Chicken wire vs hardware cloth? Which should I get?

[Sarah B.]

I live in Iceland and am making my chicken coop. I've got three chicks that will need a coop in about four weeks. Now I'm wondering, should I get chicken wire or hardware cloth? Now I know most of you will say hardware cloth because it's more predator proof but think about this ;

There are no badgers, foxes (in a thirty-mile range anyway), coyotes, racoons, dogs (that can get into my garden), weasels, skunks, opossums, snakes, hawks, owls, bears, wolves or bobcats in Iceland.

The biggest (and only) threat comes from cats and little kids. So think on that before you answer.

 

[Isaac 0]

I would still go with Hardware cloth.You never know when the stray predator is going to come by.

May i ask how you know there is no predator near you in a thirty mile range?

 

[lilmillefleur]

I think it would still be safe to do hardware cloth.
Better safe than sorry!

 

[Sarah B.]

I would still go with Hardware cloth.You never know when the stray predator is going to come by.

May i ask how you know there is no predator near you in a thirty mile range?

The only predator on Iceland is the fox and I live in the biggest city in Iceland and the foxes here are scared to death of humans and would never ever come into a city or even get close to the city. They live in the most remote places, and my garden has a two meter fence. The only way through it, is climbing it.

The only animals on the list that exist in Iceland are the fox and the dog.

 

[Storybook Farm]

We use poultry netting for everything and have not lost birds to fox or dogs or raccoons where they have gotten in via tearing the netting. (We have lost them to fox or raccoons when we for some reason didn't close the door to the coop until well after dark.)

'Coons can reach through poultry netting and throttle birds, though. But you don't have them, so that's not for you, so much as others reading this.

 

[jennyf]

If your kids are small, and they're like mine, you also might think about them leaning on the chicken wire, pushing on it, poking sticks through it, stuffing treats through it (and thus pushing it in), etc. Even my hardware cloth is starting to sag/bow in places--chicken wire would be terribly bent out of shape if I'd used it.

 

[Dmontgomery]

Unless it is absolutely too expensive, use the hardware cloth. Dogs can push their way through chicken wire pretty easily. What if a dog somehow got in to the yard through an open gate or something? HC would at least slow it down a little.
It's also actually easier to work with, in my opinion.

 

[B Redhawk]

Wire mesh is actually easier to put up correctly, "chicken wire" has to be stretched into shape as you are installing it and even when tight in all directions it is flimsy. I have always wondered which predator animal it was designed to keep out since it doesn't keep any of them out.

I find you thoughts on foxes interesting, since keeping them out of a city would mean the city is in full swing 24 hours a day with no breaks ever, and even then the wild critters find a way to get to the easy food found in cities. Los Angeles, New York, and all other major has a great many predator animals and this is in the heart of the 8 million plus city, they can be observed at night (and this is in high activity areas) if you watch the shadows. They have fox, coyote, and other animals that make their rounds undetected. Chickens will draw them towards them. Dogs can walk through "chicken wire" like it wasn't even there if they get into hunt mode.

 

[Folly's place]

Hardware cloth is best, well secured. I also have 2"x4" woven wire over the lower 4' of my run on top of the hardware cloth. One or two big dogs can be pretty determined, and one bad event is one too many! Mary

 

[apryl29]

I'm in Ohio and I use chicken wire, but I put a 4x4 along the bottom edge of the wire , stapled to the underside so it can't be pulled up, with chicken wire over the top. Pull ties to hold it all together. Then I expanded a section in the back and I used old wooden snow fencing lined with chicken wire, covered with garden netting. Only had it up since May, but nothings gotten in or out. My only concern is the garden netting on top of the back area, but so far so good.