How small of a hole can a grown chicken get through?

[BraveTurnip]

Hi! In lieu of a run, I'm using a chicken tractor and am weaving my own bird netting as a portable run. This netting will sit on the ground. The netting itself will be as fencing as well as some height with a prop. Like a tent, so to speak. I will move it when the working girls have done their biz in the area as I see fit. This is only for daytime aerial predators and their confinement while ranging. I live in a city. Birds running the streets is a code violation. This city is a bird sanctuary. Local hawks and owls own the place, rightfully so.

I found that typical bird netting sold via retail used as protection from mall hawk predation is 3 - 1/2". Honestly, I think it'll be fine if it's bigger. My aim here is to have enough room for our larger bugs to fly in, like dragon flies with wider wing spans. I'm not certain if this is actually too big to contain the birds.

My question is: How small of a hole can a grown Plymouth Barred Rock hen squeeze through?

 

[WIchickMama]

The question might be turned the other way as to what can get in through the netting to harm your hens--mink, raccoon, fox, etc. Especially if they are able to tear through the netting.

 

[nuthatched]

Ditto. Unless the coop part of your tractor is completely secure at night and even then those animal don't just come out at night, you're going to loose chickens quickly.get some hardware cloth.

 

[raingarden]

Dragon flies will go through two inch woven mesh. Twelve week old pullets will squeeze through 2x4 inch welded wire.

 

[WIchickMama]

and I guess the size of a hole that a hen could fit through would depend on the hen. If it is a bantam or standard and then even from there what breed to determine size of hole a hen could fit through

 

[raingarden]

2 x 4 inch welded wire. You also have to consider what is commonly used and readily available. If it is common enough to be a competitive product then the competion will make it affordable.

From the local Home Despot:
* 2x4 welded wire 4' x 50' about $0.50 per square foot
* Chain link mesh 4' x 50' about $0.70 per square foot.
* check the rabbit fencing too.

Oops, scrtch that. I forgot you were tying your own mesh. Netcraft, macrame and such are great fun. I want to see the results.

 

[aart]

How small of a hole can a grown Plymouth Barred Rock hen squeeze through?

3.5"

 

[BraveTurnip]

2 x 4 inch welded wire. You also have to consider what is commonly used and readily available. If it is common enough to be a competitive product then the competion will make it affordable.

From the local Home Despot:
* 2x4 welded wire 4' x 50' about $0.50 per square foot
* Chain link mesh 4' x 50' about $0.70 per square foot.
* check the rabbit fencing too.

Oops, scrtch that. I forgot you were tying your own mesh. Netcraft, macrame and such are great fun. I want to see the results.

It's all good. The wire used locally gains a perspective, actually. For us, the main predator are domestic dogs. Most around here go with chicken wire because it's cheap and later realize it's not near strong enough. My own dog tore through the 2" x 4" fencing, the butthead. Even the tractor has a detachable 2" x 4" welded wire placed over the 1/4" hardware cloth in the event dogs jump the fence to have some fun. I added deployable 2" x 4" welded wire to the perimeter of the tractor and then we park it at night close to the house beneath the motion detector lights when not using the coop.

The smaller the holes in the netting equal more time and materials. I could switch from diamond shaped netting and weave a cargo netting 2" x 3" or 4".

The city requires at least 950 sq ft for a static chicken run no matter how many chickens. No way can I afford a fortress and I hate the idea of an ecological disaster in a back yard which is probably why they require so much. Who wants stinky runs and dirty chickens in their small city?

On a side note: I bought bulk rabbit wire 16 gauge for my 7 hole rabbitry in January 2020. Custom built the 2 x 3 cages. The price including the water and food accessories came to about $50 a cage.

I used up all my rabbit wire last year and looked up the price of a new roll only to discover my cages were worth about $450 a piece, wire only. I put locks on the rabbit shed.

I just paid $18 for a 60 ct box of eggs that was only a few dollars 3 years ago. My girls are priceless. I'm so tired of watching them peck with futility at the giant dragon flies resting on the hardware cloth.

 

[SourRoses]

It's not even remotely valid to think you are the only chicken keeper on a budget.

At my house we do everything one step at a time, buying and building as the means to do so come available. We're trying to expand, and I felt my share of frustration over the price of HW Cloth. Still waiting to get it, so my projects are still on hold.
Difficulty getting it doesn't make it less necessary.
Hearing something you don't wish was true does not make the respondents mean.
If we didn't care we wouldn't answer. It takes time, and in my case difficulty because I can't keep a keyboard paired with my old laptop which I can't afford to replace.

 

[BraveTurnip]

According to the terms and conditions of this site, I am not required to divulge information that I do not want. I do not need to explain the context with which I am asking the question:

How small of a hole can a full grown Barred Rock Hen get through?