Are the holes in 2x4 welded wire fence too big to be safe?

[2txmedics]

ok, I also learned from my mistakes as I bought chickens and hatched them....I have dog run kennels with the bottom half covered in chicken wire and the top also with mesh...its connected to the coop.
Side view here, with door that opens and ventilation on top and they can see from that opening as I have branches for roosting, they love the branches

front view, its bolted to the coop, the run is

this is when we were building it and fixing it up, but notice how secure it is

Now through the smallest opening in the gate door frame, I had something go into the coop!!! And I went in that morning to clean the coops and get eggs, Now imagine me locked in there, even the ceiling contained, and all of a sudden I have this brown flash run out of the coop and is running wild all over the kennel run chain link fence, on the WALL!!!! and ceiling, moving so fast I cant see what it is other than a brown streak and Im locked in there with it....I made a dash for the gate door and got myself out finally.
After alittle bit this brown flash stopped, it was a squirrel!!!!! I opened the gate wide and it came out....SO ANYTHING CAN GET IN THAT HOLE WAS SMAL....I MEAN SMALL, THE GAP WAS NOT MORE THAN 1"

 

[A.T. Hagan]

My henyard is all 2x4 welded wire. Never lost a bird from them getting through the wire. Over the top when the charger failed, yes, but not through the wire.

But that's the henyard. The roost house where they are going to be sleeping is covered in half-inch hardware cloth. This is to keep anything such as a coon from reaching through to grab what he can if they should be near enough to reach. Not a problem during the day when they are awake. At night when they are asleep it might could.

 

[lulumammato2]

Quote:
Nice.

I totally forgot to check eBay they have everything!

 

[lulumammato2]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll probabbly go ahead and get some metal cloth to double up around the bottom of the run just to be safe

 

[patandchickens]

Safe is relative. Depends how safe you want to be.

Things that can get through 2x4 mesh include: young chicks, rats (tho frankly, it is *awful* hard to keep rats out of somewhere they really want to get into), songbirds wanting to raid the chicken feeder, young possums and raccoons, the ARMS of ANY raccoon that spies a bird within reaching distance of the fence, the heads of chickens who do not always retract them in time to avoid them getting bit off by a dog or grabbed off by a raccoon or whatever, weasels, mink, and egg/chick-eating snakes.

Things that can not get through 2x4 mesh if it is good quality (heavy gauge, QUALITY welds or knots) include: dogs, coyotes, foxes, adult possums or skunks or coons, hawks or owls or eagles, and adult chickens' bodies.

Personally I don't feel good about using 2x4 (or chainlink either) without adding something smaller-mesh to the bottom 2-3 feet AND locking the chickens into the henhouse every evening; and if you do those two things, I consider it really almost as safe as smaller meshes including BYC's beloved "all hardwarecloth runs". But, that said, even if you do NOT add smaller mesh at the bottom and lock 'em up at night, it is safer than some other things such as chickenwire for run fencing.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[2txmedics]

When we first got chicken we didnt know about predators....we only had one layer of chicken wire around the bottom of the kennel runs and this is what I woke up to one day, Buff orps...

whatever it was had reached in and pulled them through the fence and chicken wire...there bodes were inside th run...and the head and upper part outside pulled through....we think possume, not sure....

So no we DOUBLE AND TRIPLE wrap chicken wire around all the bottom of the kennel up to half way, the door fram is also secured with it on the inisde so it moves when I open the gate.

 

[Spudd dud]

I use 2x4 wire fence (100' of it to be exact) and I haven't had any critters get in yet. My Goldern Retriever probobly helps that too. Around the bottom I cut steel sheets (like the ones on pole sheds) down the middle and buried 4-8" of it.

If your worried put hardware cloth by digging a trench around the run and putting half on the run and half down into the trench. Just make sure you check periodicly for rust or damage.

 

[oldchickenlady]

I have found 1x2 welded wire at Tractor Supply and Home Depot. That is what I used.

 

[SunnyD]

Quote:
Believe it or not...I lost 16 chicks one through 1x1 welded wire on my coop , nothing left but a little fuzz on the wire. About 6 months later I lost a young hen and 3 guineas (different occasions) through the 1 x 1 inch wire that covers my entire runs with nothing a but a pile of feathers laying on the ground each time and the wire had no damage whatsoever! Now what could possibly do this? Now that it's warmed up I'm going to cover the bottom half of my runs and that coop with 1/2 inch hardware cloth.