Hardware cloth vs chicken wire

[imthedude]

so this "no chicken wire" discussion made me curious. i have some chicken wire scraps that i picked up out of a dumpster not long. i put on some gloves so i wouldn't cut my fingers and tried to pull the wire apart. couldn't even come close to pulling it apart. tried next to the edges, in the middle , etc., and it's pretty stout stuff. if i can't pull it apart, i don't think a raccoon will be able to. as for the staples, verdict's still out.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

And yet, there are plenty of pictures that have been posted on this forum of big holes torn in chicken wire, that predators went through, to kill the owner's chickens. Sometimes raccoons, sometimes dogs. There are even more posts about the same thing, without pictures. Everyone is free to make whatever choices they want to, just be aware of your risks.

 

[elmo]

I wonder if the raccoon actually uses its teeth on the wire. 20 gauge is pretty thin, you could cut it with a pair of scissors, probably.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I have seen one really motivated dog break the welds on 2 x 4 fencing, using his jaws. It was impressive. One of the reasons hardware cloth is good is that the gaps are too small for larger predators to be able to get their jaws into it. That's what I was always told. Chicken wire is really stretchy, as well as having larger holes, so I think it is easier for them to use their jaws to tear into it. Certainly that's how dogs break in.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
a) cut one of the meshes. Then put your foot on one part of the chickenwire, and pull real hard on the other part. It comes apart much more easier that way.

b) raccoons are actually stronger than people in some ways. They rip Havahart livetraps apart on a fairly regular basis... YOU sure couldn't do that.

c) empirically, observationally, in the real world, raccoons fairly often DO rip apart chickenwire and have dinner. It's not a theory thing, it is what actually happens.

Just sayin',

Pat

 

[AmiableHen]

Hi, just found this thread, and am wondering.....is there any particular brand of hardware cloth that is better than another? And, if so, where is a good place to purchase it? We started our coop using chicken wire on the inside pens...some odds and end pieces stayed out for the winter. Some was all rusted, and some was not....all bought together at HDepot.

Will be switching to hardware cloth both inside and out. Is the hwc offered through chicken supply catalogs any different or better than what I can buy locally at HD, Lowes or Agway? We also have a tractor supply store about 1 1/2 hours away. Thanks for any suggestions, AmiableHen

 

[elmo]

I don't know about particular brands, but do pay attention to the gauge of the wire (which is a measure of its thickness). The higher the number, the thinner the wire, which is kind of counterintuitive. So you want to find a lower number. I use 19 gauge wire with 1/2 inch spacing which for me is a good balance, but if I had to worry about bigger/stronger predators, I'd use a lower gauge wire. 19 gauge is pretty thin. I've used 16 gauge before on a smaller project, but the cost would have been prohibitive to use that kind of wire with 1/2" spacing for my run.

 

[unseen1]

Hey all,

I am using basically a dog ear fence. The bottom has a piece of galvanized steel, sunk bout 6" into concrete. The inside is lined with chicken wire. I have not done the roof yet, I'm thinkingchicken wire across the top to keep the raptors out. The door is going to be flush with a concrete slab. Still a work in progress so any input would be great.

Thanks

 

[dawnjoennikki98]

a racoon got into my boyfriend's chicken run, it's chainlink fence, on concrete, with some wood posts and chicken wire covering the entire thing. solid roof on top. he is left with 3 roosters. YET, he still won't agree with me that chicken wire is useless!! lol. MEN

 

[jimcro55]

Tell him to reinforce the chicken wire with some finer wire mesh to go along with it.

Together, they should be able to do the trick:

http://www.bwire.com/

Look here, I am telling you, they will have the exact stuff that you are looking for to protect your loved ones (HAHA).