In 2010 Bishop Burton College, one of the country’s finest land-based colleges, constructed a mixed-bird aviary to house a variety of small birds including canaries, Java sparrows and diamond doves. The original construction of their aviary was timber and black netting.
In the winter of 2012, predators chewed holes in the aviary netting and killed a large proportion of the birds. After such an upsetting loss the College was determined to improve the safety and security of its bird collection and turned to KnitMesh Technologies for help. “I had used it [KnitMesh knitted wire mesh] previously in different zoological collections,” stated Clare Reed, the Animal Curator and Unit Manager at Bishop Burton College, “and it is thought to be almost indestructible.”
Having had previous experience in providing materials for large aviaries, including the 23,000m2 Birds of Eden sanctuary in South Africa, KnitMesh were able to offer a selection of product solutions to the college. Mesh rolls made of 0.5mm wire diameter 304 stainless steel, 25-30m in length and 2m wide were knitted and delivered to the College for installation.
“Since replacing the netting the appearance of the aviary is much improved as it is much brighter,” continued Clare Reed, “and we have had no issues with predators”.
KnitMesh animal and bird enclosure mesh has a wide range of features and benefits which make it more secure than plastic mesh, more aesthetically pleasing than chicken wire, and significantly lighter (>80%) than weld-mesh products. By tailoring the mesh wire diameter, roll widths and surface finish, KnitMesh can provide a mesh to meet the needs of almost any aviary.
About Bishop Burton College
As one of the country’s finest land-based colleges Bishop Burton has a national reputation for quality and is the only College in the UK to hold Centre of Vocational Excellence status in both Agriculture and Equine.
The College offers a wide range of land-based and non-land-based courses for those looking for Further or Higher Education and many courses offer clear progression routes from Entry Level through to Honours Degrees and beyond.
The College also offers a wide range of apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities for those who would prefer to earn while they learn. Many of our apprentices attend college on a day or block-release basis.
The main campus in Bishop Burton village is home to a 360 hectare mixed farm which includes a Freedom Food assured, high-welfare pig unit, and brand-new dairy parlour, beef unit and sheep facilities.
The College has recently invested £40million in an ambitious campus redevelopment scheme, which includes a new state of the art Learning Resource Centre, Sport & Fitness complex and Bishop Burton Equine Arena.
For more information regarding Bishop Burton College please visit the Bishop Burton College website.
Or contact:
Karen Shead – Director of Marketing
Bishop Burton College
Tel: +44 1964 553074