Peacocks: Post 8 - Netted poly-tunnel
Making an outdoor run. With the month-old new chicks installed in the aviary I was keen to get to work on a proper external run for them before they got too big.
Inspiration.
I basically copied the idea that I saw down at Alex Birds in Kilkeel. Here's a video showing a type of bird I've never seen before in an enclosure formed from a poly-tunnel frame with netting instead of plastic.
My version.
In order to maximise the space available I actually purchased to poly-tunnels and connected them in series with a slight kink required for them to negotiate an existing decorative tree.
I decided to spray paint the frames a dark green in order that they wouldn't be as visually intrusive as when they were bright galvanised steel.
The most time-consuming part of the process was sewing the nylon netting to the frame at the near and far ends and along the base.
The poly-tunnel netting is also stitched to the main wooden aviary mesh so that together they form a continuous netted enclosure with no breaks.
A small trap-door in the wooden aviary provides a portal to and from the netted run. This allows the birds to come and go at will between the two.
Greening it up.
To make the enclosure more interesting for the birds I purchased some shrubs that are in leaf all-year around, are non-toxic, and don't grow to big.
The other intention was that as these shrubs grow, that they provide some privacy and also help to soften the hard border of the poly-tunnel and the rest of the garden.
Comments