metal vs plastic hardware cloth.

[Themehmeh]

I'm planning out my coop and I noticed metal hardware cloth is $50 for 25 feet while the plastic hardware cloth only costs about $15 for the same amount. How awful would it be if I used the plastic stuff in place of the metal stuff? Has anyone tried it? We're running on a tight budget so I was thinking about using the plastic stuff anyway and then replacing it with the metal stuff over time.

 

[aggiemae]

I originally intended to build using wire on the bottom two feet and plastics higher up but based on the responses I got here after asking I decide to go with the metal wire mostly because rodents can easily chew threw the plastic. I bought hardware cloth, the per foot cost get lots lower if you buy a large roll. The 3 ft X 100 ft was just a few dollars more than the 3ft X50 ft so maybe you can find someone in your area, here or on creigslist who is also building a coop and split the cost?

 

[derbychick]

Not sure what you're going to use the hardware cloth for, but we once used plastic chicken wire as a fence, only to find that our chickens strategically pecked at it until there was a hole big enough that they could escape through it. So if plastic isn't safe from chicken beaks, it probably won't deter predators either.

 

[lokua]

I have used the plastic to make partitions inside my coop to separate the chickens and it keeps them in but the stuff gets very brittle after about a year outside. Mice and squirrels will chew through it in a minute and any dog, raccoon, or fox could run straight through it. I would only use it to temporarily keep birds in. It won't keep predators out. You might consider kennel fencing with larger openings for most of the area and just double it up with hardware cloth down low to prevent anything from reaching through.

 

[aggiemae]

Not sure what you're going to use the hardware cloth for

I am using mental (1/4x1/4) hardware cloth. I got it from a masonry supply store and It's pretty heavy duty. All the built coops I looked at used hardware cloth. The openings in chicken wire are to large and also it's really hard to work with and keep tidy, so I am only using it on the lower 24" of the run to re-enforce the hardware cloth.