Bird netting over the run?

[georgiagail]

What we've done...PVC/Electrical pipe, brace rail clamps, hardware cloth, zip ties.....

Gail

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:

Great idea for a smaller run!

 

[plwebb]

Gail, is that pipe in the 3rd photo, flexible pvc pipe? I really like that idea and will have to look into that for our smaller area on the side of the chicken house that we want to get fenced soon. At the back of the coop will be a larger area that we may not fence until spring.
And how much longer does the pipe have to be, longer than the run is wide? Say my run is 8 ft wide, would 9 ft lengths be long enough or 10 ft?

 

[georgiagail]

The third picture was our first coop. We used 3/4 inch PVC pipe attached at 3 foot intervals, then covered with 36" wide hardware cloth.

This run was 7 feet wide so we cut the pipe to 7 1/2 feet. Eight feet and the hoop was too high. 1/2 foot longer than the width worked out well.

For the next three coops we used 3/4 inch electrical PVC pipe which is thicker than the standard white PVC pipe but a bit cheaper. Ended up doing "flat" roofs on these and ran the hardware cloth lengthwise, again attaching it to the pipe and top rail of the run with zip ties.

Hope this makes sense...

Gail

 

[topknot19]

Yes, the bird netting will keep in the flock. I have plastic netting from TSC called deer netting which has 1 inch openings and is light weight which has kept out the hawks and kept the birds in.

the two concerns are high winds which blow mine around as I have it across a 20' opening with only minimal support and snowfall in the winter. Since I am in SC snow was only a problem twice last winter. With the winds I simply rearrange and re-attach in about two minutes with no problem.

It will not keep out any determinied predator willing to climb or jump the 5' fence. But I always lock the coop up at night and re-open at daybreak.

Cheers,

 

[plwebb]

I think what I'll do is use 1x2 or 2x2 wood strips to run from the top of the chicken house wall to the top of the 5 ft fence. Then put the netting over that. That way the netting won't sag too much. The building is about 14 ft long, a bit over half of that being the coop. The fence will temporarily run from the front to past the back to where the gate will be (in line with the one post that's been pounded in so far). Then the builder can add to the fence in the spring.
We never got the guy to paint the bare wood. It's been tough getting him to get the house done at all. We live way out in the country and the pickings are slim as to people who are handy enough to do work like this.


The gate is going to be off to the left in this picture.

 

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

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I used plastic fencing and loved it until the rabbits started chewing their way through the fencing.

 

[00BlasterResto]

Were they trying to chew their way in, Or were you keeping rabbits in the fence?
I dont have any experience with rabbits really, but definatly never had one chew its way into the fence. It has held up really well, as long as it keeps the chickens in is all that matters to me. They run to the coop if anything scares them and I lock them up every night.

Quote:
I used plastic fencing and loved it until the rabbits started chewing their way through the fencing.