Overhead Netting

[Icie]

I need recommendations for a type of netting to use over the area I want to let my flock free range. They've never been out of their coop/run combo and I'd like to get them used to the great outdoors before our weather turns bad (I'm in eastern north carolina) and get them trained to an automatic door. They're about 6 months old, barely starting to lay, and there are 13 of them. We have hawks and owls and I don't want to take any chances. Pretty confident I've got all other predator issues covered, as far as daytime is concerned as I have fencing and a great Dane/mastiff mix and I'm outside a lot during daylight hrs. I've already put up poles at least 7feet high and planned to use a netting that I can connect and overlap down to the top of the 5ft fence to keep them from flying over. But, that thin black poultry netting is a pain in the butt to use so I'm ready to try something else! Suggestions on something easier to work with that won't break the bank too badly????

 

[aart]

How big is the area?

(I'm in eastern north carolina)

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[Icie]

How big is the area?


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View attachment 2852376

It's an irregular shape, I'd say one area is about 30ft long by about 10 ft wide, then opens up to an area about 40ft long by maybe 30 ft wide...I've never really measured it and now I guess I should.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I would be interested in something besides the thin bird netting as well. I kept it over my run last year and not only did a raccoon get through it but it was awful when the snow fell-it just became a low-hanging snow roof and it's impossible to knock the snow off. I don't want to put a solid roof over the run so next spring I am going to try to train vines to grow over it to at least provide some shade but this won't keep anything out. There must be something more manageable

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is the netting many of us use: https://pinnonhatch.com/poultry-supplies/p/heavy-knotted-poultry-netting-2mesh - they have different weights and hole sizes but 2" heavy is probably the most popular option, with 85/245 break/burst strength.

 

[David61]

https://pinnonhatch.com/poultry-supplies/p/heavy-knotted-poultry-netting-2mesh
it's what i am using and its great. debris and song birds do not get trapped. coons hate to climb it. My net is two years old now and like new. Can't say enough, no brainer.

 

[Huntmaster]

I use the 2" heavy knotted netting for my turkey pens and love it. My pens have been up for 6 years now . I have 1 50' x 100' pen - 1 50' x 50' pen - 1 40' x 20' pen and 4 20' x 20' breeding pens all netted. I net right over small trees and brush/shrubs for cover and shade in my pens. Even place right over small building /coop and roof covering a roosting area.

Here are a few pics to give an idea of how I use it.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Can anyone give me an idea how it does in the snow? With that big a mesh I would assume it just goes through but that's what I assumed about the netting I was using and I was very mistaken.

 

[Huntmaster]

Yes I have had a few very wet snows that will stick to netting. Only had about 4 to 5 in the six years that I have used it that I had to worry about. But if you look closely at the 2 x 4s holding it up they are not permanently put in ground. They are placed in corrugated pipe so poles are removable. All I have to do is remove or place poles on a angle when heavy wet snow is forecasted to let the net have enough slack to reach the ground when weighted by snow to prevent any damage. Then next day just shake netting by hand and snow falls right off. Only had to do that about 4 times in last 6 years. most snows just fall right through. Only the very wet snow sticks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can anyone give me an idea how it does in the snow? With that big a mesh I would assume it just goes through but that's what I assumed about the netting I was using and I was very mistaken.

Dry powdery snow should fall through, as long as it's coming down fairly moderately. Wet snow will stick, no matter size of the openings. If we get wetter snow we go and beat it off the netting with a broom, and it'll fall through.

This is another reason having a higher break weight on netting is ideal. In fact the netting will hold out longer in many cases than lighter weight fencing/support posts will.