind is blowing!

 

[Kim95037]

I live in the high desert of Colorado where aerial predators are constantly present. Anyone have design ideas for protecting about 700sf of yard? I keep imagining a circus tent of camo netting

That is exactly what I did. I had a Hawk dive bomb at my chickens and I covered my entire yard with some bird netting I got from My Pet Chicken. I attached some 2 by 2 by 8' long posts up on my fence and ran the bird netting from the top of those posts to the eves on the roof of my house. I would say my yard is pretty close to 700 square feet. It was a lot of work but so worth it. No problems with aerial predators after I did that. I can post some pictures later if you want.

 

[Priscila Leone]

I live in the high desert of Colorado where aerial predators are constantly present. Anyone have design ideas for protecting about 700sf of yard? I keep imagining a circus tent of camo netting

We used a large sail and nylon bird netting around it for an area about half of yours. It works well. We need the sail covering mainly the coop area for shade. The bird netting is to keep pigeons away. Predatory birds will not try to breach it either.

 

[Tristeli]

Ok, I see you are in the desert so the obvious suggestion of tall trees and such is not as viable a solution...and it takes time to mature. but....What kinds of bushes and shrubs are native to your climate? My flock moves from cover to cover (my yard-their range) is bordered by berry vines and lavender that they hide under frankly more than the trees. Maybe there is something you can plant or build that gives the same benefit.

That said. My yard is BORDERED in all kinds of wonderful trees and bushes and such...the vast majority is a wide open field. A field constantly patrolled by hawks and falcons thanks to being displaced by construction. It’s also hot and humid where I am so I covered that space in zig-zagging shade sails. This provides cover and shade. I also got my first rooster. He’s young but already he’s calling out hawks and cat sightings and rushing the hens into the barn or under the coop (which is raised) or into a bush. They have to have somewhere to run too so circle back to suggestion 1 above.

I mean the hawk nets aren’t a bad idea IMO, but maybe this sparks some ideas if you don’t actually want to do that