Solitary chicken - need advice

[Guest]

Can someone please tell me what is the netting I keep reading about It always has good reviews

ta indie

[Olly]

It's this - available from the Omlet shop.

 

Not cheap, but it is very useful for creating a free-range area for chickens, to keep them off your tender plants or veg patch, to block holes in the garden boundaries etc. I cut mine into three separate pieces as it was too big for me to handle on my own, and at the moment one piece is closing off the veg patch, and another is used to try and keep the girls in one half of the garden (to encourage them to weed the borders!).

 

I've just noticed they are now selling extra poles, which would be useful. Do bear in mind that this isn't fox-proof, and chickens can sometimes fly over it/squeeze under it - it's really for use with supervision, in my view. Well worth the money though!

[Guest]

Thanks oh i have seen this kind of thing before...that is pricey though......

 

am interested in those pegs on the attachement are they metal based do u know pls. Also how long? it doesnt say...?

 

Can the netting be electrified at all it doesnt say?

 

cheers indie

[Redwing]

I think the pegs are tough plastic

 

The netting can be electrified yes

 

The Omlet netting is very good, occassionally it shows up in the for sale section of the forum

[..lay a little egg for me]

Do bear in mind that this isn't fox-proof, and chickens can sometimes fly over it/squeeze under it - it's really for use with supervision, in my view. Well worth the money though!

 

It is fox- and chicken-proof if you electrify it though...just thought I'd mention that.

[TAJ]

They are cheaper than other suppliers of similar stuff and it comes with more poles than normal - plus the shop now has 5 extra poles for only £14.

 

Tracy

[chicklit]

After nearly 18 months of chickens wrecking our garden we have decided to reclaim a part of it for ourselves. So after researching the best way of fencing off part of the garden for the chooks, I finally gave in and ordered the Omlet netting (reluctantly, because I thought it was expensive but I could not find a cheaper suitable alternative).

 

Well today the netting has been erected and the chooks now have a lovely fenced off playground surrounding their eglu. They have grass and an area where they can dust bathe and kick the stones around. After seeming a little bit peeved at first that they could not follow me around as they did before, they settled down and did all the chickeny things in their own area and seemed really happy.

 

I am really pleased with the fencing. It was very easy to erect and the extra poles were useful to get it nice and taut. I have used tent pegs to peg the bottom down and it seems really secure. Can't think why I waited so long now I have seen how well it blends in with the landscape.

 

Today my husband has been preparing a vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden and I have plans for lots of lovely flowers again at the top. I feel that the garden is ours again after an invasion by the wreckers (wouldn't be without them though}.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's good to hear . I have 4 metres of Omlet netting (care of the Omleteer swopshop!) and plan to buy 5 poles from the Omlet shop - I can't wait till my run arrives and I can make them a little freerange area away from my new lawn .

[Avalon Fantasy]

I have the netting and its brilliant, its lightweight for one thing, which means when I move the eglu around the garden I can gather one half up, lay it down then circumnavigate myself as it were with the other half then bring the first lot back ..sounds odd even as I read this, but what happens is I can move the whole thing up and down the length or breadth of the garden by myself.

 

It then gives the grass a good chance to come back and for anything deposited there to filter on down.. I have to say..I`ve begun to notice that the grass growing back is looking greener..

Although the snow we had didnt help..RHE.

 

Any huge holes I just sprinkle some soil in mixed with grass and you wouldnt know after a few days.

[Willow]

Some of my chickens have always been able to get under the netting unless I peg it down so much it's impossible to remove. Then they seem to get over it

 

I don't think it was worth getting.

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice re netting ..i think to b doubly sure electrification seems a good idea too works for the horses

thanks will consider it once I have built my super fab run

indie

[Hen Watch]

I have been very pleased with my Omlet netting. It comes with more poles than you get with other online companies (and I have used every pole so def needed) plus it's green and blends in with the garden unlike some other orange ones on the market.

