How can I enclose this run? Need some more ideas, please

[Marianne_67410]

We used wire over the PVC since we had massacres from raccoons and later weasels. I got a little paranoid after that and was ready to build them a concrete bunker.

With the 60+ mph winds we have had this year, I'm worried that the netting wouldn't hold up for very long. I also think I'm seriously screwed the way that this is laid out. (Note to self: Learn how to use digital camera.)

Isn't 6' high enough to keep them inside, anyone?

 

[Avalon1984]

Quote:
My run is 6ft and I had bad experiences with deer netting and birds, as well as snakes (yes, snakes) getting stuck in it. It was not fun getting the snakes out. The birds just died

I told myself that I would never use that again. I'd go with hardware cloth around the bottom too. I will install that on my run next.

 

[chickensbythesea]

Quote:
My run is 6ft and I had bad experiences with deer netting and birds, as well as snakes (yes, snakes) getting stuck in it. It was not fun getting the snakes out. The birds just died

I told myself that I would never use that again. I'd go with hardware cloth around the bottom too. I will install that on my run next.

As long as you secure it down tightly (tautly? Is that a word?) then birds shouldn't get stuck, and wind shouldn't really be an issue. I can't help with snakes. It has to be under some relatively strong tension though. I used to work with endangered birds, and we'd build predator exclusion fencing with deer netting as a roof, anchored every 4-6 inches, and had no problems with anyone getting tangled.
If the height is restrictive, maybe leave the edges the height they're at, and create a few support poles to keep the middle a walk-able height, so it's peaked like a circus tent?

If you go the tilted-in post topper route, I think you wouldn't need to add much height, if you played around with the angles.

 

[Avalon1984]

Quote:
My run is 6ft and I had bad experiences with deer netting and birds, as well as snakes (yes, snakes) getting stuck in it. It was not fun getting the snakes out. The birds just died

I told myself that I would never use that again. I'd go with hardware cloth around the bottom too. I will install that on my run next.

As long as you secure it down tightly (tautly? Is that a word?) then birds shouldn't get stuck, and wind shouldn't really be an issue. I can't help with snakes. It has to be under some relatively strong tension though. I used to work with endangered birds, and we'd build predator exclusion fencing with deer netting as a roof, anchored every 4-6 inches, and had no problems with anyone getting tangled.
If the height is restrictive, maybe leave the edges the height they're at, and create a few support poles to keep the middle a walk-able height, so it's peaked like a circus tent?

If you go the tilted-in post topper route, I think you wouldn't need to add much height, if you played around with the angles.

I think what happened with us is that the little birds got their feet caught in it and couldn't fly away and died because of stress

It was terrible. We lost 6 birds in one week and I finally took it down never to be used again.