What kind of screw and washer should I use to attach hardware cloth?

[PapaChaz]

the last 3 coops I've built I used my air stapler to attach the hardware cloth. We had a creek running across the front of the property that fed a pond at the edge of the property. The last two coops were less than a hundred feet from the creek/pond. We had all kinds of raccoons, I'd get them all hours of the night on my trail camera that watched over my deer feeder. Never once had a coon get in either of the chicken coops.

Yes I was talking about construction use air powered stapler, not a staple your kids homework pages together stapler or not even a staple up your insulation hammer stapler. Yes, those kind would be easy for a coon or dog to tear apart.

I will say that the firring strips either screwed or nailed over the edges of the hardware cloth definitely looks better, if time and cost doesn't matter. For me, it was just cheaper and easier to fire up the compressor and air staple it together.

 

[RonP]

Hammer and poultry staples. A lot of effort...

 

[RonP]

So you're saying there's a chance

 

[HOLWACHAGOT]

Staple in place then put furring strips over to hide staples......best option by far.
Holwachagot

 

[blucoondawg]

the last 3 coops I've built I used my air stapler to attach the hardware cloth. We had a creek running across the front of the property that fed a pond at the edge of the property. The last two coops were less than a hundred feet from the creek/pond. We had all kinds of raccoons, I'd get them all hours of the night on my trail camera that watched over my deer feeder. Never once had a coon get in either of the chicken coops. Yes I was talking about construction use air powered stapler, not a staple your kids homework pages together stapler or not even a staple up your insulation hammer stapler. Yes, those kind would be easy for a coon or dog to tear apart. I will say that the firring strips either screwed or nailed over the edges of the hardware cloth definitely looks better, if time and cost doesn't matter. For me, it was just cheaper and easier to fire up the compressor and air staple it together.

yep, use a good amount of staples of a decent length and the animal would have better luck tearing the mesh apart than pulling out those staples

 

[21hens-incharge]

I have an air powered stapler. I used it on my run. I regretted it. The staples fall out after a couple seasons leaving nasty rusty poky things everywhere. My new run has huge and I mean huge fence staples.

 

[PapaChaz]

I have an air powered stapler. I used it on my run. I regretted it. The staples fall out after a couple seasons leaving nasty rusty poky things everywhere. My new run has huge and I mean huge fence staples.

just out of curiosity, what length staples did you use? I've never had that happen, I always use 1 1/2" staples though, with the gun set to sink them flush

 

[21hens-incharge]

1/4 crown 1 1/2 long. It is what the gun was designed to shoot and is what I used. My air compressor is very large too so I know I had the right air pressure for it.
Don't get me wrong I love the stapler. I just wish I had followed up with a 1x3 wood strip or something to back up the staples.

 

[PapaChaz]

1/4 crown 1 1/2 long. It is what the gun was designed to shoot and is what I used. My air compressor is very large too so I know I had the right air pressure for it.
Don't get me wrong I love the stapler. I just wish I had followed up with a 1x3 wood strip or something to back up the staples.

wow, ok that's what I've used. Were you using PT lumber?

the coop and run I'm building now will be a cattle panel hoop run, so there won't be much stapling, the hardware cloth will pretty much be wired to the cattle panels. Usually to do my vents, I put the hardware cloth on the framing before I attach the siding, so the siding helps hold it down.

I will say the last coop I built I only used a few months, we had to move and rented a place in town. I gave my chickens to my daughter and son in law, and sold the coop. But the coop I built before that one, He acutally has. It was built in 2010 and still holding together strong......

 

[21hens-incharge]

The places I noticed it coming loose from first was the untreated lumber along the top of the run. I went ahead and added some huge fence staples all over the place to keep it together until we could do the bigger coop and run. My new run is built much differently.
I got so tired of taking the garage magnet around the run to pick the fallen staples up. I worried a lot about them stepping on one and ending up with bumble foot.