I've come to the conclusion it may have been a hawk as there is a big Red Tail around lately. At first I thought no,m - as even the feet and beak & head etc were gone. Any idea if they do that? We are in Wisconsin farm country. Run is netted over now. Hoping that raptor flies into it!
Curious how you netted over the run? Trying to do something similar but can’t figure out the kinks, because I would like to be able to walk around in the run with them.
As for fitting a net 6' above the ground - over our fenced run area ( current fence is 4' high chix wire surrounding the lockable coup ( night time protection), I bought a very light weight plastic netting ( I think intended to stop deer from the gardens) which is 7' wide X 150' long from a local big box store called Menards. VERY light weight, inexpensive ($14.00) 1/2" X 1/2" openings made of thin black string/monofilament like material thus hard to handle - gets tangled on everything. But very do able with a planned approach. I got TEN very cheap - 8' long 2"X 2"s to start a net cover over a 7' X 50' & drove them 2' into ground at the various strategic points. For my area - picture looking down on say a giant business envelope that's 7' X 50' -I have a post at all 4 corners and 2 more equally along each long side. I thread/weave a cheap nylon string through the net's squares of the open 7' end of the netting and tightly secure the ends of that cord to two corner posts on the same end of the pattern/envelope. I then stretch the still 150' long net ( now carefully bundled/bunched up in my arms ) over the posts while backing up to the opposite end, then secure -w/help and two step ladders - with staples. Then scissor/cut it away from the main net and weave another length of cord through at that end and secure that cord to those corner posts. Now it's sort of up but flimsy and floopy and catching leaves etc. So a person needs to work in more various lines using that cordage, to reinforce & pull tight along the long edges including securing w/wrap around those two center long edge poles etc. - as well as consider a few taller 2 X 2's up the middle - 1' into the ground so as to form a peak. This sounds complicated and one asks why I didn't put/install the 7' tall center posts before originally pulling the net into position BUT that netting was hanging up so much I waited until the main 7' X 50' net was up & then dug two 1' deep holes at two evenly spaced central spots ( or more) and tipped the bottom ends of the 9th and 10th posts down into the holes sliding the top ends until vertical - under the net - and tamped them tight. Much easier than it sounds! I think I can repeat this (with help) and expand this to allow a 14' X 50' area. Leaving a 6" gap between the two long central edges for leaves to fall thru. I doubt a raptor will hit that gap! I truly fear that though this will protect for the time being & this summer, it will NOT take any leaf load or even snow. I must consider more posts and a few ridge poles to support more permanent 2 X 2 style chix wire for cover over our girls. It will take MONEY and time! And a pain but far more permanent. Good grief, this got complicated & maybe you can develop a better plan/approach. Good luck.
Yes, coyotes and all the various predators but in this case it had to have jumped the four foot fence and then attacked only ONE hen and did not do any damage to others ( nor the infrastructure ) before figuring out how to flee etc. I agree the major land predators would consume every bit of the chicken but does the average hawk eat the feet and so forth? Just a pile of feathers right in the middle of the uncovered run.
Ha! Thanks! It seems like an impossible task when conceptualizing it but this actually helped! I will have to have my boyfriend (whos in charge of the building process) read this. Thanks a ton!!
Check this out
