Woven Top Netting Used In Zoo Displays

Top Netting at Birmingham Zoo - attached to 12.5 gauge woven 2"x4"mesh fence

 

You have a collection of valuable birds you want to contain within a certain area. You want the birds to be safe from predatory birds from above. You want to cover a large area. You want a high ceiling or open roof. Installation needs to be as easy, as safe and as fast as possible. The material you use must be soft and flexible enough so that the birds will not hurt themselves when they come in contact with the netting while they are in flight.

What can satisfy all these requirements?

Flight Pen Top Netting

Used by zoos, commercial game bird farms, animal rehabilitation and backyard hobbyists. The multiple strands of woven black polypropylene provide protection for your birds. Experience the benefits:

• Rolls are light weight and easy to handle
• Support structure can be less robust, less expensive
• Large size rolls make it easier to cover large areas
• No need to make a patchwork of smaller rolls
• Flexibility makes Top Net softer - less chance of injuring you and your birds
• Available in a wide variety of roll sizes, weight and mesh sizes
• UV resistant for long life
• Top Net will not rust
• Mesh is resistant to mildew and rot

Do you have any birds that need safety and protection?

  

    

Controlling The Voracious Kangaroo Rat Using Hardware Cloth

 

The Problem

Kangaroo rats are a small rodent with a big appetite for seeds and vegetation and can destroy a garden of any style. They are nocturnal and raid gardens and hoard foods during the night. Traditional apron fences and chicken wire are ineffective at keeping them out because the rat can squeeze thru a small opening.

Before we consider how to stop them, let's take a moment to learn a little more about this interesting creature. It inhabits primarily the Southwestern U.S. and gets its name from its long hind legs and the way it sits on them and hops (up to six feet, in a single bound!). But that's where the similarity ends. The exceptional characteristic that they possess is the ability to survive in the desert. They have an amazing kidney function that allows them to survive for long periods without water. They have large, expandable cheeks that they pack with food and then bring it back to a storage location for later consumption when there is none available. This is how they can devastate a garden so quickly because they don't take time to eat, they grab as much as they can and then come back for more. They like seeds the most, so they do the most damage during planting season. They dig up seeds and clip off sprouts at their base.

The Solution

So, if traditional fencing does not work, what will? Hardware cloth is a light weight galvanized mesh; it is available with ¼" square openings, too small for even the kangaroo rat to squeeze thru. Since the rats can burrow, below ground protection is also required.

The perimeter of the garden should be enclosed with the hardware cloth. It should extend at least 30" above grade and 12" below. Additionally, at the bottom, the material should be bent out forming a 6", 90° "L" similar to apron fence. Therefore a small trench of 7-8" wide x 12" deep should be dug around the garden, the L shaped hardware cloth is dropped in and backfilled. The portion extending above ground should be secured to posts. However, if there is an existing fence there is no reason to remove it, simply attach the hardware cloth to it.

This should prevent the kangaroo rat from squeezing thru or burrowing under into your garden. This method is both humane and effective and works best for smaller home gardens. Larger fields may require a different solution. 

23 gauge, 4 x 4 (1/4") Hardware Cloth, 48" x 100' Roll SKU# HC448

23 gauge, 4 x 4 (1/4") Hardware Cloth, 48" x 50' Roll SKU# HC4548

Acknowledgments

Dept of Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences, New Mexico State Univ.

Wrap Your Pallets Of Stones With Wire Mesh For Safety

 

No more rolling stones!

Carting rocks around from one place to another can be risky business. And yet you need to get them from the source to the dealer and ultimately to the job site.

You pile them on a pallet, but how do you keep them from rolling around? How do you make sure they don't roll off the truck and smash onto a passing vehicle? How do you safely restrain them?

 

Hold your rocks with wire mesh.

Have peace of mind as you roll along. Be free from worry, knowing that your stones are securely wrapped in wire mesh. They will reach their destination without incident.

 

What wire meshes can you use to wrap stone pallets?

