Chicken wire vs. hardware cloth

[ABgardner]

I have decided on a plan and will begin compiling my supplies very shortly. I am still up in the air on whether or not to use hardware cloth over chicken wire. Hardware cloth certainly looks nicer and is a bit sturdier, but where I live I am not really too worried about predators. We have the occasional raccoon but I can't see a raccoon getting through chicken wire. Am I wrong about that?
I would love to hear what people have used and why. Thanks.

 

[Rickba]

Chicken wire is designed to keep chickens in, Hardware cloth is designed to keep pred's out. CW will not keep out pred's, especially raccoons. Read up how to wire out pred's before you buy your supplies or look me up and ask. I know what I'm doing when it comes to pred'r proof coops and runs.

 

[Kiki]

I have decided on a plan and will begin compiling my supplies very shortly. I am still up in the air on whether or not to use hardware cloth over chicken wire. Hardware cloth certainly looks nicer and is a bit sturdier, but where I live I am not really too worried about predators. We have the occasional raccoon but I can't see a raccoon getting through chicken wire. Am I wrong about that?
I would love to hear what people have used and why. Thanks.

Yes you are wrong about the raccoon and chicken wire.
Build it (a coop) and they WILL come.
All kinds of different predators you never thought you had.

 

[PirateGirl]

raccoons can tear into chicken wire... there are many pics of this online an in the "predators" section of the site

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have decided on a plan and will begin compiling my supplies very shortly. I am still up in the air on whether or not to use hardware cloth over chicken wire. Hardware cloth certainly looks nicer and is a bit sturdier, but where I live I am not really too worried about predators. We have the occasional raccoon but I can't see a raccoon getting through chicken wire. Am I wrong about that?
I would love to hear what people have used and why. Thanks.

Coons are the least of your worries! All you need is one stray dog, and the chicken wire will be ripped asunder and all your chickens will be dead. Been there , seen that. Your call.

 

[Kusanar]

I have decided on a plan and will begin compiling my supplies very shortly. I am still up in the air on whether or not to use hardware cloth over chicken wire. Hardware cloth certainly looks nicer and is a bit sturdier, but where I live I am not really too worried about predators. We have the occasional raccoon but I can't see a raccoon getting through chicken wire. Am I wrong about that?
I would love to hear what people have used and why. Thanks.

A raccoon is a lot stronger than you think. They can rip a hole in chicken wire, and even if they didn't, raccoons have hands... They will reach through a gap and grab a chicken and rip off a leg, wing, head, anything they can grab...

 

[Rickba]

I think Cap means Chicken Wire will be ripped asunder. Sorry for the correction Cap.

 

[Kiki]

[QUOTE="Rickba, post: 19037784, member: 475425"]I think Cap means Chicken Wire will be ripped asunder. Sorry for the correction Cap.[/QUOTE]
She's not had her coffee yet.

 

[Ridgerunner]

There are pictures in the predator forum where predators have torn chicken wire, usually dogs but sometimes other things. There are photos in the predator section where predators have torn hardware cloth, again usually dogs.

Any wire you use will give you some protection. There are different things to consider with the wire itself. One is the gauge of the wire. The smaller (heavier) the gauge the more protection it gives you. Another is the size of the holes in the wire. Pat of that is that certain things can get through but also the bigger the holes the easier for a critter to get a grip so it can really pull. Another is the way the wire is put together. Chicken wire is held together by twisting, lighter gauge may be able to be untwisted by a strong predator pulling on it. Hardware cloth is welded. It’s possible in the light gauge hardware cloth for the weld to be broken. Chicken wire and hardware cloth come in different gauges and with different sized holes. The heavier the gauge and smaller the holes the more expensive it is. Typically hardware cloth is better for predator protection in several aspects but how much depends on the respective fencing.

Another big issue is how the fencing is attached. Your attachments can easily be your weak point. One, whatever you use to attach it might not be strong enough or get enough of a grip. Two, you may have edges where a critter can get a good grip to pull. What you are attaching it to could be the weak point, either letting the staple, nail, or screw pull out, or breaking or splitting itself.

It’s not just what materials you use, fencing, attachment methods, and what it is attaching to. It’s also your construction techniques.

Even in suburbia you may be amazed at which predators you have in addition to raccoons. Did you know that over 5,000 coyotes are estimated to live within the city limits of Chicago? Coyotes are big enough to tear some chicken wire. You could easily have bobcats and foxes. Skunks and possum are almost certain. Chicken wire will give you some protection from a lot of these but hardware cloth will give you more, gauges being equal. In suburbia dogs are probably your biggest risk, depending on how secure you are from dogs getting in that area to start with.

The way I went about it was to use 2” x 4” welded wire for my run and lined the bottom 18” with chicken wire. It’s not perfect but the 2x4 wire will stop anything up to but not including a bear and the smaller holes in the chicken wire stops many others. Where I attached it to heavy wooden posts I used 1-1/4” fencing staples, those ¾” poultry staples just don’t cut it. Where I attached it to a flat wooden surface I used furring strips. ¾” thick boards laid over the ends of the wire and attached with screws. The screws go through the holes in the wire. If the wood is soft I use fender washers over the screws to keep the screw head from sinking in too far. I drill pilot holes so the screws go in a lot easier and they don’t split the wood. By clamping down tightly that wire isn’t going anywhere plus you get the advantage of covering the edges so a critter cannot get a good grip to pull. That also keeps me from snagging skin or clothing on the fencing edges.

You don’t have to do it my way, there are plenty of other ways out there. The more secure you make the run the more it will probably cost you. It’s not always an easy answer. Good luck!

 

[CapricornFarm]

I think Cap means Chicken Wire will be ripped asunder. Sorry for the correction Cap.

That's ok, i just noticed it myself. Actually i used to use chicken wire on the inside of my runs and welded wire on the outside of the runs. So i had 2 layers of protection, and welded wire is hard stuff. Never failed me.