Need ideas for a Aviary for my Peafowl, bunch of questions,I picked up most of the Lumber today.

[Joe.G]

I would not mind using netting, Do you guys have links to the sites you got them from? The e bay site that was posted before doesn't have my size, I would have to order bigger then needed.

I want a strong wire on the side to keep weasels and such from getting in.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Getting the exact size you want for your particular size of aviary may not be possible.You may need to buy a net larger and cut off the excess once put up,or just leave hanging over the side and tie back the extra.Netting can be pulled or stretched some but not recommended to exceed the stated size.It needs flexibility for wind and loads such as freezing rain or a Peafowl flying into it.You may need to buy 2 nets and then splice or stitch them together to get some extra or the exact size you want.I purposely made my overall pen size 48x48 knowing ahead of time my net size was 50x50.One direction it took all 50' to get over my pens but the other direction I had an excess of maybe 3 feet which I rolled up on a board and then attached to the top of the outside posts and left up there.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Okay,heres the link to the exact seller I bought my net from.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-HEAVY-KNOTTED-NET-NETTING-50-x-50-AVIARY-POULTRY-POLYETHYLENE-NOT-NYLON-/280812565125?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4161bbb285
This man has been selling this aviary netting a very,very long time and can answer all your questions. I spoke to him personally before ordering my net.He specifically told me that for any amount of snow you will need 2"x2" netting.Otherwise the snow will pile up and you will be replacing it. Also there is knitted netting.If you mistakenly buy knitted netting if it gets a tear it will continue like a run in panty hose.Knotted netting may get a tear or rip in it,but it will stop where the tear is and not continue.Go to this mans store and view other sizes he carries.

 

[Trefoil]

A peafowl aviary does not require preventative measures for digging,or strength of wire to keep from getting to the next run inhabitants.But Peafowl pens needs to restrict the birds from flying out.They must be protected from predators wanting to get inside their pens.
My idea to that is running a low impedence hot wire around the base and top of the pen.After all,6000 volts lighting up a racoon or weasal will get them medium rare in no time

I live in Michigan, so maybe its different where you are Joe, but where I am its imperative to protect the peas from digging predators, that means either burying wire or having hardware cloth 2' out from the perimeter of the fence lying on the ground. We also have weasels, which means fence openings less that 3/4". I don't know whether weasels climb. If they don't, then you would only need to go up 2' with the small hole fencing before going larger. That would make it very hard for a coon to reach in and piecemeal a pea as well as stop the weasel type predators. Yes, they do that.
There is going to be little or no difference in the amount of snow between what a 2" net or 2" poultry wire will hold. My poultry wire is just over an inch and doesn't hold much snow, what does pile up comes down really easily with a bump using a stick . So the amount of snow held isn't really a factor when choosing. I've never had a problem using poultry wire for the top, but it will take more labor because 6' is about the highest you can buy and that's going to mean a lot of splicing. Also poultry wire requires more substructure under neath it, which you will need anyway if you intend to cover part or all of your run. But poultry wire will last a lot longer that poultry netting, so there are pros and cons to both, its just a matter of what you decide you want to do. Electric fence isn't a permanent substitute for a real barrier. Yes, you may be able to use a battery and solar for electrical outages, but if you free range any birds you risk them getting caught by the electric fence..Aside from that, given enough time I can't see that a coon wouldn't be able to figure out a way around electric fence, horses have no problem doing it and coons are much smarter than horses. The nose and except for the whiskers maybe the face of a coon would be the only thing vulnerable to electric fence. Not to mention what being buried in snow would do. A better placement for electric wire would be 4 or 5' up on the sides just in case a coon did try to climb, or where you changed from hardware cloth to larger holed fencing. The cheapest place I've found for hardware cloth is Wayside, their shipping is free as well. It has to be securely stapled to the wood, a staple gun won't work unless its a pneumatic one with 1.5" or bigger staples, otherwise its too easy to pull them out. A lot of people use screws with washers. In the end, you know your area and what people in your area have had good luck with and your best hope of success it to learn from their losses. Good luck, and please, we need pictures as you do it.

 

[Joe.G]

I think I am going to use Hardware cloth for the sides, I am pretty sure weasels can climb, That does make me wonder if they will climb to the top and then down. I do have a Bostich air stapler and I have 1.5 and 2" staples.
I am going to call the guy about the netting today for the top.

Trefoil, I am getting a bunch of different sites for wayside, I am not seeing any hardware cloth, Could you maybe post a link, Thanks.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Plants lasted about 1 1/2 hour in my pea pen.

Where I live, I don't have predators, so I was able to use this type of wire. I don't have any predator attacks like most people talk about.

 

[zazouse]

Plants lasted about 1 1/2 hour in my pea pen.

Where I live, I don't have predators, so I was able to use this type of wire. I don't have any predator attacks like most people talk about.

I have some of the green it is just plastic and lasted a few years in my garden.. so does the light green have wire in it?

I do not need it but was wondering if any of the wire comes coated like this.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Plants lasted about 1 1/2 hour in my pea pen. Where I live, I don't have predators, so I was able to use this type of wire. I don't have any predator attacks like most people talk about.

I have some of the green it is just plastic and lasted a few years in my garden.. so does the light green have wire in it? I do not need it but was wondering if any of the wire comes coated like this.

I have the dark green wire but it's not plastic. It is a thick coated wire. It has lasted since we built the aviary and we have not had any problems. Not sure about the light green and I don't know if that is plastic. That's just a pic I found online.

 

[zazouse]

DA

i should have thought of that my crawfish traps are made of that dark green coated wire.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Here are a few pics of the type of wire that I use. But as I stated, I don't have predators, so I don't have to worry about the little creatures that most people worry about. My geese ARE the predators, so I had to get something that they can't chew on. :/ People in other areas who have predator problems would have to get something more sturdy.