Hardware cloth or netting at top of the wooden fence to deter predators?

[Amethyst288]

Has anyone put up 1/4 inch hardware cloth or netting at the top of a wood fence to deter predators?
For hardware cloth, I'm thinking of say, 3 inches above the top and stapled to the fence.
For the netting, what type have you used that worked?
A hen was attacked (she's ok thankfully), and whatever attacked it obviously got over our wooden fence when our dog chased it away.
Thanks

 

[SmiYa0126]

Has anyone put up 1/4 inch hardware cloth at the top of a wood fence to deter predators?
I'm thinking of say, 3 inches above the top and stapled to the fence.
A hen was attacked (she's ok thankfully), and whatever attacked it obviously got over our wooden fence when our dog chased it away.
Thanks

Do you know what it was? Fox? Cat?

 

[Tonyroo]

Use 1/2" wire cloth 5 to 6" height and section the length based on how long your fence is.

Before attaching the wire cloth strip, partially cut into the strip so each section can be slightly bent one way and the other section bent opposite. So it should look like a Y shape on the fence looking at it along the fence line. It makes it hard for animals to get a sure footing on the fence.

 

[Shadrach]

Good suggestion from Tonyroo above.
How tall is the existing fence?
Fox jump height is about six foot so a finished height of eight feet is enough.
If say your fence is six foot high I would extend it by another foot vertically with wooden, or metal extension posts. At the top of the extensions fit pieces one foot long at a 45 degree angle pointing outwards from the hostile side of the fence.
Hardware cloth is a bit to stiff for this method. What works well is half inch hole sized chicken wire.
Cut lengths from the roll to fill in the new vertical section. How you fix this to the existing fence depends on the fence. This needs to be securely fixed at the bottom but not pulled tight along it's length. Same at the top where you fix to the new vertical posts. When you push in the middle between posts the wire should give and feel unstable.
Cut another section of chicken wire (I'm going to assume it's three feet wide) and fix it to the top of the angled posts but let it droop between the posts.
The idea is the instability of the upper section disuades jumpers and climbers.

 

[Amethyst288]

Do you know what it was? Fox? Cat?

It happened in the day so I'm guessing a cat. I saw a new cat in our yard a few times before. But I have also seen a fox at night outside the property.

 

[Amethyst288]

Good suggestion from Tonyroo above.
How tall is the existing fence?
Fox jump height is about six foot so a finished height of eight feet is enough.
If say your fence is six foot high I would extend it by another foot vertically with wooden, or metal extension posts. At the top of the extensions fit pieces one foot long at a 45 degree angle pointing outwards from the hostile side of the fence.
Hardware cloth is a bit to stiff for this method. What works well is half inch hole sized chicken wire.
Cut lengths from the roll to fill in the new vertical section. How you fix this to the existing fence depends on the fence. This needs to be securely fixed at the bottom but not pulled tight along it's length. Same at the top where you fix to the new vertical posts. When you push in the middle between posts the wire should give and feel unstable.
Cut another section of chicken wire (I'm going to assume it's three feet wide) and fix it to the top of the angled posts but let it droop between the posts.
The idea is the instability of the upper section disuades jumpers and climbers.

Thank you so much for your helpful suggestions. The wood fence is nearly 6 feet up along the side of our home. Then we added an 8 foot wood fence to it for about 100 feet. The rest of the yard is a welded wire fence.

Use 1/2" wire cloth 5 to 6" height and section the length based on how long your fence is.

Before attaching the wire cloth strip, partially cut into the strip so each section can be slightly bent one way and the other section bent opposite. So it should look like a Y shape on the fence looking at it along the fence line. It makes it hard for animals to get a sure footing on the fence.

Thank you for your quick reply. This is so helpful!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Great suggestions from Shadrach and Tonyroo, cats can climb so well! But the bend at the top would be a deterrence.