Is avian netting a danger to songbirds, bats, etc.?

[GretchenM]

We have a large yard for our hens, super secure from anything other than arial attacks. Sure enough, we just lost one to a hawk. We're planning to cover the yard a bit at a time with avian netting, but we're also concerned about smaller birds, bats, etc., getting caught in the netting. We'll make it as taught as possible, not hang it loose. Has anyone had this problem with avian netting?

 

[igorsMistress]

Yes, I've had larger birds get stuck in them, and one sparrow. If you use something a little bigger, like chicken wire, you won't have the issue.

 

[Folly's place]

Ask @cmom , who has netting over all her pens, and experience with at least a couple of brands.
Mary

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

I’ve never had a problem with it and any song birds that have gotten caught under it find their way out. We have a big issue with dragon flies getting caught under it though.

 

[Kdlevesque]

I have no issues with it but we got the bigger 2 inch size holes. It keeps my birds in and everything else out. We have a 4 foot fence and one of our little cockerels is an escape artist so we had to have it for him.

 

[cmom]

I have netting over my pens. It is a 2" mesh so birds don't get stuck in it. I had some netting that was crappy and very light weight on parts of the pens where I had run short when I put up the original netting. I have since replaced the crappy netting and an owl who went through the crappy netting three times and killed some birds got caught in it but DH and I managed to get it into a cage and some wildlife people came and got it.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I've had deer netting 3/4 inch mesh over my pens for 14 months.
Never had a bird get caught in it.
I rescued a Dragon fly once where I overlapped the netting.

GC

 

[cmom]

I used to use cable ties but eventually they degrade and break so now I use hog rings.