Bird Netting + snow = bad idea

[Oz chic]

When we made our chicken run, we put bird netting over the top of the run/coop to keep the wild birds from eating the chicken food.

We had garden arches to hold the netting high, so walking under it wasn’t bothersom.

We had done this many years ago when I had chickens with out a drama. So figured it would fine, Not so this time.

We got snow last night, we went from a day time temp of 24 and sunshine to snow, starting at midnight, it snowed all night. Snow was NOT forecast for our area and we don’t get snow, it just doesn’t happen here. This is the 3rd time this yr, once is rare, three times is freaky rare.

When we put the netting on, we said “it will be right, what are the chances it will ever snow here again” as had snowed twice previously this winter.

well about 6 cm of snow later and ALL 5 garden arches collapsed under the weight of the snow, plus the side fence in one part of the run collapsed.

I have done a quick fix up, Mended the fence as best I could, to keep the chickens in and the dog out. till the weekend where I can do a proper repair job.

We have more snow forecast again today/tonight.

If we had had it forecast, I could have done something to prevent the top from caving in.

Now, 14 hours after it all started falling, there is still heaps laying around.

Oh well, good excuse now to make it bigger and better,


Pic 1 - my girls don’t seem fazed by it all
Pic 2 - the side Of the chicken run that fell down under the weigh
Pic 3 - is the top of the chicken run, 3 garden arches collapsed here, the top should be as high as the top of the windows in the house next door.
Pic 4 - what else does one do on their lunch break but make a snowman, the dog is waiting for the carrot
Pic 5 - the main run - you can see how much weight is there by the sagging,
Pic 6 - the main run

 

[Ted Brown]

This cannot be real, the US President assures us climate change is a hoax?

 

[rosemarythyme]

You need far stronger supports to prevent collapse, though you'll still see sagging regardless as the snow builds up. We got a "worst in 50 years" snow storm last year and it built up 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) on the netting at a time, so we'd go out and hit it with a broom every 4 hrs or so to keep it as minimal as possible. The netting sagged but didn't break, and the supports all held up without issue.

 

[Oz chic]

You need far stronger supports to prevent collapse, though you'll still see sagging regardless as the snow builds up. We got a "worst in 50 years" snow storm last year and it built up 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) on the netting at a time, so we'd go out and hit it with a broom every 4 hrs or so to keep it as minimal as possible. The netting sagged but didn't break, and the supports all held up without issue.

Thanks, will have to look into it, snow for us is very very rare, yes we get really cold, but not snow, then last night snow was not even forecast for us, was forecast for down to 1000m, we are 627m, so way off.

In the past garden stakes have been suitable. I guess not any longer.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

This cannot be real, the US President assures us climate change is a hoax?

I think he's like anybody else and agrees that climate always changes, always has and always will. What he says is a hoax is CO2 causing warming that causes cooling. You can't have it both ways when your hypothesis fails. But that's exactly what climate activists are doing.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Thank you, it has caused so much damage, not just here, but around town to. We are just not in an area that is used to snow and this much too, it is still laying about in some areas.

Oh well tomorrow is an new day and as long as we don’t get the snow tonight, that is actually forecast for this area, then I can start repairing my run...surely we can’t get snow a 4th time this yr...

I wonder if this is what hit you:

https://electroverse.net/rare-snow-takes-aussie-forecasters-by-surprise/

FWIW something seems to be happening in AU. Perisher ski resort (wherever that is in AU) is having it's longest season on record.

 

[Shezadandy]

We've had a decent amount of snow and ice build up on ours, though here too it's relatively rare that we see this problem - at least the stuff we've got bounces back pretty well. I do give it a good shake to relieve the net any time it's chicken check or chore time … because I don't want a bunch of snow down my back if I bump it!

 

[Oz chic]

This cannot be real, the US President assures us climate change is a hoax?

Oh I can assure you it was real.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Oh I can assure you it was real.

Sorry for your hassle. Dry snow probably would have been no problem. Wet snow always causes a problem.

 

[jeepgirl13]

You need far stronger supports to prevent collapse, though you'll still see sagging regardless as the snow builds up. We got a "worst in 50 years" snow storm last year and it built up 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) on the netting at a time, so we'd go out and hit it with a broom every 4 hrs or so to keep it as minimal as possible. The netting sagged but didn't break, and the supports all held up without issue.

We had one of those, got 6 to 8 ft here!! They called it a bomb cyclone and that snow hung around for weeks. I had to go out with a snow shovel, all swollen and pregnant to shovel a way out of the house, to the coop, then used it to clear the snow off the top of the run. Thankfully our run was only about 3 ft tall then. Not sure how it's going to go this year.

We had wire on top of our run. Maybe it will hold better than netting?