 

I've not electrified mine, but I know that you can if you need to.

 

A good buy IMO.

[Ygerna]

I bought mine second hand from the for sale section on here. I currently have it keeping a section of garden, that got really worn and muddy from the CHILDREN, safe from further harm. It is working a treat. When I re-seed, it will do a great job I think. It is an expensive item but, cheaper than a walk in run and more flexible in use.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I set up some Omlet netting this afternoon and for a while it worked brilliantly . The girls looked very happy in their new free-range section.

 

Then I watched as all three girls squeezed (fairly easily) through one of the holes at the bottom .

 

Surely that shouldn't happen . Anyone else chickens manage to do that? Are my girls just very skinny .

 

What can I do to stop it ? I was so happy to have a little area fenced off for them to keep them off my new lawn .

[Avalon Fantasy]

It shouldnt happen but you know there are some wiley chickens out there...

I tend to put the poles in at a slight angle and ensure the net between both poles is very taught, make sure the poles are firm enough into the earth...

Then I also add the pegs (those red screw in ones that omlet sell.. or if like me you end up loosing them I find those bent mental tent pegs brilliant..)

Not expensive too.. I tend to puch those in at intervals between the poles on the net catch the hook which faces outwards and step on it till its in the ground...

nothing gets out then!

Best of luck!!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks Avalon . If I make the netting taut though, doesn't that make the larger holes at the bottom even easier to get through .

 

I wondered if I moved the black clips on the bottom of the poles up one hole on the netting (so the section with the largest holes would basically rest on the ground) that might foil them? It would make the height a bit lower, though .

[Redwing]

ANH the holes at the bottom should be smaller - are you sure its not upside down?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Aha! That would explain it . I thought the black edging went at the top .

 

Hurray, thanks Redwing . I just love the netting, the girls looked so happy even though it's a tiny area so far .

 

In fact, here they are .

 

[Redwing]

I love the sacrificial daffodils!

 

Looks like they are having a good time in their more contained roaming area!

[Falkor]

I was wondering how a chook would get through the holes at the bottom but having it upside down made that make sense

 

Chooks look very happy. Mine haven`t gone for my daffs......yet.

[..lay a little egg for me]

Aha! That would explain it . I thought the black edging went at the top .

 

BTW The black strand is not electrified so if you do decide to electrify the fence it means the fence does not short out on the grass.

[Avalon Fantasy]

LOL..hey brilliant picture of the captured and enslaved daffodils..those chicks will bend them to their will soon enough..

In fact mine dont find the daffs worth the effort, but then I may be typing too soon..who knows..

I also hadnt considered the netting as an upside down thing..oops..

Mind you the others worked it out so well done you and happy grazing and moving around..

You know I`m going to net up a portion of the box partair every other day so that they girls and chikky can dig for me..

Hope this doesnt come up as chicken slavery? eek..L

[Ain't Nobody Here]

BTW The black strand is not electrified so if you do decide to electrify the fence it means the fence does not short out on the grass.

 

Just as well you're all here to keep me right . Hadn't even considered that . Having it upsidedown meant it was really difficult to get the black strand into the groove at the top of the pole but I never worked out why .

 

It's all been turned right way up and is working perfectly . (Until they learn how to jump on the compost bin .)

[Blackrocksrock]

Mine just fly out at will if I shut them in!! - I dont want to clip their wings in case of Mr Fox and they could fly up to my trees!!

[Avalon Fantasy]

No I dont like clipping their wings either.. doesnt look chic enough in my book..and I like a dead fashionable chicken myself..L

Mine are very naughty when the mood takes them, they hop up on to the run and take a leap and flap and sail over..and then get harrassed because they cant get back in..so see us and coming running, even chikky does (unbelievable) almost crying in relief to be put back in!

I have to say when there is no one here, which is exceedingly rare, I then put them in their porch as it were so theres no getting out for them or getting in for anyone else.