Advice on outside pen for peacock

[1muttsfan]

I'm very familiar with that beating with a broom part. Of course we get a lot of snow up here.

 

[aart]

I'm very familiar with that beating with a broom part. Of course we get a lot of snow up here.

I use the back of a snow shovel

 

[1muttsfan]

That too. Although I've gotten caught in the netting a few times with that. And with any tool of course quite a lot of snow ends up down the back of your neck

 

[Folly's place]

Spent good money a few years ago having our run roofed, and it's been so worth it! It's a small run area attached to and continuous with the coop, so no snow shoveling!
Mary

 

[aart]

That too. Although I've gotten caught in the netting a few times with that. And with any tool of course quite a lot of snow ends up down the back of your neck

Yeah, definitely need a billed cap, a good hood and tight glove to sleeve cuff connection.
Tho mine is metal mesh over metal rafters so can 'work ahead' a section at a time and stay fairly clean.

 

[1muttsfan]

Yorkchick, I hope you keep this thread going once Maurice gets a girlfriend. Maybe rename it "The Adventures of Maurice"

 

[Midnightman14]

If predators are a major concern I would keep a live trap set up and baited with cat food. I've caught many raccoons that way. I would also cut away any branches that reach over the run to keep coons from paradropping onto the run (I have seen this happen myself. thankfully ye olde circuit court judge took care of him.). Another thing I would do is not put any perches close to the roof so coons or anything else can't reach through and grab the birds.

 

[yorkchick]

Yorkchick, I hope you keep this thread going once Maurice gets a girlfriend. Maybe rename it "The Adventures of Maurice"

Will do! I have to say, I am so fortunate in my friends. This project would still be on the back burner if not for their help and motivation. My friend Lisa especially has a lot of construction skills and has been helping me figure how to get this done. She says she wants to be there when Maurice first gets to go into his new run. I’ll post pictures!

If predators are a major concern I would keep a live trap set up and baited with cat food. I've caught many raccoons that way. I would also cut away any branches that reach over the run to keep coons from paradropping onto the run (I have seen this happen myself. thankfully ye olde circuit court judge took care of him.). Another thing I would do is not put any perches close to the roof so coons or anything else can't reach through and grab the birds.

I have used dog-proof traps and have dispatched some raccoons that way (when we seemed to have an especially aggressive raccoon or raccoons, that I believe attacked our turkeys) but we live on the edge of many acres of swamp, woods, and farm fields so the supply of coons is pretty endless.

The run attaches to the barn, which is only one story tall, and there is no doubt the raccoons can get onto the roof and then jump down on the run (or climb up the sides of the run and then onto the top). That’s why I was asking whether a run cover made of woven wire fencing material might be safer than the flight netting. So far seems like the consensus is to use the netting.

The thought about the height of the perches is a good one!

What’s the best way to attach the flight netting? I assume it should be installed as taut as possible?

 

[1muttsfan]

You don't need it tight like a trampoline, and it will sag just from it's own weight. I stapled mine all around the edges with chicken wire staples (galvanized U nails, 3/4") such as these

https://www.fencestaple.com/galvanized-steel-wire-poultry-netting-staples.html

 

[KsKingBee]

I pull my netting tight and support it in large areas with 1/8 inch rope. I staple but you can also drive nails or screws every foot and just hook the netting.