Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Yolky]

e (for on the end of the please lol)

 

 

I have got my eglu on order and I am wondering if I should just bung a roll of 25m netting onto the order now (saves extra postage costs if I find this something that I would need)

 

I do have quite a large garden but I don't really want the chickens free ranging in all of it (am a little worried about my children skidding in poo, it seems that if there is something that they shouldn't stand in then they always do). Is it worth the sixty odd pounds?

[beach chick]

I got it last year when I realised I didnt want an extension to the run.

the original plan was they would stay inside it... but after a morning where I returned a different bird every 30 mins I gave up and let them free range!

 

I found it easy to put up and move around as necessary, it looks good, mine went into storage last June and I got it out yesterday to contain the latest arrivals - stored well, no damage, etc etc.

personally, I'd recommend it, but if you REALLY want to keep them in I think most people would probably say you might need a permanent covered run.

[Tiggy]

my netting seems fine, I know others have had problems with it breaking, my girls do occassionally fly over it. it has saved the rest of my garden from chiken gaardening antics & has kept them out of the bushes where the fox took the first lot of hens I had

[Olly]

Yes, it's worth it - it seems a lot, I know, but other people on here have researched alternatives and generally they say that the Omlet stuff is good value for money. It is not predator-proof, and they can sometimes squeeze under it or fly over it, but generally it works well to protect your borders or keep the hens in an area you want them in.

 

I cut mine into three bits, as I found the whole length was too difficult to manage on my own. Once you've got the poles at the intervals you want, it's quite easy to move. And I recommend tent-pegs, or the Omlet pegs of course, to pin down any loose bits and stop your chooks from limbo-ing underneath.

[Egluntyne]

I get on well with it.

 

It is robust.....it survived a strimming last week.

 

The hens do occasionally flap over it if the find a launch pad.

[superjules]

I love mine, but I'm not brave enought to cut it, as Olly has!

 

It's easy to move around so you can rotate the areas of grass you want your hens to range on, just make sure you roll it up nicely as it's a pain once it gets tangled up.

[lisa33]

I borrowed Superjules netting once and found it really easy to use.

[Mutrix Farmers]

highly recommend it, have not experienced any problems with it and it is incredibly easy to move.

[..lay a little egg for me]

I've got very similar stuff which I have electrified. None of my girls (quickly looks around for some wood to touch) have ever attempted to escape from it. We have 50m of netting for 4 birds and that seems, so far, to be more than enough space for them. I'm sure 25 m would give a good area for 2 or 3 birds. If you have trouble keeping them in or want to let them free-range while you are out, I would highly recommend elecrifying the netting as it is (supposedly) the only really effective fox deterrent (crosses fingers while touching aforesaid wooden item)!

[WitchHazel]

I would recommend getting the netting at the same time.

 

We bought 25m, which I cut into two pieces (8m and 25m) to section of different areas.

 

Actually, I then bought another 25m roll, I cut off 3x1.5m to make convenient "gates" where I'm using more than one length of nettting, and now I can make up any shape/size of run area for the Girls, all over the garden.

 

I find it so much easier to manage the poo when they're confined to one part of the garden or other.

 

I've found it really hard wearing so far, despite the best efforts of the chooks and the cats.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Guest

[alison]

I've ordered it to come with my cube next month. As I childmind and I don't want the mindies to be 'skidding in poo' as you say. I will use it to make an enclosure round the garden boundary as whilst we have nice thick, high hedges, there are weak spots and i know that the chooks will find them! My neighbour is scared of chickens, says she will continue to feed the cats, but not the chickens!

 

Alison

[Yolky]

This is helpful. I have a 5 foot lap fence around the garden, is that high enough to stop a chicken escape (with no launch pad?) I was thinking that I could use the top corners of the garden. Using the back and side fence and then making a square with the omlet netting. I could then alternate the sides of the garden so each side gets some 'recovery time'. It wouldn't matter too much about occasional escapees as I am home to watch it would be just to stop them having free range of the whole garden.

