I think I want to cover my entire yard with poultry netting!

[Huntmaster]

Did you use square knotted or diagonal knotted? My purchase was the diagonal (cheaper) and it was hard to pull a straight line, but worked fine cut in two & over the two separate greenhouse frames, will get square knotted next time. But diagonal would have worked with coated cable woven through the edge probably?

2" extra heavy knotted netting

 

[linguini]

check out the picture posted by @linguini above - one of 2 kinds of nettings he used performed really good

The "birdnet" we use are heavy-duty aviary nettings, 25x50, 1" and 2.4", NOT the garden bird net (those can be easily ripped apart by hand!) The aviary net I bought was quite cheap ($19.99 for 25x50, 2.4"), but it claims to be "heavy duty". It's only been a little over a year since we used it, the verdict of how long it'll last is still yet to be determined.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PM4KJZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Someone posted an aviary netting they bought which cost nearly 8-10 times what we paid. We'll see how well our cheap version lasts!

BTW, the aviary netting was able to sustain more than 20 good size shark-fin squash (ranging from 6-14 lbs each, similar to watermelon in size) and numerous over 2ft long lufa squash without problem this past fall. The squash on the net was totally not by design - I was a first time vegetable gardener, had no idea how squash would grow. But all turned out quite well! (see photo - including one squash half eaten by our chickens! they invaded the garden one day).

The tall posts works much better than ropes. My husband is almost 6ft tall, can walk comfortably in the yard and garden

 

[RojoMarz]

I wish I had more trees! I am at about 7k feet in Big Horn Sheep Canyon, so snow does not really stick around too much. We get insane winds though! I think I will give the bird netting a shot even if I have to reattach...as long as my girls are safe. Thanks for the input!
Btw what breeds do you have? I've had success with Ameraucanas, Black & Red Stars, but thinking about Cuckoo Marans and Whitings.

We have two RIR, two Light Brahma, one Buff Orpington, two Ameraucana x RIR, one Golden Comet.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

2" extra heavy knotted nettingView attachment 2953938

That looks like diagonal knotted, thanks!

 

[tigger19687]

Again, it is really going to be how much snow (wet snow), ice and freezing rain you have and if you have those how much time you want to spend bumping it off.

If you go to my profile, under Images, I think page 2 or 3 there are some picks of before and after an ice storm, a wet snow storm and how well it worked out.

When I get my house and land I will be making a large wooden system and use the netting they have for Blueberry fields- again, only for spring-fall. Winter I will have a greenhouse type thing for them.

 

[linguini]

on all my turkey pens

Sorry to distract the conversation, but I can't help it - LOVE these pictures, look like Turkey paradise!

 

[Sueby]

Thanks for your posts!

I think it is useful to clarify the difference between types of "bird netting". There is tough woven aviary netting out there (I have 2") that will withstand a lot of force, it is like fishing netting, very serious stuff. I think stuff I got is 180-200 lb tested? This versus the flimsy "deer netting" and "bird netting" a lot of garden supply places sell.

Question to @Sueby is how you attached the hog rings to the fence? I'm also assuming your fence is super-sturdy and can take the pull.

Second & third question @Sueby is whether those middle poles are placed deep in the ground or just placed on the ground. How tall are they?

I have been using 2" strong aviary netting attached to tall walk-in 10'x13' greenhouse frames with carabiner clips. I used two of these as moveable runs along with a coop tractor for 4 hens, and I have electric poultry fencing surrounding a bigger area. The hens' coop is secured at night. I took the aviary netting down for the winter but only because these particular greenhouse frames are fairly weak - I'm not worried about the snow on the netting, but the potential weight and yaw on the frames.

Yes, there sure is a difference! I believe my netting is 85/285. It wasn't cheap for sure, a couple hundred dollars for 100x50ft 2in netting.

So my wood fence against the back & around the trees, the netting is stapled. For the front fence which is put in with 6 foot t-posts, the bottom 3 feet of fence is hardware cloth & the top 3 feet is 2x4 welded wire. So the t-posts are super sturdy, I think 2 feet in the ground, 6 above. Anyway...I hog ringed the netting to the top of the 2x4 wire every couple of inches & its worked well. My biggest issue is the squirrels chew the netting at the trees or the wood posts to make their highways. I used to repair the holes but they would just chew more so I now just leave them, they only open 1 square so it's nothing a hawk could get through so no real issue.

The middle posts are not stuck in the ground, the weight & pressure of the tight netting holds the post with no issues, we've been through high winds with a couple of hurricanes/tropical storms & they haven't budged. I had once read here that someone suggested for a big ice storm or a heavy wet snow that they remove those posts so the netting can lay on the ground & not get damaged - I've always kept that in the back of my mind just in case but haven't needed to do so.

I've found that the netting is unbelievably strong & believe the weak point would be the 2x4 wire fencing or the staples in the wood fence. People with less heavy duty t-posts than I have have found them to be the weak point, I've seen them bent over under a heavy snow. We had tree trimmers out here & they dropped a log from 15 feet high, that was heavier than I could pick up, directly on the netting & to my surprise it bounced a couple times, came to rest & did no damage! After seeing that I don't worry about some snow too much.

Anyway, I'm not feeling well this am & feel like I'm talking gibberish so if anything is unclear or you'd like pics please let me know, happy to help if I can. It's a good set up for the most part, definitely not maintenance free or completely secure, but it works well.

 

[Huntmaster]

Sorry to distract the conversation, but I can't help it - LOVE these pictures, look like Turkey paradise!

Yes, Thank-you they do have it made don't they. The happier they are the healthier they are and less fighting with all the space. So in turn that makes them much easier to raise and that makes me happy Give them what they want and like and they thrive.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

tables and chairs (acquired as cheaply as possible, preferably from garbage piles or yard sales.)

Sounds like a huge eyesore, more like a junkyard.

 

[NatJ]

Sounds like a huge eyesore, more like a junkyard.

Probably so. Some people don't mind such things, and some people do.

I suggested it in case OP might find it helpful-- but it looks like netting (as OP originally thought) is probably better in this case.