Top of the run netting/wire that holds up in heavy snow??

[chickensista]

Hi all,
I lost a girl to a red tail hawk today. My silly lines over the run didn't help. The netting I put up last fall came down in a heavy snow. I remember reading about something netting/wire that can hold up in snow? Or the holes are big enough to let the snow through...

Any info would be appreciated. The rest of the girls are in chicken jail and not happy.

Thanks,
Terry

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

We used the large chicken wire on the tops of the runs & small around the bottom part. This allows the snow to fall through & not pile up. We get 4+ feet of snow here so if we didn't have that, I'm sure our entire run would have collapsed.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Don't know how big your run is, but I have hardware cloth on top of my run, and in the winter I cover with a tarp. snow just blows right off.

 

[Wildsky]

I have field fence going over the top of my run, and those square holes are pretty big - it did get covered over and sagged during one big storm, but otherwise held up - and we did go out and tap on it to make the snow fall off.

 

[chickensista]

Thank you for all the responses. My run is fairly big(1100 sqft or so), so I'm hoping to find a cheaper option than the hardware cloth. The large chicken wire may be an option - that is cheaper, right?

Wildsky, what is field fence? I would like to find something in large rolls that will make it across the run. I plan on putting some kind of pole in the middle to help hold it up.

Thanks again!
Terry

 

[miss_thenorth]

There is also bird netting, stuff that ppl pu over their ponds to keep cranes out. It is nylon, (like fish netting) I have seen aviaries use it and they put poles under it to lift it up. I am presently looking for some of this, but not for my outside run. If your run is that big--i think that would work better than anything rigid.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Yeah, it's cheaper than hardware cloth...the field fence, I found at Home Depot for $125.00 for 330' of it. It's only 4' tall, though...it does come in 5' tall and I think 6' but it's more spendy...

 

[chickensista]

There is also bird netting, stuff that ppl pu over their ponds to keep cranes out.

miss_thenorth, this is similar to what I had up. The snow sticks to it and pulls it down.

equibling, thank you for the info. I'm going to look into the field fence. Sounds like a good option.

Terry​