Hanging pen netting is no fun when your short......

[MinxFox]

Do you have any pictures of your netted backyard? That sounds very amazing!

 

[Chiaro]

These are parts of my 250ft X 200ft netted yard.

 

[Chiaro]

I have found that 3-T is the most affordable and most user-friendly supplier. They don't carry the multi-purpose cable brackets though (for the perimeter) so I found those on the Bird Busters site. Neither Home Depot nor Ace Hardware knew what they were.

 

[MinxFox]

Now that is an aviary!!! So you recommend the quality of 3-T netting? I have been trying to decide on getting netting from 3-T or from Toprite. I was going to go with toprite just because I found a ton of people recommending that kind of netting but I have been wanting the opinions of people using 3-T netting.

So you are using wire cables to help support the netting? Are they plastic coated and what gauge wire is it? How do the cable brackets work?

Now that it has cooled off I want to build some more pens but this time I definitely need some wire or rope supports for the netting and some good covers for the wooden posts so that they do not rip the netting like they have done previously in my current aviary.

Your birds must really love your huge aviary and all that tall grass!

 

[Chiaro]

I don't know the difference between Toprite's and 3-T's netting. I was using Bird barrier's but it got SO expensive, just insane pricing. I have a 6" x 6" post set in 4 feet deep in concrete at each corner of every 50 ft. square of net. A cable is run around the perimeter and attaches to the corner posts. Then, on top of the fencing is a 2 X 4 that has the little cable brackets to hook the cable into, that way if the net gets a heavy snow load it can pop off of the brackets while still staying attached to the corner posts and not pull my fencing down. This net only holds the Spring snows, the rain-to-snow stuff, it never holds any of the cold, Winter snow like the Bird Barrier net did. I like it a lot. I wish I was doing this net thing in an area without any snow, I'm tellin' 'ya, but I will be here for a while...

 

[MinxFox]

Thanks for the info!
Yes I have seen photos of snow on netting. I don't have snow here but last winter it got cold and we had a small ice storm. The netting was covered in ice but it did not ruin any of the netting. The worst issue I have here is the netting ripping from things like plants and posts. My new aviaries I will not allow the plants to grow through the netting and I will put something on top of all wooden posts to protect the netting. I was thinking Frisbees could be a good way to protect the netting.

Here is one breeder's setup that I really love...

 

[Chiaro]

Wow, I love your aviary! where did you get that metal "umbrella" on top? that's so cool. I started with lightweight netting but it all fell apart the first winter so I had to upgrade. My netting does not tear easily though the top of a T-post can do damage. I have some in my yard that I need to get removed, it will take "guy muscles" but try to get a guy to come and take out T-posts, they get very whiney very fast. I am putting large tennis balls on top of them this year to protect my netting. I think frisbees on the wooden posts would be a good idea, worth a try anyway. You have to get inventive to maintain a netted yard, don't you? It's so worth having though, my animals are safe under the netting.

 

[MinxFox]

No that photo is of a peafowl breeder's aviary 1 hour away from me, but I wish that was my aviary!

This is my aviary:


That photo is of it at the beginning of this spring. Now it needs ryegrass to be planted again and the netting needs replacing. The netting is really thin so it is hard to see but it is 40x50ft netted with 2 added shelters that I need to measure to figure out the full size of everything.

 

[Chiaro]

That's beautiful, what a wonderful place for your birds! I see so many birds kept in small pens, it's lovely to see your birds getting to have such a large space to enjoy.

 

[MinxFox]

Thank you! I understand everyone has different opinions on space, but I do like to give mine a lot of space especially since I can't free-range them.

I don't like narrow pens, and those are not so good for peacocks because they can break a lot of train feathers when they display in a narrow run. Evidently narrow pens are good for peahens running away from a male if he gets aggressive, but I don't see how a narrow pen would make that easier for them to run away. I will start up working on at least 2 new pens again and I am trying to keep them all large but unfortunately they can't all be the same shape as this one. If I could I would include a big tree inside the aviary! I think it would be cool if the birds had an actual tree to roost in.

There are lots of issues with my aviary. The netting keeps ripping around roosts and the plants growing through the netting did more damage then I expected them to. The oak tree is always dropping branches onto the corner of the netting weighing it down and I get tired of removing all of the limbs, and the wood used for the perches is not really good wood so one of the perches still needs to be fixed since it is leaning and can't be used. I have a lot of things to get to work on, but when I am not working on projects for college all I want to do is do nothing, so I really need to work faster on projects to get lots of time for making new pens.

I really want green peafowl, which are endangered and really cool looking. I have this really nice bamboo fencing that I would like to use to decorate a shelter for a future green peafowl pen, but that would mean that I need 3 more pens instead of 2... Hopefully I can get into pen building mode. I sort of like building new pens, but my favorite part is the finishing touches like adding plants.