2014 breeding season begins, post your results

Sounds like they have a pretty good life at your place already! My best plan was to wait until they get up for a feed then put a large dog crate around them. Put the nest inside and hope they walk back in the crate to get to the nest then lock them in there at night for safety... But I gave a strong fear they would just abandon the nest instead...

I am in Australia and the only think we have here are foxes. Guess we are lucky compared to some places in the US... But still need to protect the birds. Some people say they just put 3 pickets and a ring of chicken wire around them... They leave it open so mum can fly in and out and fox can't get in... But I have serious doubts about this. My current girl only flies in emergencies and to roost at night so I reckon she'd just pace around and not fly out. Would be So frustrating to watch! Plus I think a fox could still jump in... :/ what do you think?


www.tatumhills.weebly.com
 
Minx,remember when ordering netting to get the "Knotted" not 'Knitted",,knitted if torn will keep unraveling like a run in panty hose.Also allow yourself 1' of overhang on each side.The actual size of the net is when it's stretched. My netting over the palace is pulled somewhat but not tight. My overall pen dimension is 48'x48' so I bought a 50'x50' knotted 2" net and I think it helps the life of the net if not pulled so tight it's like a fiddle string.If you search e-bay for netting the seller from Pa is a great guy to work with. Look at possibly using 2 nets woven together instead of one large enough to cover the entire pen,especially if your pens are wide.Nets that are 15' wide are cheaper than 30' widths,comparing width times 2. Remember if you get ice like a few weeks ago your netting will need supported.I've seen many pens with just a single pole in the middle with no netting support between this pole and the outside walls of the pen.My poles are 10'apart and between 4 posts making a square there is an X between the posts crossing corner to corner aside from wires going around the square of posts,8 wires used total between 4 poles.

Yep I already have it memorized never to get knitted. I am avoiding e-bay and just getting the netting from topwrite. I wanted to go with something I found a lot of recommendations for, and the netting I got off of e-bay is just not thick enough. I think the topwrite is what I am looking for. So are you saying you run wire around the perimeter of the pen to help hold the netting to the fence? Our plan was to do the X idea to connect all four corner posts with the center pole in the aviary.
 
We have foxes and coyotes around our area, but we have never had a predator break into one of our pens. All the birds lost have been free ranging when lost, but I've heard that fox will dig under, climb over, and even bite through wire fence if they are hungry enough. We also have weasels, mink, raccoons, owls, eagles and hawks all of whom could predate on Peas and Peachicks, so we have plenty to worry about. We have always had Rottweilers as well, they are the family dog of choice here, they are easy to train to be bird friendly and I think the scent of them helps to deter the foxes and coyotes. I have noticed several other members on here have rotties as well, so a good guard dog(s) might be helpful.
 
Thanks. We do have a dog, a blind rough coliie so not much of a guard dog but she foes bark a lot. Sleeps inside at night though. Her sent does help keep foxes away, I'm sure. Someone on another forum just suggested putting fence panels around the hens. I think I'd want to put a skirting around it to stop the digging and maybe some barbed wire to stop the climbing but it could work...


www.tatumhills.weebly.com
 
Sad day, my pied peahen disappeared this morning. My peafowl trio have been free range all winter. My blue peahen and the pied peacock both rooster in my big chicken coop, right above the heat lamps, but the pied hen refuses to go in. She would roost in a big hackberry tree by the pens every night. She was gone when I went out mid morning thus morning. 2 days ago I finally received my new netting to redo my big flight pen. As soon as I get the pen redone (split in half after enlarging) the turkeys get the south half and the peafowl get the north half. No more free ranging unattended.
So now I'm looking for a replacement pied peahen and a white peahen. : (
 
So sorry...
hugs.gif


-Kathy
 
Momhunter! Don't give up on your gal so soon!

Unless you found a pile of feathers, something might have just scared her away temporarily.
Have you gone out looking for her? Asked neighbors? Called Animal Services? etc.?
 
Yep I already have it memorized never to get knitted. I am avoiding e-bay and just getting the netting from topwrite. I wanted to go with something I found a lot of recommendations for, and the netting I got off of e-bay is just not thick enough. I think the topwrite is what I am looking for. So are you saying you run wire around the perimeter of the pen to help hold the netting to the fence? Our plan was to do the X idea to connect all four corner posts with the center pole in the aviary.

Minx,,perhaps what I done on Pea Palace East was overkill. All my wooden poles are 10' apart no matter what.So I have square after square continuing all throughout the aviary.I ran cable across the tops of all poles east to west,and then north to south. At this point the top looked the same as graph paper you use. Square after square the entire length and width.Then I went diagonally northeast to southwest and northwest to southeast across the tops of the posts.I'll go back to the thread and I know I took a pic and will put the link here.
 
Momhunter! Don't give up on your gal so soon!

Unless you found a pile of feathers, something might have just scared her away temporarily.
Have you gone out looking for her? Asked neighbors? Called Animal Services? etc.?


Found moderate amount of white downy feathers. I live in the country along woods and a creek on 85 acres. I'm sure a stupid coyote got her. I don't have a big problem with them because I don't let everything out of the pens to free range until 11:30am. But she refused to go in the pens and preferred to roost in a big tree. So she was the only one out and about in the early mornings.
 

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