Chicken wire versus hardware cloth...

[Laura65]

We are building a giant coop and it is time to buy the netting. Some people advised me to use the hardware cloth which is 2.5x more expensive than chicken wire. We are trying to keep the expense to a minimum and the roof will cost a lot too.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[wildorchid053]

if you have predators then use hardware cloth.. a raccoon can rip open chicken wire and a rat who eats the chicks can slip through all those little holes. and what about a snake? definately worth the money to buy hardware cloth.. it is very expensive but so is the heartache of seeing all your hard work go down the drain..

 

[patandchickens]

While it costs more to buy hardwarecloth than chickenwire, it will cost even MORE to buy the chickenwire, install it, have your chickens eaten by a predator, go out and buy hardwarecloth, install it, and *still* have problems because now the predators know where dinner is and are trying much harder to get in.

Most chickenwire sold today is too flimsy to keep out dogs, coyotes, raccoons. Browse some 'lost all my flock last night' type threads over in the Pests and PRedators section of BYC, to get a sense of how it works.

Those who have chickenwire and nothing has happened to their flock yet -- well, nothing has happened to their flock YET. It's a big gamble, and really a lot less expense and work and aggravation to just build the thing predatorproof from the get-go.

Contrary to what some will tell you, IMHO you do NOT need to do your whole run in hardwarecloth, however, unless you entertain visions of keeping out rats. (Which is pretty difficult and unreliable even with a totally-hardwarecloth run). You can have essentially as much security, assuming chickens are locked indoors at dusk every day without fail, by using heavy gauge galvanized 1x1 or 1x2 or 2x4" wire mesh, or heavy-gauge chainlink. (Do not go larger than 2x4" mesh however). Apply hardwarecloth or something else small-meshed inside at least the bottom 2-3' to prevent chicks popping out and things reaching through in either direction, and you will be good.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[farmerKEN]

get hardware cloth for the coop openings/ventilation/screen windows, and cheaper stuff for the run.
my birds get locked in the coop at night, and we haven't had daytime predators... (yet)

 

[Laura65]

Thanks everyone! We have some nasty raccoons in our garden, and there are coyotes in the area.

I will probably go for the galvanized 1/2" hardware cloth then. I wouldn't want to subject the chickens AND my kids to the horrors of loss. Plus the coop is such a sturdy constructions that it makes sense to do it right.

I will post pictures soon. The framing is done, now the fencing needs to be done.

Laura

 

[gkeesling]

I put the 1/2 inch hardware cloth on the bottom 3 ft. of my run and chicken wire the top 4 ft. It is more expensive, but I do have more peace of mind though, and haven't had any predator issues thus far.

 

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
Exactly what happened to me. Used the chicken wire, had two good nights, came down the 3rd morning to find my favorite chick dead with her leg torn off. Recovered the whole thing with hardware cloth. If you go the cheap route and then find your chickens in pieces because of it, the guilt will be overwhelming.

 

[Barred Rocker]

I'm going to be building 2 more runs in a few weeks and I'm going with hardware cloth too for the first time since I was a kid. I've noticed that they don't make chicken wire like they used to and mine is even starting to rust and I only bought it last spring.

 

[cluck-addict]

I thought for sure chicken wire was perfect, afterall. its CHICKEN wire.

GO for hardware wire. It is WELL worth the expense.

 

[Chris623]

Quote:
Save yourself a lot of heartache and just bust open your wallet. Hardware cloth is the only way to protect your chicks from predators. I'm not completely sure I trust the cloth by itself, and attached it to what they call hog wire. Mind is a little over 4' high and 16' long. It's made of welded wire that's about 3/16" thick and the openings are 4" x 6". Makes fore pretty stout protection. I spent a ton on the run and all the hardware cloth................but I don't worry that the 50 or so raccoons wandering my place at night are going to feast on my little chicks!