Buying bird netting or something for the top of the run

[doodledo]

Does anyone recommend a good inexpensive place to buy the netting for over the run?
TIA

 

[MTchick]

I got used fishing netting from "The Net Shed" on Ebay. It was not very expensive and seems to work very well. The only downside is that it is kinda heavy and therefore sags, which is fine in our run but would be an issue for a big run with long spaces between the poles.

-MTchick

 

[aran]

I have just bought a large 40x23foot x 6foot tall run for my chickens (which i get to spend all day today putting up!) and I had planned on putting the deer netting over the top to stop hawks getting my birds. There is a boom with 3 strands of barbed wire around the top of the fence bringing the total height to about 7.5feet or thereabouts so I dont have to worry about anything trying to climb up and over it. I just have to figure out how to secure the bottom from digging critters.

 

[countrygirl4513]

bought mine from Walmart, 14x14 bird netting

 

[aran]

countrygirl...is it strong enough to keep hawks out? How much did it cost? How did you attach it to the top of the run?

cheers,
aran

 

[schmoo]

I used black plastic netting from Lowes and attached it with zip ties (found in electrical) Its not pretty, but it was inexpensive and I will probably have to replace it every year because of all the ice/snow we get here. It was $14.00 a roll and I only needed one. I propped it up in the center with a long 2x4 to prevent sagging.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I buy mine from lowes in the garden dept. it runs around $6 a roll for a 10x10 I believe. I've used it for several years and its held up real nice. 2 weeks ago a hawk swooped down and tried to get my chickens. But he got caught in the netting for over 5 minutes flopping around trying to get his claws untangled. Netting held up great no rips or holes.

 

[Slim]

Quote:
It's strong enough to keep chickens in the run.

I don't think it has to be strong to keep hawks out. just some visable barrier. The hawk will see it and not dive into it. I meean he can see see it fro 200 feet in the air, but he really cant test it's strength w/out comitting to a full head on dive. It sounds like Poison Ivy had a rebel hawk. To heck with what the people think! (I hate it when animals don't follow our rules! LOL )
I've heard if people just stringing fishing line across the top every foot or so. The hawks see it, and thats enough of a deterant.

-Slim

 

[MTchick]

Slim is absolutely right. The key to keeping hawks out is mostly a mind-game. You want the hawk to see the netting and think; "ooo... bad idea..." and not even try. The deer netting is actually less than ideal in this case because it is fine threaded and black- hard for the hawk to see it. What would be a really cheap and easy solution is deer netting with bright ribbons woven in it. Like surveyor's plastic tape, or just wrapping paper ribbons. This would allow the hawk to see the netting more clearly, and it would be festive!

Fishing line could work if it is visually obvious (sparkley is always good) and strung relatively densely. Same concepts.

-MTchick

 

[BeckyLa]

Last year I spent less than $15 at Lowe's for a 14'x50' role of deer netting. I had planned to take one of those long strands of silver garland, like we put on Christmas trees, and lay across the top to let the hawks know it was there. But, alas, I couldn't find any so I took string and tied some of those cheap aluminum pie pans underneath to blow in the breeze. Most of the pie pans have since fallen down and the hawks still do not bother the runs. They sit in the trees and watch for a while then leave.