How to keep deer netting from sagging?

[wmcdow]

I have a 15' x 20' run with 10 4x4 posts around the perimeter. I will be putting all hardware cloth on the sides and deer netting over the top. Should I put two 4x4 beams in the middle of the run? How can I prevent the net from sagging? Thanks!

 

[jetdog]

I have a 15' x 20' run with 10 4x4 posts around the perimeter. I will be putting all hardware cloth on the sides and deer netting over the top. Should I put two 4x4 beams in the middle of the run? How can I prevent the net from sagging? Thanks!

I saw a run with deer netting and in the middle was a vertical 4x4 with a bucket over the top,it keeps the netting from getting snagged and ripping,you can make it tall enough to walk comfortably.

 

[ldalton]

Glad to see this post today because I have the same problem. Good solution! Thanks

 

[tcstoehr]

Bamboo poles, as many as it takes and wherever you need 'em. Easily adjustable and can be moved around as needed. Don't bother driving them into the ground, just prop 'em up where they're needed. I happen to have a small bamboo grove which gives me all the poles I could ever use. Here you can see I'm using them to hold up a 25'x25' run ceiling of 2x4 welded wire. Since I cut the bamboo myself I keep bits of the old branches to hold onto the wire. If you have poles with no branches you'll just have to notch the poles yourself. Cheap and easy. They won't last forever but several years at least.



I also need to create a 150' temporary chicken barrier for the vegetable garden for the upcoming growing season. I'm again using bamboo poles, but with deer netting draped vertically. I'm using 18" sections of galvanized pipe driven 9" into the ground to secure each pole. I'll simply hook the deer netting up about 6' high on these poles that are spaced 12' apart. I haven't actually attempted this part yet so I'm still just hoping it will work. I may need to reduce the spacing a bit.

 

[wmcdow]

I saw a run with deer netting and in the middle was a vertical 4x4 with a bucket over the top,it keeps the netting from getting snagged and ripping,you can make it tall enough to walk comfortably.

Would staple gunning the deer netting to the middle 4x4 be sufficient enough?

 

[ConPollos]

Today I saw Pheasant Fly Pens online and after they set their posts they use a certain type of wire to build a skeleton along the tops of the posts and hang their netting over that. Some sites showed exactly how to do it. They're as concerned about predators as chicken owners are, so they have some good tips. I teally want to make one of those pens.

 

[jetdog]

Would staple gunning the deer netting to the middle 4x4 be sufficient enough?

I think it would but the idea of the bucket is the netting has more surface to sit on and reduces the chance of a rip,any cheap 5 gallon bucket will do the trick.

 

[ConPollos]

Glad to see this post today because I have the same problem.  Good solution! Thanks

Ditto! I'm also wondering what to do to the netting when it snows.

I love the bamboo pole ideas! I guess the poles could be laid down before a snow storm and the net allowed to lie in the ground until the snow is shoveled out of the run.

 

[tcstoehr]

My chickens finally figured out how to scoot under the flimsy deer netting. They were having a blast roaming all over where they shouldn't be. I took some 9 gauge wire bits and bent them into a U shape and hammered them into the ground every four feet to secure the netting to the ground. That didn't stop them from trying. Lots of angry noises after that, but victory is mine.