I have owned poultry for 5 years and yet to have a wild predator problem until now. (we have had issues in the past with our dog). Two weeks ago my daughter came home to find a hawk (or some sort of big bird) in our pen eating one of our call ducks. We kept the ducks and chickens in their coop over the next 2 weeks and I ordered a net to put over their pen. We worked our butts off this weekend installing this net (50x50) over the outdoor pen. I have the 4 foot green chainlink fencing as the perimeter of my pen. We ran clothes lines over the pen attached to trees and our garage (which is next to our pen) and managed to cover the whole thing. I stapled the net around the trees and garage and tie wrapped the net around the fence. It came out pretty good. I'm sure there are some small gaps here or there on the edges, but certainly nothing gaping. The only other slightly larger spot open was through my door. I have a 3-4 inch gap above the door that does not have net. My daughter came home today to find a dead duck in the pool. The pool was new to the ducks and we had just filled it this weekend for them. Its a 8 foot by 2.5 foot pool. We made a very make shift ramp for it, and our first thought was the duck couldnt get out and drowned. When I came home and inspected the duck, I found a hole in the side of her chest the size of a plum. The damage reminded me of the first bird killed by the hawk but not as eaten. I'm wondering how this bird got in and why the duck was in the pool dead. Also, if it was a hawk, it would not have had an easy exit. I'm so bothered by this. I work full time, have a husband going through cancer treatment, and don't have the time to sit in my pen waiting to bait whatever predator I have. I also love my birds and my daughter is devastated everytime we lose one. This runner she lost today was her bird she has won at the last two 4-H shows she has shown at. So frustrating.......Also, the net is the lowest above the pool. The net stretches tight enough, but I haven't seen how much it sinks if something heavy sits on it. Would a hawk kill through a net???
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