Wire size for chicken run?

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Rindee

Rindee

In the Brooder
12 Years
Oct 25, 2007
17
0
22
I"ve never had chickens before and I'm expecting my chicks to arrive tomorrow! My husband has been building a nice chicken coop for them. We've been shopping for wire for the run and decided we like the welded-wire fencing look better than traditional chicken wire. But it comes in all sorts of sizes...2"x4", 2"x3", 2"x2", 1"x1", etc. We have found that the biger the holes, the less expensive it is.

Any advice on how big you would go? We don't plan on raising our own chicks from eggs, so it will just be adult chickens in there. Do you think 2"x4" would be too big?

Thanks!
 
Quote:
Smaller holes is better. Remember the wire isn't necessarily there to keep the chickens in as much as it is there to keep other critters OUT. I'd go 1"x1"
 
I used 1/2 inch hardware cloth. As Futurechickenman says, you have to keep the critters out. Racoons can reach in and grab a chicken. Better be safe than sorry down the road.
 
You can use the wire with larger holes as long as you line the inside, to about 3-4 ft high, with either chicken wire or the 1" welded wire. The 1" and 1/2" wire gets to be really expensive if you're doing a whole run, and it's nice if you can afford it, but you don't need it going all the way up.
 
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When I break ground on my run, I'll use 1/2" hardware cloth on the "walls" and probably 2x4 or 2x2 welded wire on the top. Not sure yet. I have to scope out how many squirrels and chipmonks are making note of the construction.
 
I have a fine mesh wire on the bottom of my coop, and then 2x4 on the top. (photos here ). So far the only thing that has come inside is a baby opossom...s/he just squeezed right through the 2x4...but didn't harm anything.
 
I'd use the smaller openings on the bottom- otherwise, a raccoon can reach in and grab a chicken (it has happened to a couple of my chickens) and eat whatever part of the chicken that will fit through.
 
We just finished constructing chicken coop with run covered with 2"x3" welded wire. All was safe for three nights, then one meatless carcass appeared. Our conclusion is that coon reached through to chicken while sitting close to edge. Carcass was inside, lots of feathers everywhere. The wire we find locally is the hardware cloth 1/2" square openings and 1"x 2" welded wire. Do we only need to put it around the bottom all the way around or all the way up. Advise appreciated.
 
2x4 on the run. If you ever raise younger chicks, You can always layer the lower Portion with finer mesh. 1/2 on coop.
 
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