Cheap solution for underside of barn overhang (soffit, siding, something else?)

Question

My wife and I bought a house and it has a barn with an overhang by the entry door on the side. The 2x6s (I think that's what they are) are exposed and the birds love it. There is also a little gap at the top where they can actually get into the barn. I need to cover it up to keep the birds out. What's a cheap solution for covering it and giving it a finished look and, most importantly, keeping the darn birds out? Should I use soffit? Or is there something cheaper that will work just as well? I'm less concerned about the look than I am about keeping the birds out. Thanks a lot for any suggestions.

edit

Here are a few pictures. It's about 12x16, I think. I had put up some netting/fencing that I had, but that was a temporary fix to try to keep some birds out. It worked better than nothing, but now I need something that works better and is a little more permanent.

Answer 1

At first I was thinking it was just some exposed rafter ends, but you have an entire roof there! Short of using a netting like you have already done, I cannot think of anything inexpensive that will do the job any better. You have the option of putting some exterior sheathing such as 3/8" exterior glue plywood or maybe some T111 siding panels. They are not really cheap, but would be a permanent solution. Since you have a metal roof and don't want to trap air and moisture in there, plastic sheeting etc would not be a good choice. Seeing it, I would have recommended bird netting, but you already thought of that.

Answer 2

I would use chicken wire for this - just staple it to everything. Little more rigid and very very hard for animals to get through (almost impossible for birds).