Looking for bird netting so I can let chickens out of coop

[chipahoy4]

Wondering if anyone has any info on a place to buy good quality bird netting, so that I can let the girls out and forage in my garden area. I finished building my coop and run and am going to have a sort of pass-thru from the run to my garden, which is only about 8 feet away so they can forage a little. The area is going to be about 25' by 25'. Seeing as we have all sorts of predators in the area, such as hawks etc, I wanted to top the chicken wire enclosure with bird netting. Have seen some on Amazon.com with mixed reviews, (very hard to unravel, cheap quality etc). If anyone has any ideas would appreciate it. Thanks

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I bought the heavy knotted netting from Mypetchicken.com and am very pleased with the quality. It is a very heavy duty kind of plastic netting - it looks as though it will last for years...you will need post supports for it in the middle of the pen if you get snow though, so it doesn't sag and pull your fencing down. I recommend not making the fencing hold the netting up...secure it to posts.

You might look at randalburkey and cutlersupply too...but I have not ordered from them before.

 

[4 the Birds]

Home Depot has a couple of types of deer netting. A roll of the 7 ft. x 100 ft. fabric deer net runs about 20 or 25 bucks. They also have the heavier plastic deer stop mesh that is twice the price and may be a 50 ft roll. Both unroll fine and may work for what you want. I use the fabric to line my run to keep out the sparrows but the stinkers still fly in through the free range hole.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I use deer netting and it works to keep hawks away. Saw one swooping down at my girls and - when it got about three feet from the netting - made a frantic turn upward so it wouldn't get tangled into the stuff.

Deer netting does take two people to easily set up but it's not difficult. Comes in a long roll and is folded in half. It has a tendency to get caught on things like branches, buttons, etc. so that's why you need two people as you don't want to lay it down to unfold. I use zip ties to join ends together if covering a large spot. It's cheap and it works. Plus side is that - if you bunch it up on the ground - it will also catch snakes.

 

[donrae]

Is your garden done for the year? If not, do you understand they will "forage" all your produce? Just sayin'.......

We just got some bird netting from a local nursery, I think it's meant to be put on fruit trees to keep birds away. It's green nylon, not especially strong, holes about the size of most chicken wire. We use it for the top of the run.

 

[Kelsie2290]

We use the Heavy Weight Toprite Netting from Cutler Supply (2" mesh). It is expensive compared to the deer netting, but a lot tougher and lasts for years.

http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_36&products_id=930

 

[chipahoy4]

I looked into a couple of the websites that you good chicken people gave me and will be buying some netting from one of them. Thanks for the info. I only use half of the garden space that I have, so they will be seperated from the growing side and will be put on the "Please fertilize me side" for next years crop.