20x20 fenced area attached to run....making it safe

[RebelChief]

Hi...attached to my run is a 20x20 chain link fenced dog run used by the previous owner of the home. I have a door that opens up to it and plan to let the girls out there to forage when they are older. I let them out yesterday while I was out doing some coop maintenance and they loved it but their skinny butts can squeeze through the chain link.

When they are older I'd like to be able to let them out without supervision but I do worry about airborne predators and the pesky feral cats. I also worry about them flying out. I was thinking about covering the area with aviary netting. I live on a lake and we have a lot of birds around here coming in for fish and other food....so I am concerned. Has anyone done this? Am I over thinking it? WWYD?

 

[Gray Farms]

Use chicken wire or game bird flight netting. The light plastic bird netting isn't strong enough.

 

[mandelyn]

We used plastic netting over the tops, which couldn't bear wet snow and it all collapsed with the last snow. We had string running back and forth, about every 8 inches, before that. It lasted two years before the sun baked it into brittleness.

So now we're going over it with 2inchx4inch welded fence wire. Snow should fall through it and keep the weight to a minimum. We have posts to support the larger spans, not in the ground. Basically it's a landscape timber cut to 7ft tall, with a 2ft piece of 2x4 wood screwed flat to the top of the post, and another one screwed to the bottom going the other direction. The downward pressure of the wire laying on it keeps it in place without having to dig it in. We have the floating posts in the turkey run, it spans 20ftx45ft.

It's tedious to get it on there. There are outdoor rated zip ties that make it faster to close the seams up. You can also use a galvanized wire or fence ties. Once we have it covered in welded wire though, it's as safe as it can be without having a permanent roof.

 

[RebelChief]

We used plastic netting over the tops, which couldn't bear wet snow and it all collapsed with the last snow. We had string running back and forth, about every 8 inches, before that. It lasted two years before the sun baked it into brittleness.

So now we're going over it with 2inchx4inch welded fence wire. Snow should fall through it and keep the weight to a minimum. We have posts to support the larger spans, not in the ground. Basically it's a landscape timber cut to 7ft tall, with a 2ft piece of 2x4 wood screwed flat to the top of the post, and another one screwed to the bottom going the other direction. The downward pressure of the wire laying on it keeps it in place without having to dig it in. We have the floating posts in the turkey run, it spans 20ftx45ft.

It's tedious to get it on there. There are outdoor rated zip ties that make it faster to close the seams up. You can also use a galvanized wire or fence ties. Once we have it covered in welded wire though, it's as safe as it can be without having a permanent roof.

There's a huge tree out there that hangs over the entire area. I was thinking about suspending the center from the tree to give it height and then attaching the rest to the fence.

Snow would never (well probably never since I'm in SOUTH Texas) be an issue ... I'd be more worried about sun destroying it. I don't want use more wire...I want something I can easily remove if necessary.

 

[RebelChief]

This is the net I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WFW9495/?tag=backy-20

 

[mandelyn]

This is the net I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WFW9495/?tag=backy-20

That looks like a good option.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is the net I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WFW9495/?tag=backy-20

If you have the budget go for a netting that has a break/burst rating, i.e. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=netting&me=A3I9O90AYEB24A&ref=nb_sb_noss - they have different sizes, different weights. I use the 2" opening 85/245 which is their medium weight net.

 

[RebelChief]

If you have the budget go for a netting that has a break/burst rating, i.e. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=netting&me=A3I9O90AYEB24A&ref=nb_sb_noss - they have different sizes, different weights. I use the 2" opening 85/245 which is their medium weight net.

Thank you. I will check that out.

 

[featherhead007]

Hi...attached to my run is a 20x20 chain link fenced dog run used by the previous owner of the home. I have a door that opens up to it and plan to let the girls out there to forage when they are older. I let them out yesterday while I was out doing some coop maintenance and they loved it but their skinny butts can squeeze through the chain link.

When they are older I'd like to be able to let them out without supervision but I do worry about airborne predators and the pesky feral cats. I also worry about them flying out. I was thinking about covering the area with aviary netting. I live on a lake and we have a lot of birds around here coming in for fish and other food....so I am concerned. Has anyone done this? Am I over thinking it? WWYD?

been there, done that, and my flock thrives due to my care, JUST LIKE YOUR CARE!
Great job!

 

[Mayakovsky]

If you have the budget go for a netting that has a break/burst rating, i.e. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=netting&me=A3I9O90AYEB24A&ref=nb_sb_noss - they have different sizes, different weights. I use the 2" opening 85/245 which is their medium weight net.

I have the same stuff....if strung properly (not TOO tightly, with aircraft cable wire and turnbuckles attached with hog rings) i sense that it will really do well. we had some really wet snowfalls already and it held up just fine, although i DID need to take a broom to it to shake off the snow....

I would invest in something that will last more than a year....it is a bit tedious to install...