chain link covered with chicken wire

[charlotteda]

My chicken house will be wood and tight but I have a 7 by 14 chain link dog pen that I want to use as a run. I know I need to put something around the inside to keep chicken heads inside and I will need to tightly secure the door.

I want this to be as critter proof as possible so I wont have to lock up the wooden house every night.

I planned on putting pieces of metal conduit overhead for support and covering with chicken wire tightly laced together. Could possums or coons tear into the chicken wire on top ?

Hot wire is not a good choice for my location.

thanks
charlotte

 

[enola]

The only thing chicken wire is good for is keeping chickens IN. Most predators can get through chicken wire. You will probably need a welded wire on the top of the run, not chicken wire.

 

[chookchick]

You should probably plan on locking the chickens in at night. I have seen a pen where a coon was able to squeeze through the gap where the two chain-link panels were fastened together. Also, (same pen-different day) the coon tore through the chicken wire fastened over the top. You will also need to put a smaller mesh 2-3 ft up the sides. I saw another chain-link pen where a hawk! managed to scare the chicken into a corner and pull it through the wire. Raccoons would definitely do this. IMO chain-link is fine for the daytime, but I would never trust it to keep out night time predators.

 

[amazondoc]

I am also going to use chain link kennel panels for my additional pens. As with my pre-existing pen, I'll be putting 1/2" x 1" welded wire all around the bottom of the pen, to a height of about 3-4 feet. Above that height, I'll wrap the pen with hardware cloth. Same over the top.

As somebody already mentioned, it will be important to cover the gaps between the chainlink panels, and also the gaps around the door to the kennel. Also, make an apron all around the pen by bending out the bottom edge of the welded wire, so that wire rests on the ground to a width of about 12 inches. Doing this, or burying the wire instead, will discourage critters from digging into the pen.

It's an expensive process (wire costs a LOT these days!), but it's worth it!

 

[ilovechickens]

After losing chickens through the chain link fencing, I ran 1/4 in hardware cloth around the outside of the coop burried at least 1 foot below the surface, and I use it around anything as a safe protection, a weasel can get through a whole the size of a quarter. Yes it is expensive, but a worthwhile investment if you want to protect your chickens, also please lock them up!!!! that is how I lost my first kills, I thought that they were safe, but something got in and went right in to the coop and killed them. That was a hard lesson, predators are crafty, and if hungry will stop at nothing to have a fresh kill. I just lost my Rooster and 2 hens to a predator yesterday due to my own stupidity, I let them free range due to the fact that their coop is under reconstruction, and I felt bad that they had to spend all winter mostly locked up. Due to that they are dead. Now I will not take anymore chance, the survivors are penned up, and I will get their run going, and lock them up at night.

 

[CATRAY44]

Quote:
I did the same thing. I wrapped it all in hardware cloth and chicken wire... My chain link is buried and there are also railroad ties buried around the perimeter.