ruthhope
Free Ranging
KCNC06 I hate the clear cutting that goes on now in Florida for new housing developments. My neighborhood was developed lot by lot around and under trees. Other neighborhoods of similar age [1950s to 1980s] are similarly developed and some have larger lots than I have. But new developments clear cut and are hideously cookie cutter and close together. Too many folks living in such communities don't like ducks on their retention ponds :'(This is what I've been curious about regarding creating a "closed" pen area and haven't been able to get a clear answer on it. It seems like a good number of people say that bird netting over the top is enough because it keeps wild birds out, but if an infected bird poops while flying over, that infected poo could still fall into the pen. I guess that's a lot of "ifs" though. We don't have a sparrow/starling/dove problem here, not that I've noticed anyway. We do have some Carolina Wrens that nest on our front porch every year but they don't seem to go into the fowl yards to eat. The only bird feeders I put out around my house are my hummingbird feeders and I haven't seen anything about hummingbirds getting AI. My first two hummingbirds did arrive a couple days ago...I'm very much hoping that they're somehow a species that doesn't get AI for whatever reason. I've spent several years attracting a good size hummingbird swarm, I've had a good 60+ at my feeders at one time.
Anyway. I definitely understand what you're saying about the top needing to be some sort of solid material like tarps. That's what I had been thinking but then kept reading that bird netting is enough since the goal is to keep wild birds from interacting with the pet birds. I'll admit I have been hoping that the bird netting would be good enough because I'm concerned about the pens getting too hot if I'm using tarps as the covers. The area behind our deck that used to be a garden, the area that's big enough to have space for all my outdoor girls but still small enough to cover, is pretty much the only part of our property that gets full sun for most of the day. So it tends to be the hottest part of the yard. I personally couldn't care less about how ghetto it looks. We've had a new neighborhood go in next to us on land that used to be 100 acres of hardwood forest. The forest got cleared and now its a bunch of $800k+ houses in treeless yards.I'm not a people person...so a super ghetto white trash yard sounds like a great view for them. My view of a beautiful forest got ruined, I'd rather not give these new neighbors something pretty to look at...because I'm mean I guess.
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I'll be implementing this from now on 
The Mallard hen, that I call Queenie, is so pitiful whenever they gang up on her. I am terrified they're going to drown her. I keep finding her and her two drakes (one is apparently a body guard only and isn't allowed to get too close) hanging out around my house. I'm thinking she wants to be closer to my ducks. She's absolutely lovely but I really don't want her trying to hang out with my ducks or getting any closer to my chickens. I know she's built a nest and has been adding to her clutch so she's not likely to leave easily. The Canada Goose pair that's nesting here should have some hatchlings middle to end of next week. I hope and pray these wild birds and all of my domestic birds will stay happy, healthy, and flu free 
I hope the same for y'all
