Best source for plastic hardware cloth?

[NorthTexasWink]

@NancyNurseCxMama that's so pretty! Good on you!

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

@NancyNurseCxMama that's so pretty! Good on you!

Thank you---we bought the coop from a local Amish company and we're working on that run.
Painted the inside of the coop, getting some pieces of vinyl flooring (removable) for the floor of it, and going to do a poop board too.
All for seven chickens---have to question our sanity!
I like pretty, lol. Lots of flowers and hanging baskets. I figure we only have nice things growing for such a short time here, might as well make the best of it!

 

[jeria]

MY lab mix pup, loves to chew up plastic fencing that I put around my gardens last year. I'm still finding bits in my yard. It will NOT be effective against much of anything. It could be used to keep your chickens in but not to keep anything out.

 

[Jciarmom]

We just got 1/2" hardware cloth from Amazon.com. It was less expensive that Home Depot and Lowes.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

We just got 1/2" hardware cloth from Amazon.com. It was less expensive that Home Depot and Lowes.

We looked at the prices at Lowe's, Home Depot, and TSC and ended up going to a commercial place where it was almost half the price of the stuff at those stores. It was a 45 mile drive but well worth it, we think.
The company is called Wire Cloth Manufacturers Inc and they have big manufacturing centers in four locations in the USA---New Jersey, Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma. They also do internet sales (unfortunately shipping charges are pretty hefty) and had just about every type of wire and netting you could think of in many sizes and gauges. They sell plastic and coated products, too.
They are very helpful and pleasant to deal with on the phone, great with any questions.
Going out there again this morning for the wire to bury as an apron around the run we're almost done with (yay). They have the 24" x 50' rolls that we need at a little more than half the price they wanted at Lowe's.
Here's the link to the company---hope it can help some of you out there:
http://www.wireclothman.com/index.html

 

[chickjoy11]

Thanks, @aart , but I am putting a garden bed around the run so I need a deeper soil bed for planting. Already have my nasturtium and sunflower seeds up and growing in little pots, waiting for the big day! Lavender and yarrow, too.
Land slopes a bit away from the coop in two directions---gentle slope but we picked the flattest piece we could find for the project.
This is it as of yesterday (and yes, I should be out there helping instead of reading these boards!!):
View attachment 1064321

Your coop is looking great! I am finishing up my coop addition, and at the point of deciding what kind of skirt to put in. I really appreciate all the input from experienced folks here. I have had a chicken bottom wire before but it rusted out. I am currently planning to put in a 15 in skirt, covered with pavers based on a posting in BYC a few months back. I have had a raccoon attack several years ago. It was an ugly sight. Any thoughts about this plan?

 

[aart]

I am currently planning to put in a 15 in skirt, covered with pavers ... Any thoughts about this plan?

Nix the pavers.....
.... they defeat the function of the skirt, which is that the animal starts digging at the base of the wall, hits the mesh a few inches down and moves on, maybe trying again in other spots along the base of wall with the same results of hitting the mesh. They don't know to back up away from wall and dig there to get under mesh.

If you cover the skirt with pavers, them may well start digging at the outer edge of the pavers and end up digging under the mesh.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[NancyNurseCxMama]

Nix the pavers.....
.... they defeat the function of the skirt, which is that the animal starts digging at the base of the wall, hits the mesh a few inches down and moves on, maybe trying again in other spots along the base of wall with the same results of hitting the mesh. They don't know to back up away from wall and dig there to get under mesh.

If you cover the skirt with pavers, them may well start digging at the outer edge of the pavers and end up digging under the mesh.

Hope that makes sense.

My husband was talking to a neighbor about this just last night and my husband described what we are doing---going down a foot and then out a foot with the apron. The guy said he just laid out the hardware cloth about a foot (no digging) and piled rocks on top of it. He said he hasn't had any issues with digging predators so far (about 18 months).
I thought exactly the same thing that you described in your post. If they start digging down at the edge of the rocks wouldn't they dig under the laid-out hardware cloth??
Question: do you think putting a garden bed along the perimeter of the run would be a problem with our hardware cloth apron? I would like a relatively small border of plants and flowers (lavender, yarrow, nasturtium) to border the run.
Thank you for any help here (love all the great ideas and info from the real chicken people on these boards)!

 

[aart]

If your'e going to do a garden bed I'd go down with the HC as deep as you need your bed to be, to keep HC from inhibiting working the bottom of bed soil in the future,
then go out at least 12".... 18" out would be better IMO.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

@NancyNurseCxMama I don't think it will be an issue as long as you don't have a wide solid barrier like bricks, stones, landscape timbers between the run and your beds. If your skirt comes out a foot and you only have soil and plantings over it you should be good. Keep in mind the chickens will likely "taste" anything you plant that they can reach.