Advice please...mesh

[Sighthound]

My chamber is 12x10ft.
How much of the roof should I mesh?
I was thinking 7ft solid and 5ft mesh.

[Rob Redtail]

Half and half

[IAmTheWeasel]

If the bird is free lofted, I would use bars for the roof so that the bird does not get caught in the mesh. I have seen it happen before.

[Sighthound]

Scary, how did they get caught up?
I will be using 2x2inch twiweld.

[IAmTheWeasel]

Well, mesh over here usually means tight weave of metal or cloth material like shade cloth for example. It's a big no-no over here along with anything with horizontal bars as the bird can thrash it's feathers badly against it. We went so far as to have it put into the regulations that windows must have only vertical bars spaced less than the width of the birds head in all openings in a free lofting mews. Teathering mews can use anything as long as it provides shelter from the elements and predators.
The bird that got hung up did so by getting it's talons caught in the material.

[Varmint]

seen that happen over here to Weasel, but usually weld mesh doesnt cause such prob's on the roof, in fact the only prob i ever had was in a really big chamber where the bird could build up enough speed to swing up into the roof mesh, but that was a falcon and that prob was solved.

I'd go with your original plan Sighthound, cause we do live in Scotland after all?

[Sean]

so does it matter what mesh you use on the roof, i was given 3 rolls of chicken wire for free the other day and was just wondering if they had any use, ill be making a safety door out it at least

[Hawkmaster]

Rather use bars or at worse get Heras fencing. it is 1 3/4 inch by 10 inches.

[Goldie]

so does it matter what mesh you use on the roof, i was given 3 rolls of chicken wire for free the other day and was just wondering if they had any use, ill be making a safety door out it at least

Sean, chicken wire is a no no. slices through toes feathers and cere's.
weld mesh is what you need about 1/8" thick or as previously stated, bars. Don't even use chicken wire for your safety door as the whole purpose ot the door is in case the bird escapes by you and that being the case it going to do damage to its self in it's bid to escape

[Woody1966]

you could always use it as a rodent barrier if you haven't built on concrete or slabs, stop the little ******s tunnelling their way in......

[Goldie]

or you could use it for chickens :lol:

[Hawker29]

on our aviary we have the roof one quarter meshed with a perch underneath so the birds can sit in the sun/rain if they want to, they enjoy this although we have had a couple of occasions were my Harris has actually snatched birds through the mesh that were dumb enough to perch on it :lol:

[The New Kid]

I've seen chicken wire, but with rubber over the top of it, so you can't cut yourself on it - like round the actual wires. Would this be a good idea? =o)

[Bird_Dog]

I must be weird because I use both wire and bars. Wire keeps the unwanted things out and the bars keep the bird from injuring itself or damaging its feathers. :D

-- BIRD_DOG