fishing line and CD's...How to???

[usalbrechts]

I am in Pinckney (out side of AnnArbor). I did, by the way, trudge thru the mud and ice and pick up my netting and make shift something that will get me through until spring. It is just sooooo moist out with all 14 inches of snow melting in a few days, that my coop is feeling damp and stinking!! I need to spend tomorrow mixing in a bunch of dry shavings and DE. As I was walking in the run on mucky yucky shavings mixed with poop that have been kicked out of the coop , I said "having chickens in the winter is FUN!" I guess if I make it through this first winter and still want babies in the spring, I will really be crazy about chickens!!

 

[ozark hen]

Quote:
I accidentally bought the wrong kind of cd's for my computer...I bought a whole stack very cheaply..they were blanks from Wal Mart. That is what I used.

 

[Flufnstuffs~FluffySilkies]

I used strong fishing line.
Twice in the last 2 years a hawk swooped in not seeing the line, Snaped the line both times and flew off. I have CD's in the back yard but not out front because they were sending sharp flashes of light in to the road and I did not want to startle trafic and cause an accident.

 

[TerrasCritters]

Very interesting!!

 

[sueiris]

I dont use fishing line; I use the neon pink mason's string. It's pretty tough. All I do it tie it to the top of the fence, walk it across and tie it to the other side. Eventually, it will stretch as it gets wet, then I may tighten it up on occasion. I crisscross the lines, then I take small lengths of the same line and tie them through the center of the CDs then tie to the line at interval and let them hand down. Every once in awhile, I have to unwind them from the main lines when a strong wind blows them around alot, but not too often. Here's a picture:

Looks wonderful...are you still recommending this? I've lost three birds in the past month......

 

[speckledhen]

Looks wonderful...are you still recommending this? I've lost three birds in the past month......

Yes, I do recommend the mason's line and attached CD's dangling, crisscrossing the pen. I have never had a hawk dive into a pen with it.

 

[sueiris]

Yes, I do recommend the mason's line and attached CD's dangling, crisscrossing the pen. I have never had a hawk dive into a pen with it.

Thanks for the update. How close together are your lines? It's a bit hard for me to see in your photo. I did go out and got mason's line today. Fingers crossed it helps. I'm tired of feeding hawks, with my sweet birds.

Susan

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the update. How close together are your lines? It's a bit hard for me to see in your photo. I did go out and got mason's line today. Fingers crossed it helps. I'm tired of feeding hawks, with my sweet birds.

Susan

Susan, I don't recall. Those pens haven't existed for quite some time in favor of much larger ones in the back of that coop, too large for the lines to be used easily. I still have other pens that have a few lines crossed like those did. Doesn't take many, just enough to make it hard for the hawk to dive without getting tangled. There's not set number or closeness of the lines but enough so there aren't huge openings.

 

[sueiris]

Susan, I don't recall. Those pens haven't existed for quite some time in favor of much larger ones in the back of that coop, too large for the lines to be used easily. I still have other pens that have a few lines crossed like those did. Doesn't take many, just enough to make it hard for the hawk to dive without getting tangled. There's not set number or closeness of the lines but enough so there aren't huge openings.

So are you covering your new pens differently? Just curious. I'm also considering putting netting up, but of course that is much more complicated.........

 

[speckledhen]

So are you covering your new pens differently? Just curious. I'm also considering putting netting up, but of course that is much more complicated.........

No, my larger pens are not covered. They are over 50' wide so nope, the largest about 2500 sf. in area, so pretty much impossible to cover. We have large oaks here and I have roosters who are great sentries so I still haven't lost any birds to hawks.

Do you have bantams? They would be more vulnerable to hawks, of course. I have one small flock of bantams but their pen is covered with wire and they only get out of it rarely, plus have lots of places to shoot under for cover (two roosters with those and they are super alert).

Here is the bantam's covered pen and my old hens are in their former pen, also wire covered.



the former bantam pen, now housing elderly hens who can't be with a rooster.