[WitchHazel]

This is helpful. I have a 5 foot lap fence around the garden, is that high enough to stop a chicken escape (with no launch pad?)

 

Depends on the chicken, as some breeds are more capable of "flight" than others.

 

I would say if you clip one wing then you're probably OK.

[psapie]

The netting is certainly very hard wearing. The extra posts are an essential item.

 

We found the netting to be too low - they could get over it without too much trouble if they felt so inclined. I also found the posts to be not sturdy enough.

 

it is certainly good as a temporary measure that provides easy flexibility. Personally, I feel that it should be a foot higher and maybe the posts a little more sturdy. I have seen good alternatives in B&Q etc - albeit without the possibility of electrification.

 

 

Dave

[Phosphorus]

I bought mine with the Cube. We have a permanent walk in run. We started off letting the chickens out into some of the garden enclosed in the netting - that was great, they occasionally managed to get underneath - one was always escaping underneath - probably our fault for not putting the netting close enough to the ground.

 

We now let them free range the whole garden when we are out so it is surrounding my herb patch. It does the job beautifully. I wish I had bought two Definately worth it and looks good too.

[chickenanne]

I bought a big roll of green plasticized netting and metal poles from B&Q, the netting just clips onto the poles so no nails etc , and easy to move around. I can't remember the cost, but the netting is about 5' maybe a few inches more.

If you aren't sure if you'll ever use it or not, why not check out the B&Q web-site (or homebase or whatever), and if it's not much different to the Omlet stuff you could always wait and see if you needed it, and if you did but the delivery was extortionate then you could order it then.

[Omletina Kyckling]

I love mine. I've actually used it as permanent netting so the girls have their own corner of garden. I managed to pull it taut and used some bamboo canes and bits of wood to strengthen it where needed so it's very sturdy. It's great because it's dark green, you actually look through it when you look down the garden so it's not an eyesore....

[HENthusiastic]

I got a length of netting from a garden center and a bundle of bamboo canes. Used a staple gun to attach and hey presto. All for under £15. I've no doubt its not as hardwearing or sturdy as the omlet stuff, but it does the job for me.

[Gamebird]

I've bought similar netting to Omlets (they didn't have any in stock at the time I wanted to buy some).

 

I do have mine electrified and the girls have as yet not bothered to fly over it. They learn quite quickly not to go near it. They free range for most of the day, in safety from foxes, and the rest of the garden is chicken feet free.

 

I have seen foxes near their enclosure but I am guessing they have been stung already and are keeping their distance.

 

I have 50m for 6 chickens.

[Milly]

I have the Omlet netting - it is quite competitively priced given that it comes with extra poles (which I definitely needed). I would have liked it to be just a bit higher - one of our hens jumps over from time to time, even though her wing is clipped.

 

We have electrified it so we can leave the hens out all day while we are at work. Touch wood, we haven't had any problems so far (since last July).

 

Milly

[Hen Watch]

I would recomend it.

 

Take a look at this post on similar subject.

http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=423338&highlight=#423338

 

My lot free ranged my whole garden and I liked it that way, but my hubbie got more and more frustrated when they ate his veg/seedlings no matter how well protected they were, they got them.

 

So I bought 25m Omlet netting. Found price same as other places online (the only cheaper stuff I found was bright orange with less poles).

 

Tent pegs and the odd stake every so often are useful. Here's mine - The wooden fence is at the back and to the right side, the omlet netting is left and front. I think it's quite u"Ooops, word censored!"trusive.

 

 

I cut my netting. So I have a gap and I prop a bit of expanding trellis in front as a gate (with a garden chair to stop it blowing over),

 

[Jules.]

I really like the netting, it's strong & sturdy & withstands footballs being booted at it

I only needed 10m of it, so I bought the whole roll as Omlet only sell it in 25m or 50m, & I sold what was not needed on ebay, & ended up getting my money back on the bit I didn't need.

As I look down the garden the netting is hardly noticable.

 

 

Edited to show recently taken photo!