I'm about ready to start making the foundation of my hawk house. What size hardware cloth or galvanized welded wire should I use? Or is there another recommendation? None of this stuff is inexpensive from what I've seen locally, especially the hardware cloth.
I've read of everything being used from 1/2" hardware cloth to 1"x2" welded wire Assuming that most predators are larger than the hawk the galvanized welded wire doesn't seem to be too unrealistic a choice.
The other question is coverage. I've seen recommendations that 3' wide material be used with 1' on the outside and 2' on the inside. That leaves a big hole in the middle of the mews! Do predators give up digging? I don't think so, at least from what I've seen in the past.
Just what is the best coverage? What about total ground coverage of the inside with the hardware cloth or welded wire fastened to the foundation wood?
I used 1/2 inch. Make an L shape with the cloth. dig down from the edge of your mews 12 inches to 18 inches and then out by about 12 to 18 inches. Put the L Shape in the trench. Back fill . When an animal digs down from the edge of your mews it will hit the bottom of the L shape and give up. Well that's the theory
I used 1/2 inch. Make an L shape with the cloth. dig down from the edge of your mews 12 inches to 18 inches and then out by about 12 to 18 inches. Put the L Shape in the trench. Back fill . When an animal digs down from the edge of your mews it will hit the bottom of the L shape and give up. Well that's the theory
Man, that's a lot of digging for an old buzzard with a bad back Hmmm...gotta do something though. So, I gather that 2' wide hardware cloth should work? I believe that I still have my trenching shovel, so that should make it go a wee bit easier
Thanks,
Cliff.
Cliff. J. “May the best you’ve ever seen, Be the worst you’ll ever see,” From A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay
SKS answered me off-line about the size needed. Anywhere that there may be weasels one should use 1/2" hardware cloth. That's good to know as those wee critters are known to be in this area.
Thanks,
Cliff.
Cliff. J. “May the best you’ve ever seen, Be the worst you’ll ever see,” From A Scots Toast by Allan Ramsay
When it comes to buying hardware cloth, do not be afraid to ask your supplier if he can get lengths and widths other than what he stocks in the store. The lumber yard where I do most of my buying had 24" wide and 36" wide hardware cloth in 10', 25' and 50' rolls. No matter what combination of these that I ordered it would leave me with extra material and expense. When I asked him to check out his supplier he was able to find 48"x10' rolls. 2 of these short rolls fit my needs exactly I'll have no waste, minimal cost, and total floor coverage. I like that
The soil is a black, silty clay with organic material on top that trends to gray the deeper one goes. It moves a lot, depending upon the moisture content. During the drought there were cracks up to 6" wide in non-irrigated land only 40' away. This development was once a rice plantation.
With the 4' wide hardware cloth I can fasten it to the frame base with 2x4s all the way around the inside perimeter so that it forms a predator-proof pan. This saves a lot of digging too - an A+ in my books
I see your logic but.... What i found with the soil where i leave is that the loam mixed in with the pea gravel when i washed it down. ( i put 6 inches of gravel in on top of the soil. Now i am in a position of two years later thinking about digging the floor of my mews out, sifting out all the loam soil from the pea gravel and then adding more pea gravel.
If your soil moves like mine did then your going to have problems in a short while.
Steve, I see where you are coming from. The organic material floated up a wee bit through the gravel every time that it got wet.
I was thinking of putting down a few inches of sand first and then the pea gravel. I don't think that we'll be here 5 years which is why I'm going to so much trouble to make the hawk house easier to take apart and move - using a lot of stainless steel screws.
The only way that I know of to stop the organic sub-strata from migrating upward through the pea gravel is to put down some mulch cloth - the black woven material that lets water through while maintaining a separation of the materials above and below it. You might want to try that. I'm going to use it now that you've brought this to my attention. Thanks
If you live out in a rural area the best place to build an outer mew is in the middle of a large dog pen where there is at least two pit bulls or large dobermans. This process is not cheaper than wire, but it won't rot away as fast as wire without you knowing it. And the up side is, you won't have to worry about animal rights people entering your mew at night, also it will be interesting each morning to see just what is lurking around. ;D