Chicken wire or hardware cloth?

[nerfworthy]

Hi all, I'm new around here and I'm sure this has been covered before so I apologize in advance. We are finishing up the frame for the chicken run and deciding on what kind of wire to use by this weekend. Initially we were going to go with 1 inch chicken wire, but I keep reading everyone using hardware cloth. So which would be best? Chicken wire or hardware cloth?

 

[oceansunset73]

Chicken wire will only keep the chickens in, it will not keep predators out. Predator's can tear through chicken wire with little to no effort. I personally put hardware cloth on mine to keep them safe. I also put a 'skirt' of hardware cloth at the bottom of the run as well, which keeps predators from trying to dig their way in.

Edit: By the way, welcome...

 

[LDSmama]

So which would be best? Chicken wire or hardware cloth?

First of all, welcome!
As for your question, hardware cloth, absolutely! 1/2". Chicken wire is too big and too weak - it will keep chickens in, but will not keep predators out.

 

[christwodog]

Hardware cloth 1/2" - plus some electric fence wire around the perimeter. We have had two feral dog pack attacks, the first time they got my four youngest chickens, the second time they got my 6000 volt hot wire!

 

[nerfworthy]

Thank you all for the swift responses! Looks like I'll be going with 1/2 in hardware cloth!!!! I do live in the middle of town, so I don't think electric fencing should be necessary We do plan to bury about 12" of the wire into the dirt as well.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Hardware cloth is the most expensive product in it's class. A big chunk of change!
We have 5 breeder houses and 1 huge breakfast egg house. It would of cost THOUSANDS of $$$ if we didn't just use plain Jane Welded Wire Fencing and wrapping that with 1" Chicken Wire. 100 LNFT of Welded Wire Fencing is $44 @ Rural King. Try pricing 4 x100' of hardware cloth. By wrapping sturdy Welded Wire Fencing with inexpensive Chicken Wire. My family can afford to eat Steaks for Dinner now, not Ramen Noodles every night.

If you happen to have a mattress stuffed to the gills with cash, Buy the Cadillac, if you want economy and bang for your buck, buy the Sedan..
Save your ChicKoins!

 

[chickendreams24]

Yes absolutely 1/2" hardware cloth.

Raccoons can reach through chicken wire and attack your birds. They can also break and rip through chicken wire.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Yes absolutely 1/2" hardware cloth.

 

[nerfworthy]

Hardware cloth is the most expensive product in it's class. A big chunk of change! View attachment 1321455

I just priced this out of curiosity, and it seems to come out to around the same amount. It's about $80 for 1/2 in 4' x 50' hardware cloth, then it's about $40 for 1 in 4' x 50' chicken wire, and $40 for 4' x 50' welded wire fencing. I need those dimensions for the size of run I am building. Am I missing something here???

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I just priced this out of curiosity, and it seems to come out to around the same amount. It's about $80 for 1/2 in 4' x 50' hardware cloth, then it's about $40 for 1 in 4' x 50' chicken wire, and $40 for 4' x 50' welded wire fencing. I need those dimensions for the size of run I am building. Am I missing something here???

Chick wire costs almost nothing here. There are different gauges, holes, galvanized, zinc coated tons of variations. Shop around. I just got 4 X 100' of Chickwire to wrap fencing for only 12 dollars. $44 dollars for the Welded wire fencing and $12 for the chick wire. $66 + uncle sam. Here the stores were asking $90 for 50 ' of Hard Cloth. That would cost me $180 to do what I needed to do.