Planning my peafowl pen/aviary. Need advice.

[Doctor T]

I'm planning a peafowl pen/aviary.
100 square feet per bird, shelter from north wind and elements.
Sides will be 6 to 7 feet high, 1/2 by 1, 14 gauge hardware cloth for first three feet, then 2 by 4 fencing the rest of the way to the top. Flight area will be 12 to 14 feet high.
Predator proofing is big concern, so I'll probably use electric wire around base and near top. I've read varying opinions on flight netting, knotted poly vs chicken wire. Raccoons are a problem here!

Advice/comments/suggestions?

Dr T.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I don't think chicken wire is all that much more effective at deterring predators than flight netting. I would go with the electric fencing unless you want to use a welded or woven wire. If you have the choice between only flight netting or only chicken wire I'd at least use chicken wire. Raccoons can tear through it but they can chew through the netting a lot quicker.

 

[SuperPeacockman]

Flight netting is far stronger, a Raccoon can easily rip through it.

 

[C&Rman]

Yeah a racoon or any other predator hasn't got through our flight netting. And I don't even think one would climb to the top and rip it when they could dig under the wire. Also flight netting works real well because when a peacock get startled or something it will fly straight up and netting has a give to it, chicken wire doesn't and it could possibly break their necks.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I didn't realize there were 3 options in the OP, and now I'm wondering the difference between flight netting and the knotted poly? I'm going to be making a 50'x50' pen for my pair later this summer/early fall and was looking at something called 'heavy knotted' under the aviary netting section. http://www.3tproducts.com/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=53&idcategory=21

We don't have much of any problems with predators except for the occasional loose or stray dog, so I'm not too worried about something getting in. I will be using something called 'poultry fencing' (either welded or woven, can't remember right off) for the sides. That being said, I don't want to make it too easy for something to get into if something decides to try.

 

[C&Rman]

Quote:
Yeah that netting will work great! But if you are going to build a 50x50 pen you will need longer netting or else it won't work. Make your pen 45x45 that way there will be enough netting to cover it.

 

[bryan99705]

Suggestion: How about setting an electric fence a few feet out from the regular fence so anything that approaches will deal with it before they even get to the fence. Set the bottom wire about 4" up then another couple strands above it about 8" apart. Anything that digs or squeezes thru will hit the lower and a climber doesn't stand a chance. You could set it up on a solar system charger with a battery and you've dealt with most critters including fox & coon. This leaves only a very smart canine to deal with. The avairy netting will take care of the birds and with the EF taking care of the coon before they can start climbing, you can use less expensive netting vs wire.

Also suggest leaving about a 18" skirt on the ground around the regular fence for a predator who may figure out to jump the EF, and I can't think of one who would not be a digger and be stumped by the skirting

 

[ColbyNTX]

A good pair of Pyreneese is also good predator protection. Coons and opossums don't even think of comming around!!

They also keep the bobcats, coyotes, hawks, ect away.

 

[shelleyd2008]

C&Rman :

Quote:
Yeah that netting will work great! But if you are going to build a 50x50 pen you will need longer netting or else it won't work. Make your pen 45x45 that way there will be enough netting to cover it.

The feed store has the poultry fencing in rolls of 165' so I'll make it to accommodate that. No sense in buying another roll of wire to get a few more feet of pen.

 

[ColbyNTX]

I have some good advice, build it somewhere you can make add-ons easy when you keep adding more colors of birds!