Chain Link - HW cloth on the inside or out?

[PupsNHens]

It's easy to keep raptors out with any netting; My old run had 2" chicken wire over the top for years, and it worked. Very little snow stuck to it, so it can be another choice in a smaller area.
'Some protection' is better than 'no protection', and 'predator proof' can be a work in progress!
Mary

I had hens killed by raccoons a few years ago. The top will have something stronger than chicken wire before they would be allowed in it any time other than the middle of the day.

 

[PupsNHens]

I should note that the coop and run are inside a fenced area (4ft 2x4 woven horse wire). Not "predator-proof" but it give some extra protection.

 

[jthornton]

how do you attach hw cloth to chain link?

Hog Rings.

JT

 

[turtlelaura67]

I'm going to look for those rebar ties also. Currently I'm using zip ties along with electric fence wire (my other half likes to buy loads of scrap metal at auction, so if I need something, I just use whatever I can find instead of going to Home Depot). Easy enough to cut, but tough to twist, especially when it's cold out.

I just spent the past two days redoing our rooster run after a possum attack killed one and injured another on Friday night. We thought the run was safe. Obviously it wasn't, but this time I did it the way it should have been done from the start. Granted, we had two years with no issues, but all good things come to an end, I suppose.

This time I put welded wire fencing over the chainlink on the outside. It greatly reduces the size of the openings in the fence (I've since read that a determined possum can squeeze through 2" chain link). Plus, nothing can chew through it. On top I removed the original hardware cloth and chicken wire and used the same fencing, then put the original stuff over that. We used steel poles from a discarded chain link fence as supports. There had been a gap above the gate, previously covered with hardware cloth, that had become loose over the past couple years and I never noticed, and I think that's how the possum got in, so I covered that with a metal shelf I found in John's scrap pile. It also has a lip which fills the gap between the gate and the frame (turns out what I used were actually shelves from some vintage Lay's store display, and John was mad, but oh well). I feel really good about what I did and the 2 survivors spent their first night back in it last night. It does look a little redneck with the mixed styles of wire fencing and all, but it's safe, and that's what matters.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Mine's on the outside of the run as that made it easier to apron.

I used hog rings. Hog ring pliers do fit into the gaps of 1/2" hardware cloth if you turn them diagonally. It is a bit of a pain but if you do it right you shouldn't have to worry about it for a good period of time.