Hi guys! (sorry if this is a dbl post, I'll try to delete the other one)
We lost a 11 wk old hen to a red tailed hawk yesterday. I'm struggling with whether to string wire or string fishing line. In addition we could buy a 50' x 50' (expensive) 2" netting. I don't like the idea of finding wild birds (the nice ones) caught in netting so I'm leaning toward wire or fish line. I understand that hawks have incredible eyesight so I suspect they could easily see the wire line.
We live near fields so there's plenty of potential predators - *coyotes, *neighbor dogs, cats, I've been told *crows can be a problem (but for a full sized chicken?), *raccoons, skunks, *opossum. On rare occasions we see eagles, bald ones too.
* = most likely, spot them regularly.
The chickens are locked in the coop at night. The chicken yard is fenced with 5' tall 2x4 welded wire fencing w/about 6" buried. The yard is roughly 50' x 50' and odd shaped with an apple tree and a lilac (that the chickens LOVE to hide in).
Any suggestions? How far apart should the wires be? Should they be weaved or just strung perpendicular to each other? Will hawks take on a full grown chicken?
This newbie REALLY appreciates any advice!
Lil Chicks on the Prairie
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My hubby & I have 6 Aracaunas, 6 RIRs (all hens), & a cat . . . that wants to play with the chickens but is semi-scared of them. A friend's horse is in the pasture.
We lost a 11 wk old hen to a red tailed hawk yesterday. I'm struggling with whether to string wire or string fishing line. In addition we could buy a 50' x 50' (expensive) 2" netting. I don't like the idea of finding wild birds (the nice ones) caught in netting so I'm leaning toward wire or fish line. I understand that hawks have incredible eyesight so I suspect they could easily see the wire line.
We live near fields so there's plenty of potential predators - *coyotes, *neighbor dogs, cats, I've been told *crows can be a problem (but for a full sized chicken?), *raccoons, skunks, *opossum. On rare occasions we see eagles, bald ones too.
* = most likely, spot them regularly.
The chickens are locked in the coop at night. The chicken yard is fenced with 5' tall 2x4 welded wire fencing w/about 6" buried. The yard is roughly 50' x 50' and odd shaped with an apple tree and a lilac (that the chickens LOVE to hide in).
Any suggestions? How far apart should the wires be? Should they be weaved or just strung perpendicular to each other? Will hawks take on a full grown chicken?
This newbie REALLY appreciates any advice!
Lil Chicks on the Prairie
---
My hubby & I have 6 Aracaunas, 6 RIRs (all hens), & a cat . . . that wants to play with the chickens but is semi-scared of them. A friend's horse is in the pasture.
