18" high roll of hardware cloth?

[GoArmy]

Howdy....

I keep reading about using 18" of hardware cloth on runs, for skirts, etc, but all I can find is 36" or 24". Does 18" exist? If not, how do you cut the 36" into 2 rolls of 18"? Please please please don't say w/ metal shears!

TIA

 

[dbounds10]

We used 48". Three feet up the wall and 1 foot for the apron (buried). We did not cut it, but bent it using a flat surface and a 2x4 making into kind of an "L" shape. Then we just stood it up and ziptied it to the fence and buried the apron.

When we did need to cut it for somthing, like the underside of the raised coop or the roof, we used both metal shears (tin snips) or our Roto-Zip. Make sure you wear safety glasses if using a power tool cause it throws sparks.

 

[GoArmy]

Oooh, clever!

 

[aggie9296]

I think they mean 18 inch minimum. If all you have is longer, use it. It will just go up higher. I did my entire tractor with it. Just overlapped it instead of cutting it.

 

[CarolynF]

Yep, that's what we did. To cut it I used diagonals, it wasn't difficult, just wear gloves when you're handling the wire.

 

[speedy2020]

Quote:
Yes, I saw 18"x150' for $50.

 

[R_Chickens]

Good Hardware cloth is really difficult to cut with tin snips/metal shears.

I have a variety of tools and equipment available to me, but short of a hydraulic shear/brake, this is the best I've found...

Here is the set I use. They are MUCH larger than standard tin snips. I bought these years ago for cutting the steel roofing. The angled pair make it much easier to cut materials.

Here is the link: http://www.harborfreight.com/11-1-2-half-inch-super-power-snips-left-97902.html

I wear leather gloves and if you use the tips, about 1/8-1/4" bite, you can clip it right at the seams and have a pretty clean edge. Wear eye protection. The wire is springy and if you mishandle something...you only get one set of eyes.

Tip: Leave one wire attached at your beginning point so the wire doesn't roll up on you.

Hope this helps.

- JC

 

[bryan99705]

I agree with bending the wire, go with 36" material, fasten half of it to the run wall (hog rings work great), bend it outward, and just lay it on top of the ground. Don't bother buring it as it's a lot of work, it stops a digger immediatly instead of them digging then being stopped and you are loosening the ground for the critters. The grass grows thru it so you can mow, it covers any holes or depressions in the ground under the run rails, and best of all, if your run sits on the ground, you can move it without having to dig the wire back up.

Same concept, different method to keep the predators frustrated and hungry

while letting the chickens blow raspberrys at them

and keep on playing

 

[ChickenAl]

I've read 4' high on the hardware cloth. Might be overkill, but we bought the 4' high stuff. Expensive, though.

 

[GoArmy]

Thanks for the tips!

The chicken tractor has welded metal fencing with 2" x 4" gaps, and I've decided that just isn't predator proof enough. It does go all the way down to the ground, sort of presses into the dirt, and I staple it down every 6". Right now the ladies are being tucked in and the ramp pulled up at night (like a drawbridge over a moat, LOL!) but I'd like to be able to camp a night and not worry about them. Thus the hardware cloth. I think I will bend it into an L and then put it inside the tractor with the skirt sticking out. I have metal staple-things I can use to tack it to the ground, and pull when I move it. We move it every 3-4 days. There is hardware cloth over the window. Do you think I need to put it on the top of the run, too?

Everything that opens has a small padlock on it.

We live in a small city and have a chain link fence around the yard. I'm pretty sure our greatest threat is dogs, followed by kids. However, I know we have the occasional skunk. We also have deer, who I am not worried about, and every now and again a bear. I figure if a bear shows up, there's not much I can short of shooting it. The chickens DO NOT want to live in a bear-proof trash can!