Avice on Aviary, wire woes, predator proofing.

[mominoz]

Ok, we are building a 12 x 20 aviary, night pen)-Homemade Carport- We have put a metal roof on it. I have attached 2X2 "Kennel wire down the sides and 18 out from the bottom , that is staked down, I put round stone inthe bottom for drainage (also there is a slope to the pen) and ease of cleaning and to be easier ontheir feet. (This will be divided in half , for geese and ducks).
I know I needed to put smaller wire around the bottom 2-3 feet. But there is nothing within 3 counties , except poultry wire 1X1". Or hardware cloth -- which would run 2$ a foot. I just couldn't buy the hardware cloth, because it would cost another 100$ plus and I still have to fence a day yard around the aviary (dog fence, or welded wire, with hotwires) . There will be a perimeter fence, and I will let them out to day graze some in yard around the house (like acre or two).(This is already my birthday, aniversary present)

I can offset the chicken wire from the bottom of the aviary several inches, so that the RACCOON, SKUNK, POSSUM, FOX, CATS etc. won't be able to grab thru the wire and any babies would be out of hands reach. Any suggestions or help or advice, I haven't thought of. I walked around and have been chewing on this for a while. I know coons could chew thru wire, but figured if it is attached perhaps, offset some from the 2x2" sides inside it would keep the geese and ducks out of hands reach? I live in a rural area in the south, with hay fields in the front .
My minis- will have their own hutches with hardware cloth, within the day fenced yard.
I used to have chickens and geese and learned about Raccoons and Possums the hard way
I am ,I guess,hoping it will be enough.

 

[patandchickens]

I like 1/2" chickenwire (when you're just trying to protect vs reach-through, I mean, as you are here, not as a sole fence material)... but if you can't find that, I would bet you will be pretty okay with the setup you describe (1" chickenwire set on the inside of the fenceposts so it is 1.5" away from the stronger but larger mesh outer fencing). It may not be the 100% best arrangement but you're not *likely* to have trouble with it IMO -- if you do, it'd likely be from young raccoons or possums that can get thru the holes in your kennel wire.

Try to furnish things so's the roost and shelter type areas won't be near the sides, to reduce the temptation for racoons etc to see how long their arms are.

You've got something to discourage critters digging in underneath the fence, too, yes?

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[mominoz]

I have the 2X2 kennel wire , coming off the sides and flattened out on the ground for 18" around the outside, staked down and I was going to also cover it with some timbers.
Do you mean, like rake up the truck load of rock we shoveled in and put wire under it? My assumption was , any diggers would be up next to the wire trying to dig, they wouldn't go like 2 feet away and try to tunnel. The ground there is Georgia clay and rock.This is in the aviary. I was going to have a perimeter fence with hotwire top and bottom to keep large, most varmits out.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
That sounds like a good arrangement.

My assumption was , any diggers would be up next to the wire trying to dig, they wouldn't go like 2 feet away and try to tunnel.

Yup, but how far out the apron needs to go depends on the situation. If the birds are effectively 'out' at night, as opposed to locked into a bldg, some people would err on the side of a wider rather than narrower apron. 18" is a reasonable compromise between security and budget, just realize there are some dogs and foxes int he world that'll get around that width. I'm not criticizing the way you're doing it though, I've got about an 18" apron myself

Have fun,

Pat​

 

[BeckyBird]

I have a word of caution....first, use more than chicken wire. A dog, raccoon, or other strong predator can rip right through it.
But, you still need the chicken wire inside of a stronger fence, because small predators can get through the holes of a large fence.

I thought I had it all figured out....I used chicken wire around the whole coop, along with a tough hog fence wire for reinforcement. Well, didn't realize that a black snake can fit his beady little head through the small chicken wire opening. I went in the coop one day to find a fat black snake, full of my chicks. He was so fat after eating that he could not get out through the chicken wire opening.

It seems like the odds are against us chicken owners. Especially if you live in the country, everything wants to eat your birds!! So, if you really want to be extra safe, you can use 1/2 inch wire (like the kind for rabbit pens) and reinforce it with a tough fence or hog wire. That is probably the best and safest setup you can do.

 

[mominoz]

It is an aviary--but not for chickens, it will hold 4 geese and my runner ducks at night.Around it will be another day- yard fence to keep out dogs, coyotes, etc. with hot wire top and bottom.
I did think about snakes. We do have rattlesnakes, rat snakes, copperheads, king snakes. . . I find snake holes around our property..