Pen netting

[KsKingBee]

I am hoping to install my two inch knotted netting on the new pens in a day or two. I was wondering how tight to install it. My pen is a wood structure and I am planning to use steel rope to cross between the posts in a spider web to help support the netting.

So, do you pull the netting taught or will that make it rip eventually?

 

[Garden Peas]

I am hoping to install my two inch knotted netting on the new pens in a day or two. I was wondering how tight to install it. My pen is a wood structure and I am planning to use steel rope to cross between the posts in a spider web to help support the netting.

So, do you pull the netting taught or will that make it rip eventually?

The stuff I bought for the pen at my other house

was incredibly UV resistant and was strong enough to be pulled really tight. But then you may kinda get back into the issue of how taut versus how loose versus pea projectile heads banging into it. I think that the tendency is for it to sag and stretch eventually rather than tear... my impression is that it tends to stretch rather than draw up more tightly as time goes on.

@DylansMom posted some photos a few months ago, and I think she mentioned something about it stretching a bit.

Because of the unyielding nature of taut steel rope, and the permanency of broken necks, my inclination would be to minimize the steel rope and live with a bit of sag. But I am not an expert in this... there's lots of people with more experience and better pens than me. (Actually, I am hoping that everyone has better pens than my current one

)

 

[MinxFox]

(Actually, I am hoping that everyone has better pens than my current one

)

My pen looks nice if you don't pay attention to the netting. It rips all the time and I have to patch it, but there are some holes that are smaller that I just haven't patched. My netting is just bad quality. My new netting is around 4 times thicker than my current netting. The new netting is for the new pen, but I am considering getting new netting for my current pen because the netting is just so bad and embarrassing. It still keeps the birds in though.

 

[Garden Peas]

I bought my original netting from Seattle Marine, looks like I got #21 weight, 1 3/4" square mesh. It has worked well, I dunno how it compares to the Top-Rite. I got stuff that is used on batting cages and in sports applications where it gets whacked hard and often.

 

[MinxFox]

I have often looked at that netting used around baseball fields and places like that and thought "Wow I would love that for an aviary!" Good to see that you found a source for it. How much is it?

I went with Top-rite because I read a lot of good things about it, and also several peafowl breeders in my area use it and highly recommend it. I could have gone with something cheaper, but this was something I figured I had better not cut costs on since I have had so much grief with my ebay netting.

 

[KsKingBee]

I have this; http://www.3tproducts.com/shop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=2

I bought two 50x50 and plan to use it for the dividers as well. I haven't had birds bouncing off my ceilings, I guess I've been lucky, but I am sure that the netting will be more bird friendly than wire. Current plan is to staple the netting to the wood rim on the pen.

 

[MinxFox]

3 T products was my other choice and that is what I almost got. I think Sid of Texaspeafowl uses 3 T netting.

I mainly get birds bouncing off the netting when I have to catch them. Usually the peahens are the ones that do that. The males don't freak out as much. I try to prevent them from flying and bouncing off the netting, but it happens. The dog has caused them to do it. I tried to train her to be calm around birds, but she gets too excited and scares them.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

The ideal tension on the net is so each square is 2"x2" from all 4 corners. If the square is lopsided it needs to be pulled tighter in that direction so the squares looks square. Another easy way is if you know the exact inches between the top of your posts(say 10' equals 120") then there should be 60 squares between the top of the posts.

 

[MinxFox]

I don't know if I understand what you are saying FBC. So you are saying the squares in the netting must look like perfect squares and if they are not stretched out enough to look like a square, then you pull it tighter? The last part I don't think I understand about the 60 squares. I can definitely look at the squares to make sure they are square though.

Supposedly I will be getting help to build the shelter for the new pen, but who knows. I can't put the netting up until the shelter is done so I still have plenty of time to figure out how I want to do this to avoid past mistakes.

 

[Kedreeva]

I have considered maybe it would be better to have coated wire or use some kind of thick rope instead. I have thought about this a bit since for my next pen I want to try using the wire or ropes to help support the netting since over time it definitely seems to sag in some areas a bit.

Go with the coated wire! We used that in the first pet I had (30x30), and we never had any problems with it tearing or chafing. And if there was rust or something, it was easier to handle for us as well.