• Woven wire mesh - 20 gauge, 18 gauge, 16 gauge, 12-1/2 gauge
• 1", 1-1/2", 2" hexagonal mesh
• 2"x2", 2"x4" "square" mesh
• galvanized before, galvanized after and vinyl coated finish
• Welded wire mesh - 16 gauge, 14 gauge, 12-1/2 gauge, 11 gauge, 10-1/2 gauge
• mesh sizes: 1/2"x1/2", 1/2"x1", 1/2"x2", 1/2"x3", 1"x1"
• mesh sizes: 1"x2", 1-1/2"x1-1/2", 2"x2", 3"x2", 1-1/2"x4", 2"x4"
• galvanized before, galvanized after and vinyl coated finish
  

 

Woven Wire Fence & Mesh Used By Zoos

There are many different styles of woven wire fence that can be successfully used in zoo displays. These wire fencing products can also be put to use around the home, farm and public areas such as parks and recreational areas. Think of these fences when you have any situation where animals need to be contained or excluded.

 

Double Wattled Cassowary & 2"x4" woven wire mesh - Birmingham Zoo

 

12.5 gauge 2"x4" mesh

Woven 2"x4" mesh is made with heavier 10 gauge selvage wires running along the top and bottom edge of the fence. This gives the fencing greater strength. Strong 12.5 gauge wire makes up the balance. A third piece of 12.5 gauge wire forms a smooth stiff knot around the horizontal and one piece vertical wires securely holding them together. Knotted construction gives the fence some flexibility making it easier to install over uneven ground. Woven 2"x4" mesh is available in three different finishes: Class 1 galvanized, Class 3 galvanized and Class 3 black. It can be used effectively with very large birds, other animals such as dogs, horses and zebras and any other animal that requires a strong fence.

 

Woven 2"x2" wire mesh fence on sides of display - Franklin Park Zoo

 

16 gauge, 2"x2" mesh

Made with the same knotted construction as the 2"x4' fencing, this lighter weight woven wire fence is made using 14 gauge wires on top and bottom and 16 gauge wires for the filler. As with its heavier brother, the fencing has inherent flexibility. 2"x2" mesh can be used with birds and other small animals - situations where a lighter fence will be effective.

 

 

Woven Deer and wildlife fence - Franklin Park Zoo

 

Deer and wildlife fence

Woven from 12.5 gauge high tensile wire, this strong heavily galvanized fencing can be used with many different kinds of animals. All feature spacing between horizontal wires that graduate from small at the bottom to large at the top. Heights range from 4' through 10'. Horizontal and vertical wires are held together with fixed knot construction. Deer and wildlife fencing is available with  a Class 3 galvanized finish. Some heights have a Class 3 black finish. The strength and height make this an ideal fence to use with a wide range of animals.

 

Deer fence gateway - Birmingham Zoo

 

Do you have any unusual animals that you want to keep in - or out?

How To Build A Barbed Wire Fence Gate - Video

Watch this video from the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service and learn how to build a fence gate using barbed wire.

 

Poultry Netting Made From Extruded Poltyethylene

Cintoflex, a Tenax fencing product, was designed as a replacement for and alternative to galvanized hexagonal chicken wire netting. Made from high density polyethylene, Cintoflex can withstand environmental stresses such as UV rays and extremes of temperature. These black polyethylene poultry net meshes are produced by a patented stretching and extruding process. The netting is manufactured as a continuous net, possessing strength associated with wire netting. Cintoflex is non-toxic. It is unaffected by contaminates such as acids generated on a poultry farm.

Versatile Cintoflex plastic net has several advantages:

• light weight
• flexible
  
• completely recyclable
  
• easy to handle
• easy to install
• will not rot, rust or corrode
• no rough edges to injure you or your animals
  
• easy to store - requires less space
  
• available in four different mesh sizes
• 48" to 15' x 330' rolls
• black color blends with the background becoming virtually invisible
  
• multiple overlaps are eliminated in installations where height is required
• ideal for a wide variety of applications:
• perimeter protection
  
• bird exclusion
• deer control
• protection of trees. shrubs and berries
• aviaries
• litter and debris control
• pond protection

The uses for Cintoflex are limitless. In certain applications Cintoflex can be used as a replacement for hex netting chicken wire fencing. The larger meshes can be used to protect your property from deer damage.

What uses can you think of for these polyethylene meshes?