Watching a hawk at the county fair made me rethink my coop's open run

I was at the Greene County Fair last fall, just looking at the prize birds, when I saw a red-tailed hawk land on a fence post near some pens. It didn't try anything, but it just sat there, staring. It hit me that my own run was just wire on top, and a hawk could easily sit and stress my girls all day. I went home and spent about $50 on plastic bird netting to drape over the whole thing. Has anyone else added a roof or cover to stop birds of prey from perching and watching?

2 comments

2 Comments

craig.reese3d ago

Good move with the netting. I used a similar setup with some old fishing net for a few years. The real trick is making sure it's pulled tight, otherwise a heavy rain will make it sag and collect water. I eventually switched to building a simple frame with PVC pipes and hardware cloth for a more permanent roof. It cost more upfront but the peace of mind was worth it.

the_kelly2d ago

Yeah @craig.reese, that PVC frame idea sounds way more solid than my netting setup.